March 19, 2024

Linhart transforms game, receives first-team INA honors

A third-team selection on last year’s Iowa Newspaper Association all-state teams, Central Decatur’s Hallie Linhart transformed her game and earned a first-team nod on this year’s INA all-state team in Class 2A.

The senior helped lead the Cardinals to a 23-2 record and a regional final against IKM-Manning.

“I think it really solidifies what kind of team we had this year,” Central Decatur head coach Curtis Boothe said. “I thought we were balanced. Sometimes Hallie gave points up because she was passing the ball. It was a good choice on her own doing, just making us a better team.”

Linhart’s scoring took a dip from 17.9 points per game last year to 14.0 points per game this year, but the Cardinals had four players average in double figures this year.

And with that dip in scoring, came an increase in assists. Linhart, who made the switch to point guard for this season, led Class 2A in assists with 154.

The decision to transform her game was entirely hers, Boothe said.

“I think it says a lot about Hallie as a player and more as a person,” he said. “I really wasn’t something we asked, it’s something she led into and allowed her game to develop. I think she realized she had some pretty balanced scoring around her and was willing to pass the ball, knowing she didn’t have to do so much scoring this year.”

Linhart also received second team honors from the Des Moines Register and from the Iowa Girls Coaches Association.

Her ability to see the floor and make tough passes, along with Central Decatur’s balanced offense, made the Cardinals a tough team to defend.

“I really felt like just the ball movement and the ability to push the ball up the floor was her biggest asset for us,” Boothe said. “We knew we were going to get a good shot when the ball was in her hands.”

Linhart did not start the first game of her freshman season, but started every game after that for the rest of her career.

Her presence in the Central Decatur program helped the team recover from its worst season under Boothe.

“Five years ago, as an eighth-grader, our varsity record was the worst it ever was a 9-13,” Boothe said. “We needed a more competitive drive. She was able to give that to us from day one. She came into the program from day one, she wanted to win.”

Linhart proved to be a consistent weapon for the Cardinals. She owns seven school records at Central Decatur.

She owns school records for points in a season (411), points in a career (1,362), assists in a season (154), steals in a game (12), blocked shots in a game (eight), blocked shots in a season (54) and blocked shots in a career (131).

“It got to the point where in her senior year she could really dominate in all areas,” Boothe said. “She has seven of our 15 records we keep track of. It shows how athletic she really was. She could have set records in rebounding. We just really had Hallie doing her thing, because she is so athletic.”

In addition to leading the team in scoring, Linhart also led the Cardinals in rebounding at 6.5 boards per game. She ranked second on the team with 81 steals and led the team in blocked shots with 54.

“She kind of went through a stretch where she tweaked her knee over Christmas break. It probably hurt her jump shot more than anything, but her stat line was still dominating everywhere,” Boothe said. “A little bit of a bump in her season, but she persevered and fought through that. It was pretty amazing what she was able to accomplish.”

Linhart signed Monday with Graceland University to continue her basketball career.