Prairie Girls Basketball

McCrary lifts No. 9 Prairie by No. 8 Xavier, 42-40

As it always is, the losing coach talked about what his team did wrong and the winning coach about what his team did right.

The fact is, both the 4A ninth-ranked Prairie and the eighth-ranked Xavier played well enough to win Friday night in the Hawk gym. Or just poorly enough to lose.

It came down to Prairie having the ball last and Courteney McCrary sinking a clutch 10-foot floater with time expiring to lift the Hawks to a 42-40 girls basketball victory in a Mississippi Valley Conference game.

"We showed a lack of patience on offense," said Saints Coach Tom Lilly. "We just threw up some ill-advised shots. That's a recipe for disaster."

Prairie Coach Steve Doser, on the other hand, couldn't have been more pleased with his team's performance.

"I'm very proud of these girls," he said. "It was a defensive battle right to the end. I thought we did a terrific job shutting down their post players. And we're lucky to have girls who can hit big shots."

The game could not have been closer.

Xavier (11-4, 6-4) led much of the way, but its biggest lead in the second half was only three points. Though it led once briefly in a sluggish first half, Prairie (10-3, 8-2) had a lead only twice in the second half until the back-and-forth final two minutes.

For the game, the Saints shot 46 percent on 16 for 35 from the field and the Hawks hit 41 percent on 14 of 34 shooting. While the visitors made more field goals, they were 0-for-3 on 3-pointers. Prairie made 4 of 10 from long distance.

The difference was that the winners made 10 free throws and the losers eight. Xavier committed 16 turnovers to 14 for Prairie. The Saints held a slight rebounding edge, 20 to 18.

The outcome was decided on the final possession.

Prairie had inched ahead, 38-36, on a drive by McCrary, but Xavier tied it on two free throws by Alex Bartz.

The Hawks went ahead again on a pair of free throws by Cyerra Hutchins with 31 seconds left, only to have the Saints knot it up with 10 seconds to go on a layup by Emily Walvoord, 40-40.

Doser said he didn't call a set play during a timeout. "We just wanted to spread the floor and attack the basket," he said.

After the in-bounds pass, Prairie's Alisa Weiland dribbled into the lane and spotted McCrary open on the left wing. Although she was held under her average with eight points for the night, McCrary cooly canned the running jumper.

It was nothing new for her, however, since her two free throws last Friday with two-tenths of a second left beat Iowa City High, 45-44.

In a reversal of fortunes from years past, Prairie has now won seven straight. Xavier has lost two in a row by two points following a 40-38 loss to Washington on Monday.

"We're not about to throw out the baby with the bath water," said Lilly. "We're not going to change. We'll continue to do what we do, and that's try to take advantage of our height."

Doser said his team has found success by counting on different scorers and playing tough defense. "Defense wins games," he said.

Weiland led Prairie with 13 points with three 3-pointers. McCrary had nine rebounds and playmaker Madison Dellamuth had five assists and two steals.

For Xavier, Walvoord scored 13 and had seven rebounds. Bartz had eight rebounds.

XAVIER (40): Kayla Armstong 3 1-2 7, Annie Dale 0 3-5 3, Katlyn Andersen 0  0-0 0, Emily Walvoord 6 1-2 13, Alex Bartz 2 3-4 7, Sarah Dickes 1 0-0 2, Lisa Boomgarden 2 0-0 4, Ashley Stulken 1 0-0 2, Hayley Deutmeyer 0 0-0 0, Nicole Noonan 1 0-0 2. Totals 16 8-13 40.

PRAIRIE (42): Katilyn Yanecek 2 0-0 4, Cyerra Hutchins 2 4-6 8, Alisa Weiland 4 2-2 13, Courteney McCrary 3 2-2 8, Madison Dellamuth 2 0-0 5, Mackenzie Serbousek 0 1-2 1, Emilie Rotter 1 1-2 3. Totals 14 10-14 42.

Halftime - Xavier 19, Prairie 17. 3-point goals - Xavier none, Prairie 4 (Weiland 3, Dellamuth 1).

Unselfish Prairie girls are riding high

The Cedar Rapids Prairie girls basketball team did not receive a single vote in the IGHSAU preseason rankings, but it's hard to blame anyone for that.

The Hawks struggled the last three years with records of 5-16, 3-18 and 4-17, so there was no great reason to predict a dramatic change this season.

On top of that, Prairie has a young team with two freshmen, two sophomores, two juniors and only one senior among the top-seven players in the rotation.

Color everyone surprised, at least everyone on the outside.

The Hawks, riding a six-game winning streak, are 9-3 overall and climbed to No. 9 in the ratings Thursday. Suddenly, the Hawks are battling for bragging rights in the Metro area with No. 7 Cedar Rapids Washington and No. 8 Xavier.

Coach Steve Doser thought he might have a good team this year, but he wasn't sure how good.

"I said we'll probably be the most-fun team to watch in a while, but I didn't know if that meant wins," he said Thursday. "I knew our style was going to be better, our players are better.

"The main thing is, we have a team that just loves being together. They have great team chemistry and they have fun. That's a big part of it. This year has been a blast."

Doser made two radical changes this season, and both have worked. He scrapped a double-low post offense in favor of a running game, and he scrapped their halfcourt man-to-man defense in favor of more full-court pressure.

"In the last four or five years, we've never done that. Not to this level," he said. "I got out of my comfort zone."

Prairie's tallest players are only 5-foot-9, so he designed a system that would fit his players, rather than trying to force players into a system that wasn't best for them.

Doser visited with some of his friends in the coaching fraternity during the summer, seeking advice. One of those good friends is Tom Lilly, the head coach at Xavier.

"Tom and I have been friends for a long time," he said. "I've helped Tom at his camps, he's helped me at my camps. He and I sat down and we helped each other out.

"I really respect Tom tremendously and what he does and how he teaches, especially defensively. Tom has been a great colleague of mine."

The two friends will battle Friday night when the No. 8 Saints visit the No. 9 Hawks in a key Mississippi Valley Conference affair.

Prairie has featured a balanced attack this season in all facets of the game - scoring, rebounding, steals and assists. Courteney McCrary is the leading scorer at 12.9 points, but she's followed closely by Madison Dellamuth (12.5), Cyerra Hutchins (9.8) and Alisa Weiland (9.6).

The scoring depth continues with Emilie Rotter (5.5), Katilyn Yanacek (4.5) and Mackenzie Serbousek (3.7).

Hutchins, McCrary and Dellamuth are all averaging more than five rebounds per game. Hutchins, Weiland and Dellamuth are averaging about three steals per game. Dellamuth and Weiland have combined for more than 100 assists and have an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2-to-1.

"We don't have to count on one player, and we don't," Doser said. "It's been nice."

Dellamuth, a 5-foot-6 sophomore, is a superb ballhandler and passer who is being watched by Division I programs. She poured in a career-high 26 points Tuesday night in an 81-67 victory at Dubuque Senior.

McCrary helped the Hawks snatch victory from defeat against 10th-ranked Iowa City High on Jan. 6. Prairie trailed, 44-42, when she was fouled with 1.2 seconds left. She hit the first free throw, making it 44-43, but missed the second.

Instead of fretting, McCrary grabbed the offensive rebound and got fouled again with two-tenths of a second to go. She hit both foul shots and the Hawks won, 45-44, against a ranked opponent.

Prairie has a 2-2 record against ranked teams this season. The Hawks have defeated No. 10 Iowa City High and No. 13 Waterloo West, balanced by losses to No. 5 Cedar Falls and No. 7 Washington.

The campaign would be called a success if it ended now, but the Hawks have nine more games in the regular season and big tests on the way. They host No. 8 Xavier Friday night and entertain top-ranked Iowa City West next Friday, then will play five straight road games and six out of seven.

"We've had a good start, but these next two games are really going to be tough," Doser said.

He's looking forward to the challenge, because he likes the way his club is playing. As much as anything, he likes their attitude.

"This is probably the most unselfish team I've ever had in my 18 years of coaching," he said. "They just want what's best for the team and want to do the right thing.

"What's been most rewarding, we're winning and they're great kids to be around. That's been the rewarding part."

No. 10 Prairie girls win 6th straight

DUBUQUE - Madison Dellamuth poured in a career-high 26 points Tuesday night as the 10th-ranked Prairie girls basketball team topped Dubuque Senior, 81-67, in a Mississippi Valley Conference game for its sixth straight victory.

Cyerra Hutchins scored a career-best 18 points and Courteney McCrary also netted 18 for the Hawks (9-3, 7-2).

Dellamuth had a strong all-around performance with seven assists and four steals. She also hit three 3-pointers made 9 of 10 free throws.

Kristie Sommer led Dubuque Senior (3-8, 2-7) with 18 points. Katie Sommer scored 17.

Prairie trailed at halftime, 42-39, but outscored the Rams by 17 points in the second half.

"It was tough," said Prairie Coach Steve Doser.

Prairie hosts No. 5 Xavier on Friday night in the nightcap of a boy/girl doubleheader.

PRAIRIE (81): Yanacek 3 0-1 6, Hutchins 8 2-6 18, Weiland 2 0-1 4, McCrary 7 3-4 18, Ganske 0 0-0 0, Dellamuth 7 9-10 26, Serbousek 0 0-0 0, Rotter 3 3-4 9. Totals 30 17-26 81.

DUBUQUE SENIOR (67): Reuter 0 0-0 0, Kr. Sommer 5 5-5 18, J. Kimble 1 0-0 2, Kremer 0 0-0 0, Jacobsmeier 0 0-0 0, Ka. Sommer 4 7-8 17, Frye 2 0-0 6, Medinger 3 3-4 9, N. Kimble 2 1-2 5, Williams 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 22-26 67.

Halftime - Dubuque Senior 42, Prairie 39. 3-point goals - Prairie 4 (Dellamuth 3, McCrary 1), Dubuque Senior 7 (Kr. Sommer 3, Ka. Sommer 2, Frye 2).

McCrary FTs lift Prairie girls past City High

Courteney McCrary made 3 of 4 free throws in the closing seconds to rally No. 10 Prairie past No. 8 Iowa City High, 45-44, Friday night in a Mississippi Valley Conference girls basketball game at Prairie.

After making one of two free throws in her second-to-last-trip to the charity stripe, McCrary exercised the fact that no one blocked her out, she recovered her second free throw miscue, was fouled, and with 0:00.2 left on the clock, she converted two free throws that gave Prairie the victory.  The Hawks intercepted a long in-bound pass as the final horn went off preserving the victory.

Both coaches were frustrated a bit with the amount of turnovers throughout the contest, but perhaps this was due to the fact that defensive intensity and excellent anticipation on passes and covering passing lanes was evident throughout the evening.

The first quarter was dead even at 11.  Prairie held a 24-21 halftime lead. City High clamped down in the third quarter and had two spurts in building an eight-point lead.  City High led throughout the fourth quarter until McCrary converted the final free throws.

Prairie converted 13 of 20 free throws and City High was 7 for 17. 

City High Coach Bill McTaggart said he wanted to create turnovers and felt that his squad has been improving defensively.  “We want to cut down on our own turnovers, too”  He was hoping for continued improvement on the inside game—it looked like it was getting better—but the failed measure to block out shooter McGrary on the final free throws proved costly.

Post player Sierra Chambers led the Little Hawks (9-3, 5-3) with 16 points. Mickey Hansche canning three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points. Hansche missed all five of her free throw attempts.

Prairie (8-3, 6-2) had a very balanced scorecard—Madison Dellamuth had 13, Alisa Weiland 9, and McCrary, Emilie Rotte, and Cyerra Hutchins chipped in with 8, 7, and 7 points, respectively.

Prairie hits the road to Dubuque to face Senior in their next contest on Tuesday.

PRAIRIE (45):  Katilyn Yanecek 0 0-0 0; Cyerra Hutchins 3 1-4 7; Alisa Weiland 4 0-0 9; Courteney McCrary 2 4-6 8; Madison Dellamuth 4 4-4 13; Mackenzie Serbousek 0 1-2 1; Emilie Rotter 2 3-4 7. Totals 15 13-20 45.

IOWA CITY HIGH (44): Kiera Washpun 3 1-3 7; Erin Danielson 0 0-1 0; Jordan Sullivan 0 0-0 0; Mickey Hansche 4 0-0 11; Harper Beasley 0 1-2 1; Sierra Chambers 8 0-5 16; Katherine Van der Woud 0 0-0 0; Haley Lorenzen 2 3-4 7; Aliyah Gustafson 0 2-2 2. Totals 17 7-17 44.

Halftime - Prairie 24, City High 21. 3-point goals - Prairie 2 (Weiland 1, Dellamuth 1), City High 3 (Hansche 3).