Marion High School senior Maggie Murphy has accepted an offer from Charleston Southern University to play volleyball.
Charleston Southern is an NCAA Division I university and a member of the Big South Conference. Murphy helped lead Marion to the 3A state title in 2008 and 3A state semifinals in 2009. 
She holds the single season digs record and is second all-time in digs in Marion volleyball history.  She plans to study biology and chemistry.

DES MOINES — So we’re down to 1-vs.-2.
Twice.
The girls’ state basketball tournament concludes today with a pair of championship-game showdowns.
In Class 3A, top-rated Sioux City Heelan (25-1) faces No. 2 Waukon (25-1) at 6 p.m.
And in 4A, it’s No. 1 Linn-Mar (25-0) vs. No. 2 Des Moines East (25-0) at 8.
“We just don’t have a lot of size,” said Waukon Coach Gene Klinge. “Our kids will play hard. They’ll battle hard. But we’ll have our hands full.”
Heelan and Waukon have been 1-2 all season.
“Heelan is a great team,” said Waukon’s …

As voted by coaches.
2009-10 All-Metro Boys’ Basketball

DES MOINES — Morgan Paige had the points. Carli Tritz had the help.
Top-rated Sioux City Heelan dominated the glass and defeated No. 8 Marion, 69-61, in a Class 3A quarterfinal at the girls’ state basketball tournament Tuesday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.
Afterward, Indians Coach Sherryl Gaffney-Paige announced her resignation.
“Our administration knows,” she said. “It’s time for me to watch my son (Marcus, a sophomore at Linn-Mar). I’ve missed a lot of his games.
“I’ll miss it, but it’s time for a change.”
Gaffney-Paige closes a 10-year career at Marion with a 126-96 …

A look at the action at the girls’ state basketball tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Tuesday.
CLASS 2A QUARTERFINAL
Mount Vernon (22-3) vs. #11 Audubon (21-1)
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Coaches: Mount Vernon Coach Bob Kintzel is in his third season, and owns a 57-11 mark. Derek Sonderland is 81-33 in five years at Audubon. He also had a successful run at Tri-Center.
Top players: Liz Skotowski (5-7, soph.) paces a young Mount Vernon team, averaging 12.0 points per game. Amanda Platte (6-1, jr.) adds 10.2 ppg. Mykel Brannan (5-6, sr.) leads …

To heck with the Mississippi Valley Conference.
Forgive the Marion Indians if they choose a word that’s stronger then “heck” in this case. They lost four basketball games this season, and three of them were to MVC teams.
That includes Dubuque Wahlert, which pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 59-50 win in a Class 3A district final last night at Cedar Rapids Kennedy.
“I knew it was going to be a battle coming in,” said Wahlert sophomore guard Jake May, brother of Iowa freshman Eric May, who led his team with …

Marion’s Mike Manderscheid and Solon’s Brad Randall were conference coaches of the year in their respective divisions. Their teams shared the overall Wamac title.
Here are the complete teams:
2009-10 Wamac Boys Basketball

Cedar Rapids Kennedy ended an 11-game losing streak to Cedar Rapids Washington this season, sweeping the Warriors in regular-season play.
But to accurately say they’re cured of the Warriors’ hex, the Cougars must win one more time.
Fifth-ranked Kennedy (19-2) faces No. 9 Cedar Rapids Washington (15-8) in a Class 4A regional final girls’ basketball showdown Tuesday.
Tipoff is 7 p.m. at Cedar Rapids Prairie.
“I hope we can jump out, get a lead early and play loose,” said Kennedy Coach Dennis Roloff.
The Kennedy-Washington matchup is one of four involving area 4A teams.
Elsewhere:
* No. 1 …

MARION — Sherryl Gaffney-Paige exited the locker room and exhaled.
“I’m glad to get that one done,” she said.
No. 8 Marion navigated Benton Community’s constantly changing defense and sidestepped the Bobcats, 65-55, in a Class 3A regional quarterfinal girls’ basketball game Wednesday night at Marion High School.
“I couldn’t tell what they were running,” said Brittany Fish, who scored 20 of her game-high 25 points in the second half to carry the Indians (21-1) to their 15th straight win.
Marion will host Vinton-Shellsburg (12-10) in a regional semifinal at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Morgan Paige …

It’s the coaches that pick the All-Metro sports teams, including girls’ basketball.
Here’s the way I would select the teams, based on eight first-teamers and eight second-teamers:
 
FIRST TEAM
COLLEEN BOUCHARD, sr., Xavier … 11.4 ppg, .419 3FG%, 3.0 spg
TIA DAWSON, jr., Washington … 15.8 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 4.0 bpg
KRISTEN HAHN, sr., Kennedy … 6.6 ppg, 4.4 spg, 66-36 ast-to-TO ratio
ALEX JACOBSON, sr., Jefferson … 12.7 ppg, 4.0 apg, 3.6 spg
KAYLA KLOPFENSTEIN, sr., Linn-Mar … 12.2 ppg, 2.2 apg, .381 3FG%
MORGAN PAIGE, sr., Marion … 25.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.6 spg, .569 FG%, …