Tyler Hilton’s mammoth performance lifts Linn-Mar to its first boys’ hoops win of season

MARION - Linn-Mar’s boys’ basketball team had a dominant post player last season. His name was Davis Kern.

You may have heard of him. He was an all-stater, broke the Metro record for most career points, led the Lions to the state tournament semifinals last season in Class 4A.

He’s up at South Dakota State University now where he’s playing hoops. Appears he’s being redshirted his first Division I college season.

On to this Linn-Mar boys’ basketball team, one that also seems to have a dominant post player. His name is Tyler Hilton.

The 6-foot-8 senior had a hellacious game Friday night at Linn-Mar as the Lions beat Cedar Rapids Prairie, 67-59. Hilton scored 26 points and picked up 23 rebounds to literally power his team to its first win this season.

“I’d say the main thing for me is confidence,” Hilton said. “I know I can do everything well, so I’d say the things for me are confidence and facilitating. At my height, most people can’t handle the ball like I can, shoot the ball like I can. All those things I’ve gotten a lot better at.”

Hilton averaged 11.9 points per game last season as Kern’s understudy, of sorts. He got better and better as the season wore on, and he was great in the postseason, including Linn-Mar’s two state tourney games.

He’s averaging 25 points in his team’s first three games this season. He can dribble the ball up court, post up in the paint and use his strength and long arms to do damage there.

Hilton also can fade outside every now and then and take a shot. The Division II Wayne State (Neb.) recruit’s overall game has improved an absolute in a year.

“Tyler is really special just because of his ability to do it at all levels,” said Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson. “You can put the ball in his hands, he’s long, he’s a finisher, a very good rebounder tonight. Even him, though, he’s got so much room to grow.

“To be as good as he is and still have so many things to improve on is exciting. He’s had a very good first three games.”

Linn-Mar (1-2) lost its first two games, both close, to good teams Bettendorf and Cedar Falls, so to get something tangible out of this equally good performance was important. The Lions led most all the way: by seven points after each of the first three quarters.

Prairie (0-2) got its deficit to two at a point in the third quarter, but Linn-Mar was able to stretch its edge back out to as many as 12 in the fourth. Guard Karson Rains complemented Hilton offensively with 19 points, the Lions shooting over 50 percent from the field and outrebounded Prairie by a 37-13 margin.

“I told the guys before the game, before we went out that we have competed really hard in both (previous) games. They were both winnable games, and we didn’t win them, so I told them ‘Tonight, we’re not here to compete. We’re here to win. That’s got to be your mindset. We’ve got to go after this and played to win.’

“We did that.”

While Linn-Mar is a team with a bunch of new cast members, Prairie brought a lot of guys back from a team last season that went 19-4 and won its division in the Mississippi Valley Conference. This 0-2 start is rather surprising.

Friday’s loss could be blamed on shooting, or a lack thereof. The Hawks were 20 of 52 from the field (38.4 percent), including 3 for 19 from 3-point range.

“I truly believe we are one of the better shooting teams in the state,” Prairie Coach Todd Kuntz said. “But great teams find ways to win when they’re not shooting well. Tonight we did not shoot it well, but we’re not a great team, yet. There is too much we need to improve on.”

Tae Alexander led Prairie with 14 points, one more than Will Wehr. All-state guard Austin Joens went 1 of 9 from the field, made no 3-pointers and finished with just five points.

The Hawks also went just 16 of 29 from the free-throw line. One of those nights.

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AT LINN-MAR

CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE (59): David Fason 1-3 1-8 3, Cayden Larson 2-7 2-2 6, Will Wehr 3-12 6-10 13, Tae Alexander 5-8 4-5 14, Austin Joens 1-9 3-4 5, Collin McClintock 4-4 0-0 8, Ayden Meier 2-3 0-0 5, Eli Boerschel 2-6 0-0 5, Jayden Stumpff 0-0 0-0 0, Colt Hobson 0-0 0-0 0, Caleb Eckert 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-52 16-29 59.

LINN-MAR (67): Blake Ritze 4-5 0-0 8, Tyler Hilton 7-12 12-16 26, Max Robertson 2-6 2-2 6, Garrett Bauermeister 0-3 0-0 0, Karson Rains 7-12 3-6 19, Nolan Runge 1-3 0-0 3, Dexter Bruscheen 1-1 2-2 5, Landon Fourtner 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-42 19-26 67.

Halftime - Linn-Mar 29, C.R. Prairie 22. 3-point goals - C.R. Prairie 3-19 (Fason 0-1, Larson 0-2, Wehr 1-6, Joens 0-5, Meier 1-2, Boerschel 1-3), Linn-Mar 4-11 (Hilton 0-2, Robertson 0-2, Bauermeister 0-2, Rains 2-3, Runge 1-1, Brunscheen 1-1). Rebounds - C.R. Prairie 23 (Larson 6), Linn-Mar 37 (Hilton 23). Total fouls - C.R. Prairie 27, Linn-Mar 19. Fouled out - Wehr, Meier. Turnovers - C.R. Prairie 7, Linn-Mar 16.

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