2011 Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament

Class 4A First Round

Linn-Mar 48, Ankeny 47

When Linn-Mar absolutely needed a basket, the Lions turned to their star and Kiah Stokes delivered.

Stokes dribbled the length of the floor, spun on the block and banked in a layup for the winning basket with 21 seconds left, giving the defending state champions a 48-47 victory over Ankeny in a first-round Class 4A game.

Ankeny had taken a 47-46 lead when its own star, Maddie Manning, converted a three-point play with 30.3 seconds remaining. Manning drove into the lane and made an underhanded layup while drawing a foul from Stokes.

After Stokes answered, the Hawkettes missed three shots in the final seconds, with Stokes blocking the last one.

Stokes, who has signed with No. 1-ranked Connecticut, had to work hard against Ankeny's tough defense and finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. The second-ranked Lions also got solid games from Jenna Eels and Shanice Cheatham, who scored nine points each.

Manning, a junior who has committed to Oklahoma, led 10th-ranked Ankeny with 16 points, six assists and six rebounds. Shayla Starkenburg scored 13 for the Hawkettes, who battled back after trailing by six late in the third quarter.

They pulled into a tie at 51 when Krista Pettepier arched in a 15-footer over Stokes with 1:49 left. After Courtney Major and Stokes each made a free throw, Manning delivered her three-point play to give Ankeny its brief lead.

Linn-Mar takes a 21-2 record into a semifinal game at noon Friday against third-ranked Iowa City. Linn-Mar beat West 63-49 midway through the regular season.

Ankeny, in the tournament for the 24th time, finishes 20-4.