Jacob Timm tries to fight his way past an Anamosa opponent in overtime on Friday night. (Haleigh Ehmsen photo)

By Haleigh Ehmsen, Mount Vernon senior

MOUNT VERNON – Seniors Jake Timm, Micah Russell and Jack Keleher - or “the three amigos” as they have become known at Mount Vernon High School – have been playing basketball together since fifth grade tournament league.

So when Timm had a emergency appendectomy the night before their game against Western Dubuque on Jan. 13, two of the amigos were worried.

When Timn found out he was going to have his appendix taken out on Jan. 12, he was concerned about recovery. The doctors weren’t able to tell him how long recovery would take.

It could take 2-3 weeks or the rest of his senior basketball season.

“I knew whatever happened, the team would be fine,” Timm said.

But when he came out of surgery his dad, Ed Timm, the Mustangs’ basketball coach, said the doctor told him that everything went really well and it would be 2-3 weeks until Jake would be back on the court.

 “Basketball helped me to get better faster,” Jake said.

Coach Timm said it was “kind of strange” how it happened the night before the big game with Western Dubuque, which was  tied with the Mustangs in the Wamac Conference standings, on Friday the 13th. The first game was rough without Timm because the boys weren’t just without their friend, but their point guard.

Jack Keleher fights for the ball in the third quarter of Friday's game against Anamosa. Jacob Timm (13) and Micah Russell (23) rush to his aid. (Haleigh Ehmsen photo)

“It was a big deal because he gives me and Jack most of our shots and takes control,” Russell said. ” It was a bad time (to lose Timm) because we had hard games ahead.”

The Mustangs lost to Western Dubuque that Friday, and Maquoketa and Cedar Rapids Prairie in the first week without Timm. The way Coach Timm saw it, the other players needed to step up and make extra shots and rebounds to cover Jake’s 15 point per game average.

“It was hard to adjust,” Coach Timm said. “The boys were playing like they were waiting for Jake to come back. It was frustrating because they weren’t competing like they would compete.”

Coach Timm wasn’t the only one frustrated. Jake wasn’t used to watching the game from the bench instead of playing.

“It was hard because you’re so used to playing and then it’s taken away and you have to find other ways to help the team,”  Jake said.

He described himself as ultra competitive and said he did a lot coaching from the end of the bench.

Keleher described how weird it felt playing without Timm since they had been playing together for a most of their basketball career.

“He’s been our point guard since fifth grade,” he said. “It threw off the rhythm.

“We lost confidence and didn’t know what to expect.”

The Mustangs gained some confidence in their second week without Timm and won their next three games, but Timm was tired of sitting on the bench. On Jan. 31, he was cleared by his doctor to play. Although he didn’t start, he did play the majority of the game against DeWitt Central.

“He hadn’t practiced in two and a half weeks and it looked like he hadn’t missed a lot,” Coach Timm said, adding that with a strong team of boys who have played together for as long as these boys have, it’s not such a big deal to miss two weeks.

The Mustangs played Anamosa on Friday, and were behind until there was 3:06 left in the game. Keleher scored a 3-point shot to tie the game 48-48. The score remained close the rest of the way and both teams fought for every point.

In the last second of the game, Anamosa scored to tie the game 56-56. The game then went into overtime and in the last minute of overtime, the Mustangs scored four points on free throws, three by Timm. The Mustangs won 68-62.

“It felt good to be back and have the ball in my hand at the end of the game,” Timm said.

Check out his photos:

Ames 62, Sioux City North 50

Belmond-Klemme 70, Lake Mills 33

Bloomfield Davis County 66, Moravia 20

Caledonia, Minn. 56, Decorah 54

Camanche 72, Morning Star 66

Cedar Falls 55, Dubuque Hempstead 48

Cedar Rapids Kennedy 56, Marion Linn-Mar 51

Cedar Valley 64, Waterloo Christian 49

Charles City 52, Nashua-Plainfield 40

Davenport West 83, Fort Madison 39

Dike-New Hartford 72, Gilbertville-Don Bosco 44

East Sac County 65, Alta/Aurelia 59

Gladbrook-Reinbeck 65, Garwin GMG 45

Grinnell 57, South Tama County, Tama 22

Monticello 63, Tipton 26

Pella 81, Fairfield 48

Prince of Peace Clinton 47, Bellevue 35

Regina, Iowa City 74, Cedar Rapids Washington 58

Roland-Story 63, Grundy Center 45

Sioux Falls Lincoln, S.D. 74, Sioux City West 31

Stanwood North Cedar 68, Lisbon 62

Waterloo West 67, Dubuque Wahlert 58

Waverly-Shell Rock 69, Sumner-Fredericksburg 57

West Marshall 63, Traer North Tama 43

Wyoming Midland 66, Central City 27

Southwest Christian (Chaska), Minn. 57, Hull Western Christian 39

Treynor vs. Clarinda, ppd.

Glenwood vs. Council Bluffs St. Albert, ppd. to Feb 9.

Council Bluffs Lewis Central vs. Creston, ppd.

Colo-NESCO vs. Pella Christian, ppd.

Osceola Clarke vs. Winterset, ppd.

Des Moines Grandview Park Baptist vs. Iowa Christian, ppd.

Bussey Twin Cedars vs. Orient-Macksburg, ppd. to Feb 6.

Greenfield Nodaway Valley vs. Albia, ccd.

Moulton-Udell vs. Eddyville-Blakesburg, ccd.

IKM-Manning vs. Lawton-Bronson, ppd. to Feb 6.

Bellevue 58, Prince of Peace Clinton 42

Burlington Notre Dame 68, Packwood Pekin 56

Camanche 51, Morning Star 30

Cascade 52, Anamosa 27

Cedar Rapids Kennedy 40, Marion Linn-Mar 29

Cedar Valley 53, Waterloo Christian 47, OT

Dubuque Senior 63, Epworth, Western Dubuque 59

Geneseo, Ill. 55, Davenport North 36

Gladbrook-Reinbeck 105, Garwin GMG 39

Grundy Center 61, Roland-Story 46

Lisbon 54, Stanwood North Cedar 47

Mason City 53, Cedar Falls 39

MOC-Floyd Valley 88, Sioux City North 46

Pella 59, Fairfield 42

Preston 50, Durant 40

Sioux Falls Lincoln, S.D. 59, Sioux City West 53

South Tama County, Tama 56, Grinnell 24

Starmont 44, Valley Community 35

Sumner-Fredericksburg 48, Waverly-Shell Rock 45

Union, La Porte City 43, Fairbank Wapsie Valley 26

Washington 65, Clear Creek-Amana 37

West Marshall 65, Traer North Tama 37

Havana, Ill. 65, Keokuk 62

Treynor vs. Clarinda, ppd.

Glenwood vs. Council Bluffs St. Albert, ccd.

Council Bluffs Lewis Central vs. Creston, ppd.

Colo-NESCO vs. Pella Christian, ppd.

Osceola Clarke vs. Winterset, ppd.

Orient-Macksburg vs. Bussey Twin Cedars, ppd. to Feb 6.

IKM-Manning vs. OA-BCIG, ppd. to Feb 6.

The Huskies (12-8) had three players with 13 points – Will Muhlbach, Jeremy Strutz and Jon Landis – and David Sperling chipped in 12.

Waterloo Christian was paced by Lucas Segerstrom with 12 points.

IOWA CITY REGINA 74, CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTON 58 – Regina (16-4, 11-2 CVC) shot 15-of-24 from behind the 3-point line in route to a victory at home over Cedar Rapids Washington (0-15, 0-12 MVC).

Nate Streb scored 17 points for the Regals and Ross Westemeyer and Ryan Lynch added 14 and 12 points respectively.

Brock Butterfield led the Warriors with 17 points.

Members of the Cedar Rapids Kennedy student section celebrate with the basketball team after its 56-51 win over Linn-Mar.

CEDAR RAPIDS — When your point guard outplays Marcus Paige, you’ve got a heck of a chance to win a basketball game. It was Darius Fuller, with a little help from Trevor Heitland, that outshined the North Carolina signee Saturday night in Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s 56-51 upset of Class 4A sixth-ranked Linn-Mar.

Fullheit, as we’ll call them, outscored 4A’s leading scorer, 19-18, switching off on him defensively and holding him to 3-for-16 shooting from the field and 10 points under his scoring average. It was Kennedy’s first win over Linn-Mar since the 2005-06 season.

“Our plan was to get into him as much as we could, take him out of his game,” Fuller said. “Try and get in his head and try to pressure him as much as we could. It worked pretty well. He got his shots, but we kept (his points) to as minimum as we could.”

A 5-foot-9 junior, Fuller scored 14 himself and added seven rebounds in a terrific individual performance. For the most part, he and Heitland kept Paige in front of them.

Whenever he did get away and penetrate the lane, he was fouled hard and sent to the free-throw line, where he made 11 of 13.

“Darius did have 14 points, but I was more impressed with his overall floor game,” Kennedy Coach Bob Fontana said. “I think he had seven rebounds and a handful of assists. He only turned it over maybe a couple of times. To do that, then have to guard Marcus Paige, too, that’s just outstanding. I know the box score says he scored 14, but in my mind, he had a hell of a lot more than that.”

Kennedy (13-4, 8-4 MVC Mississippi Division) rallied from a four-point halftime deficit, seeming to simply out-physical Paige and his teammates in a game that definitely was physical. Maybe a little bit too much for Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson’s taste.

Robertson was given a technical foul late in the third quarter after a traveling call on Paige that didn’t seem to be a travel. Matt Meier added 14 points off the bench for the Lions (13-4, 9-3), who had three starters foul out, including Paige.

“It’s hard to shoot when you’ve got hands on you,” Robertson said. “It seemed like it got away from the officials a little bit, especially one of them. That was just tough to overcome.”

Here is the game boxscore and a quick video interview with Fuller:

AT C.R. KENNEDY

LINN-MAR (51): Jimmy Roth 2-8 0-0 6, Andy Henry 2-6 1-2 5, Derik Gogg 0-1 0-5 0, Zach Martins 1-4 0-0 2, Marcus Paige 3-16 11-13 18, Matt Meier 5-6 1-2 14, Jon Schlotterback 1-1 0-0 2, Nate Dick 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 16-44 13-22 51.

C.R. KENNEDY (56): Josiah Coleman 1-6 4-6 6, Cody Bell 2-9 3-7 7, Elliott Christians 1-5 7-8 9, Trevor Heitland 2-10 1-2 5, Darius Fuller 5-8 4-7 14, Alex Hayden 3-5 0-0 7, Josh Jahlas 0-0 0-0 0, Patrick Martin 3-3 0-0 6, Ben Struss 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 18-51 19-30 56.

Halftime — Linn-Mar 25, Kennedy 21. 3-point goals — Linn-Mar 6-20 (Roth 2-4, Henry 0-2, Martins 0-2, Paige 1-8, Meier 3-4), Kennedy 1-6 (Coleman 0-1, Bell 0-3, Hayden 1-2). Rebounds — Linn-Mar 28 (Gogg, Meier 5), Kennedy 36 (Christians 8). Total fouls — Linn-Mar 22, Kennedy 19. Fouled out — Henry, Roth, Paige. Technical fouls – Linn-Mar bench. Turnovers — Linn-Mar 14, Kennedy 8.

Alburnett's Jacob Koch (top) tries to pin Maquoketa Valley's Jared Coyle in the 120-pound final at the Class 1A sectional wrestling tournament at East Buchanan High School in Wintrhop on Saturday, February 4, 2012. (Stephen Mally/Freelance)

WINTHROP — One team. One family. One mission.

The saying sprawled on the back of Alburnett wrestling sweatshirts provides a blunt message of the Pirates goal to be No. 1 in the state.

Alburnett took its first step in trying to improve two straight third-place finishes in Des Moines, winning the Class 1A sectional tournament Saturday at East Buchanan High School. The Pirates tallied 234 points and topped runner-up Maquoketa Valley by 38.

The Pirates’ message was loud and clear Saturday.

“We don’t want to hide it or be shy about it,” Alburnett Coach Kane Thompson said state title aspirations. “If you’re shy about it and can’t openly come out and say we want to win a state title then I don’t think you ultimately believe it.”

Fifth-ranked Alburnett crowned six champions with seven district qualifiers. The Pirates’ Jacob Koch provided plenty of excitement to the final round. He won a seesaw 13-12 contest against top-seeded Jared Coyle of Maquoketa Valley in the 120-pound championship.

Koch scored a takedown in the first and third, but his takedown and two nearfall points in the second period were the decisive moves. He said he won the match on guts, fending off the late charge by Coyle.

“I wrestled the toughest I’ve had all season,” Koch said. “To win by one point, it was a good match. It was exciting.”

Koch advances to district for the first time, soothing the sting of last year’s bad sectional showing. He had not beaten Coyle until this year and now owns a 2-1 advantage over the Wildcat.

“I just started picking up skill and gaining on him,” Koch said. “I think it was a good time to beat him again was at sectionals.”

Starmont's Alan Hayes (from left) and Alburnett's Grant Henderson battle for control during the 145-pound final at the Class 1A sectional wrestling tournament at East Buchanan High School in Wintrhop on Saturday, February 4, 2012. Henderson won 9-0. (Stephen Mally/Freelance)

Alburnett’s Grant Henderson earned the 145-pound championship, handling Starmont’s Alan Hayes, 9-0. Henderson improved to 34-3, opening with a fall, but knows he can perform better.

“There’s a lot more I could do,” Henderson said. “I need to improve before state. I have to get there, but there’s a lot I need to work on.”

The fourth-ranked junior reached last year’s district but his bid for state was stopped short. He has been on his own mission to make it to state and contribute to the Pirates’ success.

“That day has been in my head since it happened,” said Henderson, pointing out Feb. 12, 2011. “It’s pushing me to work harder in the (practice) room.”

Top-ranked Hunter Washburn (103) remained undefeated for the Pirates, recording two falls without allowing an offensive point. Thompson called the 38-0 freshman a perfectionist, and he almost was Saturday.

“He was pretty close,” Thompson said. “Nobody took him down, nobody rode him and when he wanted to pin somebody he pinned him. That’s pretty darn good.”

Two-time state champion and top-ranked Tyler Shulista (126), Colton Martin (132) and 160-pounder Dylan Winfield added titles for Alburnett. The Pirates were expecting a few more to continue their mission.

“They have had goals of sending more than this to the state tournament and we’re not going to quite get that many to districts,” Thompson said. “It feels good to have a nice group going, but we’d like a few more.”

Maquoketa Valley was impressive, matching Alburnett’s seven district qualifiers. The Wildcats had three champs led by strong upper weights. The four heaviest weights reached the finals and Troy Hunt (182), freshman Ryan Parmely (195) and sophomore heavyweight Tyler Yonkovic claimed titles.

Parmely remained undefeated with a 10-5 championship win over Alburnett’s Sam Bowers. Hunt improved to 35-1 with a 7-2 victory over North-Linn’s Taylor Michael in the finals.

“We have good experience in our upper weights,” Maquoketa Valley Coach Tim Andrews said. “The sky’s the limit for all those guys.”

North Linn's Brendan Schott (top) pins Clayton Ridge's Kris Ihde in the 170-pound final at the Class 1A sectional wrestling tournament at East Buchanan High School in Wintrhop on Saturday, February 4, 2012. Schott won with a fall in :20. (Stephen Mally/Freelance)

North-Linn crowned four champions to place third and advanced six to the district tournament. The Lynx received titles from second-ranked Zach Welter (113), top-ranked Logan Mulnix (138) and Brendan Schott (170) and John Pint at 152.

Welter faced third-ranked Sawyer Amling of Edgewood-Colesburg in the finals at 113, which was a rematch of last weekend’s Tri-Rivers Conference final won by Welter in overtime. Welter broke open a scoreless match in the second, reversing Amling to his back for a five-point move en route to a 7-1 decision.

“It feels better winning by a larger margin,” Welter said. “I’ve had a couple close matches with him. It’s nice to widen that gap.”

Mulnix and Schott were dominant. Mulnix posted a 15-6 major decision over Maquoketa Valley’s seventh-ranked Carter Funke, scoring four takedowns in the final period. He also had a :27 fall to reach the championship bout.

Schott barely broke a sweat, wrestling a combined :50 in two matches. He opened with a :30 fall before decking Clayton Ridge’s Kris Ihde in :20 for the title.

East Buchanan’s Tyler Hoffman gave the home crowd something to cheer for, winning the 220-pound title. He defeated Maquoketa Valley’s Adam Steger, 7-1, in the finals. The Bucs advanced four to district next weekend in Sumner.

Alburnett and Maquoketa advanced to regional dual competition Tuesday at Alburnett.

AT WINTHROP

(District qualifiers in parentheses)

Teams – 1. Alburnett (7) 234, 2. Maquoketa Valley (7) 196, 3. North Linn (6) 181, 4. East Buchanan (4) 155, 5. Clayton Ridge (1) 89, 6. Starmont (2) 86, 7. Edgewood-Colesburg (1) 67.5

District qualifiers

106 pounds – 1. Hunter Washburn (A), 2. Dusty Decker (EB); 113 – 1. Zach Welter (NL), 2. Sawyer Amling (EC); 120 - 1. Jacob Koch (A), 2. Jared Coyle (MV); 126 – 1. Tyler Shulista (A), 2. Cole Bamrick (NL); 132 - 1. Colton Martin (A); 2. Jett Kuhens (S); 138 – 1. Logan Mulnix (NL), 2. Carter Funke (MV); 145 – 1. Grant Henderson (A), 2. Alan Hayes (S); 152 - 1. John Pint (NL), 2. Colton Stoddard (EB); 160 – 1. Dylan Winfield (A), 2. Luke Kramer (MV); 170 – 1. Brendan Schott (NL), 2. Kris Ihde (CR); 182 – 1. Troy Hunt (MV), 2. Taylor Michael (NL); 195 – 1. Ryan Parmely (MV), 2. Sam Bowers (A); 220 – 1. Tyler Hoffman (EB), 2. Adam Steger (MV); Hwt. – 1. Tyler Yonkovic (MV), 2. Luke Bird (EB).

Championship matches

106 pounds - Hunter Washburn (A) pinned Dusty Decker (EB), 2:52; 113 – Zach Welter (NL) dec. Sawyer Amling (EC), 7-1; 120 - Jacob Koch (A) dec. Jared Coyle (MV), 13-12; 126 - Tyler Shulista (A) pinned Cole Bamrick (NL), :43; 132 - Colton Martin (A) major dec. Jett Kuhens (S), 11-2; 138 – Logan Mulnix (NL) major dec. Carter Funke (MV), 15-6; 145 - Grant Henderson (A) major dec. Alan Hayes (S), 9-0; 152 – John Pint (NL) dec. Colton Stoddard (EB), 9-5; 160 – Dylan Winfield (A) dec. Luke Kramer (MV), 5-2; 170 - Brendan Schott (NL) pinned Kris Ihde (CR), :20; 182 – Troy Hunt (MV) dec. Taylor Michael (NL), 7-2; 195 – Ryan Parmely (MV) dec. Sam Bowers (A), 10-5; 220 – Tyler Hoffman (EB) dec. Adam Steger (MV), 7-1; Hwt. - Tyler Yonkovic (MV) dec. Luke Bird (EB), 7-4.

Wrestlebacks

120 - Coyle (MV) major dec. Michael Naber (EB), 8-0; 182 - Michael (NL) pinned Cody Platte (EB), 3:55; 195 - Bowers (A) pinned Dalton Berns (CR), 2:58.

Kristen Eiles scored seven points to pace Linn-Mar (9-10, 5-9 MVC), while Lannie Nietert added five points and seven rebounds.

CEDAR VALLEY CHRISTIAN 53, WATERLOO CHRISTIAN 47 (OT) – Shelby Hembera scored 21 and pulled down eight rebounds for the Huskies (4-15) in a win at home.

Lindsey Cach added 11 points and five assists.

Anna Doering led Waterloo Christian with 18 points.

Kennedy came out firing in the game, leading 28-21 at one point.

The Cougars defeated the Lions 56-51 and move to 14-4 on the season. Darius Fuller had 16 points and Josiah Coleman had 6 points in the win.

The Lions drop to 13-4 with the loss.

In their next game, Kennedy plays at home against the undefeated Iowa City West Trojans on Tuesday night and the Lions are at home against Dubuque in Tuesday as well. The Cougars hope to knock off the Trojans with the momentum with the win tonight.

By Mike Condon, Correspondent

CEDAR RAPIDS – Chris Cruise said before Saturday’s boys’ district swim meet that one of the team’s lesser-known swimmers had to come to the front for Cedar Rapids Washington to continue one of the most amazing win streaks in Iowa high school history.

Senior sprinter Scott Allison was that guy.

Allison finished well above his seed times in both the 50 and 100-freestyles and had solid swims in his two relay events as the Warriors outdistanced Dubuque Senior to win their 49^th consecutive district championship before a full house at the Cedar Rapids Jefferson pool.

The Warriors won six of the 11 events, scoring 298 points. Senior was second with 277.

Individual event times were not released to the media because meets scheduled Saturday for Southeast Polk and Des Moines Roosevelt were postponed due to weather conditions in the Des Moines area and the western part of the state. They will be held Monday afternoon.

Jefferson Athletics Director Scott Kibby said the Iowa High School Athletic Associated asked that times not be published because state qualifying is based on times and teams in the postponed districts could gain an advantage. By knowing the times of completed meets, teams would be able to move athletes around in events to gain a state berth.

With or without the release of times, one thing was obvious Saturday.

“We had a great overall team meet today,” Cruise said. “All the kids stepped up today and swam the way we needed them to.”

Cedar Rapids Washington's Morgan Barnes (left) and Josh Hughes celebrate after their first and second place wins, respectively, in the 200 yard freestyle at the district swim meet at Cedar Rapids Jefferson on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, in Cedar Rapids. Barnes won the event. (Liz Martin/SourceMedia Group News)

As expected, Warrior standouts Morgan Barnes and Ian Ford were solid, each winning a pair of individual events. Ford was also on the winning 200-yard medley relay.

But it was the effort of Allison that had the Warrior coaching staff excited. He opened the meet with a strong anchor leg for the winning 200 medley, followed up by the surprise of the meet. He took second behind Dubuque Senior’s Josh Gill in the 50 freestyle, coming out of a slower heat.

“Scott had a great, great swim in both of his individual events,” Cruise said. “He was certainly one of the big reasons we were successful today.”

Allison came up with key swims in last year’s district win. As a senior, he is aware of the Warrior district tradition and didn’t want to be part of the team to let the streak end.

“It was a big surprise today coming in and taking second out of a slower heat,” Allison said “It’s terrifying to think you might be part of the team that has the streak end. It’s always out there but we find a way to come out on top.”

Senior was the only other team to win an event. Gill was named the district’s outstanding swimmer.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Shawn Thomsen was named the district coach of the year.

DISTRICT MEET

At C.R. Jefferson

Team standings:  1. C.R. Washington 298, 2. Dubuque Senior 277, 3. Iowa City West 139, 4. Iowa City High 123, 5. Dubuque Hempstead 121, 6. C.R. Kennedy 116, 7. C.R. Jefferson 102, 8. Decorah 66.

Event winners:  200-yard freestyle relay:  C.R. Washington (Ian Ford, Jared Thorson, Sami Scheetz, Scott Allison); 200 free: Morgan Barnes (CRW); 200 IM: Ford (CRW); 50 free: Josh Gill (DS); 100 butterfly: Thorson (CRW); 100 free: Josh Gill (DS); 500 free: Barnes (CRW); 200 free relay: Dub. Senior (Gill, Buddy Franson, Alex Duster, Connor Huff); 100 backstroke: Ford (CRW); 100 breaststroke: Huff (DS); 400 free relay: Dubuque Senior (Gill, Mitch Schroeder, Duster, Huff).

District coach of the year: Shawn Thomsen, Cedar Rapids Kennedy

District athlete of the year: Gill, Dubuque Senior.

Note: Because of district meets being cancelled by weather Saturday at Des Moines Roosevelt and Southeast Polk, times were not released to the media. According to meet officials, releasing the information would give teams competing in make-up meets on Monday a possible advantage when it comes to state qualifying times.