Linn-Mar beats I.C. West in Mississippi Valley Clash
Zach Bohannon scored a game-high 28 points last night to lead Class 4A third-ranked Linn-Mar to a 68-50 victory over Iowa City West in a Mississippi Valley Conference boys’ basketball game at Iowa City.
Marcus Paige added 11 points, Drew Crawford and Nate Hutcheson nine apiece for the Lions (9-1).
Tayler Bontrager paced Iowa City West with 13 points.
IOWA CITY HIGH 79, C.R. XAVIER 44 — Malcolm Moore scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead host Iowa City High. A.J. Derby added 11 …

By Jeff Linder
The Gazette
jeff.linder@gazettecommunications.com

CEDAR RAPIDS — Either way, a winning streak was destined to die.
It was evident early that it wouldn’t be the one enjoyed by Cedar Rapids Washington.
The Class 4A 14th-ranked Warriors led from wire to wire and routed No. 6 Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 76-49, in a Mississippi Valley Conference girls’ basketball game last night at Kennedy High School. It was the Warriors’ 10th straight win over the Cougars.
“I think this was the most energized we’ve been all season,” said Washington Coach Frank Howell. “We had lost some close …

Jefferson Doubles Up
The Cedar Rapids Jefferson girls’ basketball team was twice as good as Prairie last night.
Britteny Steffeny popped in 19 points as the J-Hawks topped the Prairie Hawks, 60-30, in a Mississippi Valley Conference game at Jefferson.
Amanda Burger scored 14 points and Katelyn Jourdan chipped in with 12 points for the J-Hawks (7-5, 4-4). Marley McGurk led Prairie (4-6, 3-5) with seven points.
“I thought we played good defense and I thought we rebounded,” said Jefferson Coach Larry Niemeyer. “When you do both, you’re hard to beat.”
The J-Hawks led 31-11 …

By Jim Ecker
The Gazette
jim.ecker@gazettecommunications.com

CEDAR RAPIDS — Fast start. Strong finish. Solid middle.
That was the recipe for success last night as Cedar Rapids Jefferson handed Prairie its 39th straight loss in the Mississippi Valley Conference, 77-42, in a boys’ basketball game at Jefferson.
The J-Hawks (6-3, 3-3) scored 23 points in the first quarter and 25 in the last quarter for 48 of their 77 points, which would have been enough even if they hadn’t scored in the middle periods.
“I thought we got a good effort from a lot of kids,” said …

By Jeff Dahn
The Gazette
jeff.dahn@gazettecommunications.com

CEDAR RAPIDS — For the Eastern Iowa high school basketball fans out there who aren’t ready to take Cedar Rapids Kennedy seriously, here are some words to the wise; It’s time to quit ignoring the Cougars.
Class 4A second-ranked Kennedy played its trademark stifling man-to-man defense, dominated the boards and whipped No. 7 Cedar Rapids Washington, 67-49, in a key Mississippi Valley Conference game last night at Kennedy.
The Cougars (9-0, 6-0 MVC) out-rebounded the Warriors (7-3, 4-2) 35-16 and held their eighth of nine opponents to 49 points …

when it comes to competition in Eastern Iowa. My opinion, Class 1A might be the most competitive class in these parts.
Belle Plaine, North Linn and BGM are ranked. Belle Plaine and North Linn have two really strong programs who I think can compete with most no matter of size. Lisbon isn’t ranked, but is as good as any team, owning at least one dual win over a 3A school. East Buchanan hasn’t even been mentioned and they returned a wealth of talent this year and is strong.
Now, are they they caliber of …

Cedar Rapids Kennedy had won six straight girls’ basketball games. Cedar Rapids Washington had lost three in a row.
So, naturally, Washington handed the Cougars a 76-49 whipping, and did it in the Cougars’ gym.
The Cougars committed 28 turnovers, 20 in the first half.
Coach Dennis Roloff had none of them, but took all of the blame.
“My fault,” he said. “We should have had a shootaround today (neither school was in session Friday because of the cold). We played like we were in bed all day. No desire. No intensity. My fault.”
Jade …