Prairie Boys Basketball

McDougall leads Prairie to payback win

Prairie Coach James Moses saw his game plan Monday night go right out the window before the team even broke a sweat.

He’s been touting junior point guard Jace Hanna, the Hawks’ starting quarterback this fall, as the key guy to run the show on the basketball court this winter.

In the season opener at home against Davenport West, however, Hanna picked up his second foul in the first two minutes of the game and sat the rest of the half.

He was whistled for his third foul after just nine seconds in the third quarter, then his fourth five minutes later and sat some more.

Still, Prairie got some terrific play off the bench and a break-out peformance from senior swingman Matt MacDougall in a gut-check 63-50 win over always-tough Davenport West.

“It shows the depth we have this year,” Moses said, “and the quality of our bench. A lot of kids got an opportunity to play a lot of minutes. And I thought they all played well.  That’s going to be important this week since we play three games.”

The Hawks stay home to face North Scott Thursday and then travel to Muscatine Saturday night.

Moses said he saw a lot to like for the first game of the year.

West had beaten his bunch by more than 20 points last year and kept its three star players.

“They’re a well-coached team, “ the second-year Prairie coach said. “They’ve got a lot of good athletes, very fast and quick. And they play a physical game.  So, for us, it’s like we’ve now been battle tested. We’ve got some things to learn. But we showed some perseverance tonight.”

First two substitutes DeMetrius Harper and Kentrel Smith picked up the pace when they came in and added some bulk under the boards.

Moreover, Moses said, the veterans on the team stepped up.

Senior guards Jacob Aune and Brooks Kehoe each had solid floor games with Hanna on the bench much of the night.

“We just kept fighting the whole night,” said Aune, who put Prairie up by four halftime by following up his missed free throw with a steal and a buzzer-beating bucket.

Then there was Kehoe, who turned the game around midway in the third period after collecting his fourth foul.  In one brief spurt, he hit a 3-pointer and made two steals leading to baskets to put the Hawks ahead 40-29.

“All night, we just kept playing tough defense and making stops when we had to,” Kehoe said.

MacDougall, a senior who plays much taller than the 6-foot-4 he is listed at, led his team with eight over-the-rim rebounds and was clearly the star of the game.  He topped all scorers with 19 points and was a steady presence on both ends of the court all night.

“He’s our floor leader,” Moses said. “I call him a ‘silent assassin’ ‘cause he doesn’t say much, but he leads by his actions.”

For his part, MacDougall credits his summer with former Iowa star Kenyon Murray’s AAU Legacy team with helping building his confidence and skills.

“Traveling all over like we did really gave me some good experience,” he said.

Aune and junior Tom Eilers played on the same squad.

“For one thing, it gave them a chance to play games all summer long,” Moses noted, “and against some good competition and top players. That’s bound to help them and us.”

DAVENPORT WEST (50): Darren Stringfellow 2 4-7 8, Joe Scott 7 1-4 17, Marlon Stewart 2 3-4 7, Cole Tatge 4 2-3 10, Dylan Beckman 0 0-0 0, Nasir Shabazz 2 0-0 6, Tyrus Johnson 0 2-2 2, Devonne Brown 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 12-20 50.

PRAIRIE (63): Jacob Aune 4 0-1 9, Brooks Kehoe 1 2-2 5, Jace Hanna 1 4-6 7, Matt MacDougall 8 2-2 19, Tom Eilers 3 5-5 12, Tyler Mougin 0 0-0 0, DeMetrius Harper 3 0-0 6, Kentrel Smith 1 1-2 3, Bryce Meeker 1 0-0 2, Garrett Rasmussen 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 14-18 63.

Halftime – Prairie 27, Davenport West 23. 3-point goals – Davenport West 4 (Shabazz 2, Scott 2), Prairie 5 (Aune, Kehoe, Hanna, MacDougall, Eilers). Total fouls – Davenport West 21, Prairie 24. Fouled out – none.

Moses excited about Year 2 with Prairie

Every successful team needs a good quarterback. Even basketball teams.

That's why James Moses thinks his second year as the boys basketball coach at Cedar Rapids Prairie will be better than his first. He has a quarterback on the floor now with Jace Hanna, who was also the quarterback for the Prairie football team this year.

Moses likes Hanna's decision-making on the court.

"If think if we had him last year we would have won a lot of those close games that we lost," Moses said. "I think people are going to be surprised at what we can do from top to bottom."

The Hawks finished 3-19 last season under Moses, a former University of Iowa basketball star who accepted the challenge of rebuilding the program at Prairie.

"I'm just looking forward to improving, just trying to build on the foundation and just continuing to grow," he said.

Moses put Hanna, Jacob Aune, Matt MacDougall, Brooks Kehoe and Tom Eilers in the starting lineup when Prairie played in the Jefferson Jamboree last Monday, but he also went deep into his bench for Demetrius Harper, Kentrel Smith, Ty Mougin, Bryce Meeker and Garrett Rasmussen.

Moses plans to use lots of players, just like the Iowa Hawkeyes did when he played for Tom Davis 20 years ago when he was the team's co-Most Valuable Player.

"We want to keep them fresh," he said. "If we play the style that we're looking to play, which is up-tempo and up-and-down, there's going to be some opportunities for the guys that we have on the club.

"As I told them, it (the starting lineup) is not etched in stone. There's opportunity for our players. That's probably the beauty of us having better depth this season."

MacDougall and Aune led Prairie in scoring last season at 10.6 and 8.6 points, respectively. They give the Hawks an experienced 1-2 punch in the boxscore. The next four leading scorers last year were graduated seniors Brandon Lafferty, Jerome Frazier, Matt Jantzen and Chaz Boots.

Kehoe and Eilers played regularly last season, while Rasmussen and Mougin also gained experience with the varsity. Harper, Smith and Meeker are newcomers to the varsity who could make a difference.

"I think we have better 'basketball IQ' players for our team," Moses said. "Kids that have played a lot more basketball, and it shows."

Harper has already established himself as a top sprinter and football player at Prairie. Smith is a 6-foot-1 sophomore with good quickness, and Meeker is a 6-5 freshman who could help the Hawks inside.

Smith gave Prairie a spark off the bench in the Jefferson Jamboree and can play all three guard positions.

"He's one of those players who's capable of giving us some great minutes," Moses said. "He can play multiple positions for us. If he continues to keep working the way he's been working, people are going to get a chance to see a lot of him."

Meeker gives the Hawks a big guy who might be able to bang with some of the bigger players in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

"Bryce has come a long way," Moses said. "He's still growing, he's still improving. The beautiful thing about Bryce is his attitude, and that's what we want to continue to build on. He's a nice big body in the post. We're looking to reward him."

Prairie hosts Davenport West in the season opener Monday night.

Balanced Hawks down Benton in jamboree

The Cedar Rapids Jefferson boys basketball team jumped to a 17-0 lead Monday night and crushed Center Point-Urbana, 41-12, at the Jefferson Jamboree.

Taylor Olson led the J-Hawks with 13 points. Creighton Robinson scored seven points, Alec Saunders scored six points and Ky Kramer netted five points.

All teams played two eight-minute quarters.

Jefferson (41): Saunders 6, Robinson 7, Kramer 5, Olson 13, Underwood 0, Hemphill 4, Mueller 0, Eggers 0, Sullivan 2, Goodell 4.

Center Point-Urbana (12): Jirak 5, Suttles 3, Thibault 2, Smith 2, Salow 0, Millikin 0, Ramsey 0, Gatrost 0, Jacobs 0.

PRAIRIE 34, BENTON COMMUNITY 16

Eight players scored for Cedar Rapids Prairie during its 18-point victory over Benton Community in the Jamboree.

Jacob Aune, Jace Hanna and Kentrel Smith scored six points apiece in a balanced attack. Matt MacDougall added five points.

Prairie (34): Aune 6, Kehoe 2, Hanna 6, MacDougall 5, Eilers 4, Smith 6, Mougin 3, Harper 2, Tonyan 0, Meeker 0, Adams 0, Koch 0, Rasmussen 0.

Benton Community (16): Cassell 0, Kearns 3, Markland 5, Stenberg 4, Rathje 0, Strellner 0, Stramer 0, Volz 0, Havlik 0, Christensen 0, Moser 4, Fisher 0, Stoll 0.

MOUNT VERNON 30, KENNEDY 25

Jake Timm popped in 13 points as Mount Vernon upended Kennedy in the Jamboree. Jack Keleher collected 11 points for the Mustangs.

Alex Hayden led Kennedy with eight points and Elliott Christians scored seven points. The Cougars played without Josiah Coleman and Darius Fuller, who have been suspended for violating school rules.

Kennedy (25): Hayden 8, Heitland 3, Jahlas 0, Bell 3, Christians 7, Oltmann 0, Fergus 0, Martin 2, Johnson 0, Koelling 0, Struss 2, Thomas 0.

Mount Vernon (30): H. Ruth 2, Teubel 0, G. Ruth 0, Timm 13, Keleher 11, Tuerler 0, Shaffer 0, Kroeger 0, Muller 0, Kray 0, Eldred 0, Russell 2, Parker 0, Minor 2, Kragenbrink 0.

XAVIER 27, ANAMOSA 24

Ben McDermott gave Xavier the lead with a clutch 3-pointer with three seconds left to lift the Saints past Anamosa in the Jamboree.

Mack Mattke led Xavier with 14 points. McDermott finished with six points and Carter Valentine scored five points.

Spencer Barnes led Anamosa with 14 points with four long 3-pointers.

Xavier (27): Sampson 0, McDermott 6, Hosch 0, Valentine 5, Mattke 14, Mullin 0, Ropp 0, Frazier 0, Clasen 2.

Anamosa (24): Krapfl 0, Ditch 3, J. Schulte 2, Barnes 14, Crofoot 2, Switzer 3, N. Schulte 0, M. Maruga 0, J. Maruga 0, Groth 0, Schrader 0, Burnell 0, Brown 0.

Hawks' rally falls short at Waterloo West

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WATERLOO — It’s been a long time coming, but Monday night at Siddens Gymnasium, the Waterloo West boys basketball team won its first postseason game since the 1999-2000 season.

The Wahawks led the entire game, taking the lead when Dale Jones stroked a 3-pointer from the corner and never looking back on the way to a 68-59 victory over Cedar Rapids Prairie.

“This is the first time that a West Waterloo team has won a postseason game in 11 years,” said a Wahawk Coach Justin Little. “These seniors did not want to go out without a victory, and that’s huge for them and I’m proud of them.”

One of the critical building blocks for the West program over the past four years has been point guard Trent Washington, and Monday night he was playing for the last time at Siddens Gymnasium. He didn’t disappoint, netting 28 points as he ignited the Wahawks.

“I was crying a little bit ago,” said Washington after the game. “This was my last time ever playing at West High, and I wanted to go out with a bang.

“I was forcing shots earlier in the season and coaches told me to let the game come to me. I was trying to get everyone involved tonight and knock down the shots when I needed to.”

Prairie didn’t go quietly. Back on Dec. 14, West whipped the Hawks, 85-68.

“I’ll take it,” said Little. “The kids gutted it out, and we had to play a little bit more man-to-man than we usually do, but that’s alright. We did what we needed to get the win.”

Prairie made a run in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 46-44 with 5 minutes, 24 seconds remaining, but Washington took control by netting floaters and penetrating the lane. Then a thunderous dunk by Jones with 2:50 remaining sealed the win.

“This is a tribute to their senior (Trent) Washington, who helped get the job done for them,” said Prairie Coach James Moses. “But we had some growth as a team tonight and despite a few possessions we came up a bit short.”

West now turns its attention to the second round of the postseason and a familiar opponent in Cedar Falls.

“There’s no pressure on us. All the pressure is on Cedar Falls,” said Little. “We’re just happy and humbled to play Cedar Falls on Friday night and see what happens.”

Added Washington, “We feel good about playing them. We’re just going to bring it to them and try to get the victory.”
 

PRAIRIE (59): Jacob Aune 1-9 0-1 2, Jerome Frazier 2-3 2-2 6, Tyler Mougin 0-2 2-2 2, Brooks Kehoe 4-7 3-3 13, Austin Dellamuth 0-1 0-0 0, Blaine Hilgenkamp 0-3 0-0 0, Jace Hanna 0-0 0-0 0, Matthew Jantzen 3-5 0-0 8, Brandon Lafferty 2-4 2-3 6, Matthew MacDougall 6-15 4-4 17, Thomas Eilers 2-3 0-0 5, Carson Goodale 0-0 0-0 0, Chaz Boots 0-0 0-0 0, Garrett Rasmussen 0-0 0-0 0, Trent Schulte 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-53 13-15 59.

WATERLOO WEST (68): Trent Washington 11-16 4-6 28, Malcolm Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Dominick Smith 7-12 0-0 14, DiMarco Mallett 1-1 0-0 3, Daquan Moore 0-2 1-4 1, Malik Green 0-1 0-0 0, Isaah Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Dale Jones 6-9 2-2 15, Queshawn Roby 0-0 0-0 0, Tre Johnson 3-6 1-1 7, Xavier Hightower 0-0 0-0 0, Marcus Phillips 0-0 0-0 0, Austin McMahon 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-48 8-13 69.

Halftime -- Waterloo West 26, Prairie 20. 3-point goals – Prairie 6 (Kehoe 2, Jantzen 2, MacDougall, Eilers), West 4 (Washington 2, Mallett, Jones). Turnovers – Prairie 7, West 16. Total fouls – Prairie 16, West 19. Fouled out – None.