Olivia Hollenbeck erased the memory of an uncharacteristically bad performance with a vengeance.
Hollenbeck scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, had five steals, two assists and a blocked shot to lift top-ranked Lincoln Christian to a 55-34 victory over Malcolm in a Class C-1 state tournament first-round game Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center.
The last time the two teams met, a 49-42 subdistrict win by Christian, Hollenbeck didn't score a point.
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"That was definitely a lot of motivation. The first time, I didn't see the court very much because I was in a lot of foul trouble," said the 6-foot-4 senior. "Going into this game, I was really trying to focus on having a really calm defense and being straight up and then shifting gears on offense and playing really strong."
The Crusaders put on a passing clinic early. Nine of the team's 11 first-half baskets came on assists. All five of Hollenbeck's first-half buckets came on feeds from teammates and the Crusaders finished with 14 assists.
"I had some really good passes into me and those I thought were open, I would finish and then if they weren't, I'd kick it back out," said Hollenbeck. "I think that's part of why we play so well together because we're really unselfish with the ball."
Christian coach Nick Orduna said Hollenbeck's play was crucial.
"We have to be patient and wait until Liv gets open and she was able to get a lot done for us inside," he said. "The first time, they did a good job of doubling and even triple-teaming her. She was hungry to get back out there and just dominated inside on both sides of the ball."
Joslyn Small and Alyssa Fortik each had three-pointers early for Malcolm and Emma Brown hit a free throw to tie Christian 8-8 before the Crusaders went on an 18-6 run with 5:50 left in the first half. Malcolm opened the second period with five turnovers and going just 1-for-11 from the field, including six three-point misses. The Clippers finished 3-for-19 from three-point range.
"I thought our defensive pressure was really good," said Orduna. "They love the three and we knew it and had to challenge that."
Brown led Malcolm (19-7) with 11 points and five rebounds.
"Hollenbeck had a great game. She's definitely an all-state caliber type," said Malcolm coach Andy Klepper. "We shut her down the first game and we figured she'd be a little upset with that. She was and she came back and had a great game."
Photos: Lincoln Christian, St. Paul, Adams Central advance with wins at Devaney
Lincoln Christian's Olivia Hollenbeck (42) tries to shoot over Malcolm's Emma Brown during a first-round game Thursday in the Class C-1 girls state basketball tournament at the Devaney Sports Center.