Washington Boys Basketball

Warriors suffer 10th straight loss, 63-42

The Iowa City High Little Hawks made three changes in their starting lineup for Monday night's basketball game against Cedar Rapids Washington, benching some guys and rewarding others.

It didn't help Washington a bit.

The Little Hawks overwhelmed the winless Warriors, 63-42, in a Mississippi Valley Conference mismatch at the Washington gym.

Iowa City High (5-8, 2-6) cruised to a 31-point lead in the fourth quarter before settling for the 21-point conquest.

"Call it what you want, whether we're sending guys a message or just rewarding some guys that have worked hard," City High Coach Adam Loria remarked. "Some guys got some minutes tonight in the first half that hadn't gotten any minutes this year. I thought they responded well."

It was good news for the Little Hawks, but continued bad news for the Warriors. Washington lost its 10th straight game and dipped to 0-8 in the MVC.

"I believe we'll get better," Washington Coach Brad Metzger said. "I think things will get better even this year, because at some point we'll reach the point where they have to get better."

It was pretty much the same song, 10th verse, for the Warriors, who committed a string of turnovers, shot poorly, allowed too many offensive rebounds and gave the Little Hawks too many easy buckets.

Metzger knew it might be a tough year after losing Josh Oglesby to Iowa and Wes Washpun to Tennessee, but the Warriors are headed to one of the worst seasons in school history.

On the bright side, the Washington sophomore team raised its record to 7-3 Monday and Metzger thinks the feeder system is working.

"Every grade we've got playing is doing the best they can. They're working hard," he said. "It's not just the sophomores. It's freshmen, 8th graders, 7th graders, 6th graders ... all the way down to 3rd grade.

"I think everybody is active and doing what they need to do to prepare themselves to be a varsity player some day. It's just going to take more time."

The Warriors committed turnovers on their first two possessions, but they settled down and tied the game 7-7 on a driving shot by Cybryan Moa. The good stretch did not last, however, and the Little Hawks rattled off 12 straight points and took command at 19-7.

Washington did not make a field goal for nearly six minutes in the second quarter and trailed 37-16 at intermission, and by then it didn't matter who the Little Hawks had on the court.

City High doubled the count on the Warriors, 56-28, early in the fourth quarter and grabbed its biggest margins at 59-28 and 61-30 before both clubs played out the string.

Cortez Barfield led the Little Hawks with 14 points and Jerel Moore scored 13 off the bench. Sean Bredl led Washington with 12 markers.

Loria was happy with his team's performance.

"I thought we played hard, which is something we stressed over the last five days," he said. "It's amazing what you can get done in five days of practice when you don't play games.

"I thought our kids really learned how to compete over those five days a little bit more than what we have been. I was pleased."

IOWA CITY HIGH (63): A. Perry 2 2-2 7, Hein 1 0-0 2, T. Perry 3 1-1 9, Barfield 7 0-0 14, Young 1 0-0 2, Johnson 1 2-2 4, Thompson 2 0-0 4, Moore 5 2-2 13, Rouabhi 1 0-0 2, Chester 1 0-0 2, Craig 1 0-0 2, Ritter 1 0-0 2, Spears 0 0-0 0, Reuter 0 0-0 0, Overton 0 0-0 0, Ingram 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 7-7 63.

WASHINGTON (42): Tann 2 1-2 5, Moa 3 0-0 7, Holmes 2 0-0 4, Oney 1 1-1 3, Bredl 5 2-4 12, Rosenthal 0 0-0 0, Bergstrom 0 0-0 0, Nash 1 0-0 2, Bil 1 0-0 3, Schulte 1 1-2 4, Williams 0 0-0 0, Butterfield 0 0-0 0, Clark 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 5-9 42.

Halftime - Iowa City High 37, Washington 16. 3-point goals - Iowa City High 4 (T. Perry 2, A. Perry 1, Moore 1), Washington 3 (Moa 1, Bil 1, Schulte 1).

Lions turn back pesky Warriors, 63-45

For three quarters Friday night, Cedar Rapids Washington looked nothing like a team in search of its first win.

In the fourth quarter, Linn-Mar looked very much like the fifth-ranked Class 4A team in Iowa.

The Lions held a precarious 41-35 lead entering the fourth quarter, but took command behind all-state point guard Marcus Paige and pulled away for a 63-45 victory at Linn-Mar.

Paige finished with a game-high 24 points, but it wasn't a vintage performance from the North Carolina signee. He struggled with his shot through three quarters. In the fourth, he netted 13 points, including all seven of his free throw attempts.

With Paige off his game a bit, the Lions (8-2, 4-2) got a boost off their bench. Sophomore center Jon Schlotterback scored 10 points while junior Matt Meier added nine in a quick flurry that saw him hit back-to-back 3-pointers near the end of the third quarter and a conventional three-point play early in the fourth.

"It was one of those games where we just plodded through things for three quarters," said Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson. "I thought Jon was real good in there. And Matt Meier is really starting to give us something off the bench.

"He hit those back-to-back 3s and then the three-point play in the fourth quarter and that seemed to get Marcus going as well."

Meier's basket and free throw capped a 7-0 start to the fourth quarter, pushing Linn-Mar's margin to 13. That forced Washington to chase and eventually foul the Lions. Linn-Mar converted each of its 10 free throw attempts in the final eight minutes.

"We had a few breakdowns," said Washington Coach Brad Metzger. "You can't have that against a team like Linn-Mar. They spent way too much time at the free throw line and that hurts you when you pretty much have to play error-free against them."

The Warriors (0-9, 0-7) worked their offense well in the first half, but a 9-0 Linn-Mar run to start the second quarter gave the Lions a cushion and they took a 30-23 lead at the break.

Washington drew back to within 35-32 before Meier's 3-point run began. The Warriors suffered a blow late in the third period when junior forward Peter Holmes was hit over the eye, opening a cut. He was unable to return, but still led the Warriors with 11 points.

Robertson said he wasn't surprised by Washington's performance.

"Washington has a great tradition," he said. "Brad does a great job with their program and we knew they weren't going to back down from us. I thought they outplayed us in the first half and in parts of the second half as well."

Even though his team now sits at 0-9, Metzger is far from discouraged.

"They've got a lot to be proud of," he said. "They're improving. They're caring. They're trying. That's all we can ask for. The kids are getting better."

And that first win isn't far off in Metzger's eyes. "We're close, real close," he said.

WASHINGTON (45): David Tann 1 0-2 2, Cybryan Moa 3 1-2 9, Peter Holmes 4 3-4 11, Jason Oney 4 0-0 9, Sean Bredl 4 1-2 9, Paul Nash 0 0-0 0, David Rosenthal 2 0-0 5, Austin Bergstrom 0 0-1 0, Sam Bil 0 0-2 0. Totals 18 5-11 45.

LINN-MAR (63): Zach Martins 1 1-2 4, Marcus Paige 7 9-13 24, Jimmy Roth 2 6-7 10, Andy Henry 1 2-3 4, Derik Gogg 0 0-0 0, Nate Dick 1 0-0 2, Jon Schlotterback 2 6-8 10, Matt Meier 3 1-1 9, Jacob Hutchins 0 0-0 0, Kyle Mortensen 0 0-0 0, Aaron Sloterdyk 0 0-0 0, Taylor Richardson 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 25-34 63.

Halftime - Linn-Mar 30, Washington 23. 3-point goals - Washington 4 (Moa 2, Oney 1, Rosenthal 1), Linn-Mar 4 (Meier 2, Paige 1, Martins 1). Fouled out - Moa. Technical fouls - Roth (slapping backboard).

Aggressive Saints march past Warriors, 58-42

The Xavier Saints arrived in an ornery mood for their basketball game at Cedar Rapids Washington Tuesday night.

They vented their frustration on the winless Warriors.

The Saints attacked all night and belted Washington, 58-42, in a Mississippi Valley Conference blowout.

Xavier was drubbed in its last two games by Cedar Falls (71-40) and Western Dubuque (55-39) and thought it was time for someone else to suffer a stinging defeat.

"We kind of took Cedar Falls and Western Dubuque a little personal," said Kevin Hosch, who helped lead the charge Tuesday. "We wanted to take it out on Wash."

Xavier played an aggressive game, attacking the rim and turning turnovers into points. The Saints (3-7, 2-3) looked passive at times last Saturday night against Western Dubuque, but they turned that around against Washington.

"We got defensive stops that led to us getting out on fast breaks and easy buckets. Defense translates into offense," said point guard Ben McDermott.

"We just looked to push the ball. We score a lot more points when we do that. The shots were dropping tonight."

Xavier led 28-12 at halftime and raced to a 24-point cushion at 47-23 late in the third period. Time after time, the Saints got the ball and turned the game into a track meet. They didn't always convert, but they kept on attacking.

"We came in with the mindset that we want to run," said Hosch.

The Saints (3-7, 2-3) got a big boost from their reserves. Brian Ropp tossed in three 3-pointers and scored a game-high 13 points and fellow sub Tanner Frazier scored nine points, making them the top scorers for the visitors.

Alec Clasen, a 6-foot-3 jumping jack who is one of the top high jumpers in the state, also played well as a reserve. So did guard Trey Sampson.

"Phenomenal. They were phenomenal," said Xavier Coach Matt Jenkins, who loved the way his subs performed.

Jenkins was pleased overall with the way his club played on the road. The Saints missed 17 free throws, yet still won by 16 points.

"They played hard, they played together," he said. "It's something we haven't done for four quarters, is play consistently together on the offensive end and defensive end."

It was a different story for the struggling Warriors, who fell to 0-8 overall and 0-6 in the Mississippi Valley Conference. They shot poorly and committed a string of turnovers, making it tough to get anything accomplished.

Sean Bredl led Washington with 12 points.

Jenkins feels he has the ingredients for a successful club at Xavier as the Saints head into the second half of the season.

"That's what we're hoping," he said. "As coaches, we're trying to find something that clicks. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Tonight it did and we were able to come away with a win."

XAVIER (58): McDermott 2 2-3 7, Hosch 3 2-6 8, Valentine 0 3-6 3, Mattke 2 4-4 8, Nelson 2 1-4 5, Clasen 2 0-1 4, Sampson 0 0-0 0, Ropp 4 2-4 13, Frazier 4 0-0 9, Schulte 0 0-0 0, Woods 0 0-2 0, Mullin 0 0-0 0, Brown 0 0-0 0, Thinnes 0 0-0 0, Breitbach 0 0-0 0, Foxhoven 0 1-2 1. Totals 19 15-32 58.

WASHINGTON (42): Tann 3 0-1 6, Moa 2 1-2 5, Holmes 0 0-0 0, Oney 2 2-2 7, Bredl 5 2-3 12, Rosenthal 1 0-0 2, Clark 0 0-0 0, Nash 2 0-0 4, Bergstrom 0 0-0 0, Williams 0 1-2 1, Butterfield 1 0-0 3, Burdt 0 0-0 0, Schulte 0 0-0 0, Pint 0 0-0 0, Bill 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 6-10 42.

Halftime - Xavier 28, Washington 12. 3-point goals - Xavier 5 (Ropp 3, McDermott 1, Frazier 1), Washington 2 (Oney 1, Butterfield 1). Technical fouls - Bredl, Xavier bench (illegal sub).

Washington can't cash in on Kennedy charity

The Kennedy boys are 6-2 after narrowly escaping winless Washington 53-48 Friday night at home.

But Cougars Coach Bob Fontana knows they’re living on the edge, especially from the free throw line.

Missed charity shots late in the game led to a one-point loss earlier to Dubuque Wahlert, and the same fate cost them in a three-point defeat at Dubuque Senior.  As a team, the Cougars have hit only 59 percent of their free throws.

While they took a 42-27 lead over Washington (0-7, 0-5) into the fourth quarter, the Cougars almost blew it because of their ineptitude at the line. For the game, they were just 7 of 18.  But 10 of the misses came in the fourth quarter.

“That is a huge concern,” said Fontana.  “It’s very disappointing that we can’t hit our free throws at the end of games.”

For the Warriors, wholesale fouls almost got them a win in a game that looked lost with just three minutes left.  They were then down by 14 and hadn’t mounted much offense all night.

The Cougars went into a slow-down game, and Washington started fouling just for a chance to get the ball back.

The kamikaze strategy almost worked.

Over a two-minute span, Kennedy missed five from the stripe, including two after the Warriors were called for an intentional foul.  The Cougars retained possession but then lost it on a double dribble.

“We got mentally lazy,” Fontana said. “Our seniors have to do a better job showing leadership. For the whole fourth quarter we just stopped playing.”

Washington’s Cybryan Moa and Jason Oney, who scored 10 points apiece, hit a pair of baskets apiece and the score was 49-44 Kennedy with 1:12 to go.

Two more charity misses by the Cougars and two makes by the Warriors cut the margin to three.

Kennedy’s Trevor Heitland finally stopped the bleeding, however, by canning both of his free shots with 40 seconds left.

“We had periods of lapses throughout the game,” said Washington Coach Brad Metzger.  “But we never completely imploded. We just didn’t leave ourselves much room for error at the end of the game.”

Kennedy’s Cody Bell, who led his team in scoring with 13, said the Cougars were fortunate to hang on for the victory.

“We got a comfortable lead,” he said, “and then we kind of just coasted.  We quit attacking the basket and started settling for jump shots.

“But a win’s a win, and we’ll take it.”

WASHINGTON (48): Tann 2 0-0 4, Butterfield 0 0-0 0, Moa 5 0-0 10, Holmes 2 3-4 7, Rosenthal 0 0-0 0, Schulte 0 0-0 0, Oney 4 1-1 10, Bredl 6 0-0 12, Nash 2 1-2 5. Totals 21 5-7 48.

KENNEDY (53): Hayden 4 0-0 11, Fergus 0 0-0 0, Carter 0 2-6 2, Martin 1 0-0 2, Heitland 2 4-8 8, Jahlas 2 0-0 4, Bell 6 0-2 13, Christians 2 1-2 5, Koelling 1 0-0 2, Struss 3 0-0 6. Totals 21 7-18 53.

Halftime - Kennedy 32, Washington 19. 3-point goals - Washington 1 (Oney 1), Kennedy 4 (Hayden 3, Bell 1). Fouled out - Jahlas.