With a berth in the state championship game on the line, Linn-Mar turned to its star and Kiah  Stokes delivered.

Stokes scored 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the top-ranked Lions past No. 5 Cedar Rapids Kennedy 58-53 on Friday in the Class 4A semifinals.

Kayla Klopfenstein also came up big for the Lions with 16 points, including eight in the fourth quarter to help keep her team in control. DJ Norman added 10 points for the Lions, who reached the title game for the first time since winning the very first five-player championship in 1985.

Kennedy got 13 points from Laura Boenish and 11 from University of Iowa recruit Jade Rogers. Rogers also grabbed 11 rebounds in her final high school game.

Linn-Mar looked to Stokes inside from outset and when the ball got down there, she usually scored. The 6-foot-3 junior, who's being sought by major college programs from coast to coast, made eight of 12 shots and also got herself to the free throw line, where she was 8-for-10.

It was the second meeting of the season between the two Mississippi Valley Conference teams and it went back-and-forth in the early going.

Kennedy jumped to an early 13-7 lead, but Linn-Mar responded with a 14-2 run to go up 21-15. The Lions never trailed again, though Kennedy cut the lead to 27-26 by halftime.

The Cougars were down just 29-28 early in the second half when Linn-Mar went on a 9-2 run that included four points by Stokes and a 3-pointer by Norman to open some breathing room.

After Stokes sank two free throws to give the Lions a 45-38 lead with 4:57 to play, Klopfenstein scored eight straight Linn-Mar points to keep Kennedy at bay. During that stretch the 5-9 senior hit a 3-pointer from the left corner, scored on a drive and sank three free throws.

Linn-Mar takes a 25-0 record into the championship game at 8 p.m. Saturday. Kennedy, which lost to Linn-Mar 62-49 during the regular season, finishes 21-3.

Mar 6, 2010, 12:13 AM