Jefferson Boys Basketball

J-Hawks bounce Prairie on Senior Night

The Jefferson boys put together what their star player called the most complete basketball game for long while to dump Prairie 66-55 Thursday night at home to end both teams’ regular season.

The J-Hawks (13-8, 9-7 MVC) now await the winner between Marshalltown and Mason City for a home tilt next Friday in the second round of Substate 3 tournament play.

Meanwhile, the Prairie Hawks (9-12, 5-11 MVC) have a rubber match at Iowa City High Monday in round one of Substate 6. The teams split their series this season.

Jeff senior playmaker Taylor Olson, who once again led his team with 23 points Thursday, felt the troops showed an extra spring in their step on Senior Night.

"We came out with a lot of energy right off the bat,” he said. “We’ve kind of been slumping the last few games.  But tonight, we had a different kind of swagger. We were playing with confidence like we did at the beginning of the season.”

The 6-foot-1 inside and out offensive threat scored 11 points early as Jefferson spurted out to a 27-13 lead.  He also sank a straight-on bank shot from way behind the half-court line at the end of the third quarter, but the officials said he didn't beat the buzzer.

Prairie had an uphill struggle the whole way, mostly because of an inability to put the ball in the basket.

“For some reason, nothing was falling for us tonight,” said senior Hawk Matt MacDougall, who was held to two points on just three shot attempts in the first half and finished with a team-high 12 points.

They were missing easy shots in the first half. Then when they went to the three-ball, they missed those, too.  For the night, Prairie was 21 for 64 (33 percent), including a dismal six for 27 from long range.

“I don’t know if it was our defense, our crowd or merely the Gods of basketball,” Jefferson Coach Stu Ordman said of the opponents’ poor shooting.

The J-Hawks shot an even 50 percent, with five for 12 from behind the arc.

“I thought we had much better ball movement tonight,” Ordman said, “and we worked for better shots.”

Despite the disparity in field goal accuracy, it was a pretty even game, otherwise.  Each team committed just nine turnovers.  Jeff led in rebounding 31 to 29, although Ordman was disturbed that a dozen of Prairie’s boards came on the offensive end.  He was pleased with Justin Underwood’s rebounding off the bench, along with his seven points.

Diminutive Creighton Robinson scored 10 points, including two long bombs. Senior Tyer Hemphill had a big night with 16 points, many of them coming on slashing drives.

“He likes to cut,” Olson said. “We’ve been playing together since sixth grade, so I know when to get him the ball when he’s going to the basket."

Between the two of them, they helped the J-Hawks maintain a 29-20 lead at half.

Prairie cut the margin to six with 5:40 to go in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Jacob Aune. But that was as close as they came.

Jefferson went on a 10-0 run and coasted from there.

Prairie assistant coach Jeff Zittergruen was running the team in the absence of head coach James Moses, who was suspended after being ejected from Tuesday's game against Cedar Falls.  Zittergruen said the Hawks never found their rhythm against the J-Hawks.

“Give Jefferson credit for controlling the tempo of the game,” Zittergruen said. “We like to push the ball. But defensively, they kept it at a half-court game.

“We had a problem with their zone defense. And when we did get open looks, we didn’t take advantage of them.

“We got behind, and we just never could close the gap.”

PRAIRIE (55): Jacob Aune 3 0-2 8, Brooks Kehoe 1 0-0 3, Jace Hanna 3 4-5 11, Matt MacDougall 5 1-1 12, Tom Eilers 2 1-1 6, DeMetrius Harper 2 1-4 5, Kentrel Smith 3 0-0 6, JoJo Simpson 2 0-0 4, Bryce Meeker 0 0-0 0,. Totals 21 7-13 55.

JEFFERSON (66): Ky Kramer 3 0-0 6, Tyler Hemphill 7 1-4 16, Taylor Mueller 1 0-0 3, Taylor Olson 7 8-10 23, Austin Goodell 0 0-0 0, Jacob Olson 0 0-0 0, Creighton Robinson 3 2-2 10, Layne Sullivan 0 0-0 0, Christian Knox 0 0-0 0, Terrance Taylor 0 1-2 1, Justin Underwood 3 1-4 7. Totals 24 13-22 66.

Halftime – Jefferson 29, Prairie 20. 3-point goals – Prairie 6 (Aune 2, Kehoe, Hanna, MacDougall, Eilers), Jefferson 5 (Robinson 2, Hemphill, Mueller, T. Olson). Total fouls – Prairie 20, Jefferson 15. Fouled out – none.

Paige nets 30 as Lions win MVC title

The Linn-Mar Lions are in business to win state titles, but they enjoy collecting Mississippi Valley Conference titles along the way as well.

Especially this one.

All-American Marcus Paige tossed in 30 points Tuesday on Senior Night as No. 6 Linn-Mar demolished Jefferson, 68-42, to win its eighth MVC crown in the past nine years.

The Lions (16-4, 12-3) clinched at least a share of the Mississippi Division title with Tuesday's victory. They own a one-game lead over Dubuque Senior with one game left in the regular season at Dubuque Wahlert Thursday night.

Linn-Mar captured Class 4A state championships in 2004, 2007 and 2011 during its remarkable run in the 21st Century, but the Lions enjoy putting MVC banners on their gym wall too.

"That's always one of our goals at the beginning of the year," said Paige, who has won four straight conference titles. "We always want to go undefeated in conference, win conference and see what happens at state.

"It does get a little bit overlooked here," he said. "Everyone wants to think state championship. There are small goals along the way and this is a great one for us."

Linn-Mar lost its first two games of the conference season, but the Lions have won 12 of their last 13 league contests to surge to the top of the Mississippi Division standings.

The Lions have won MVC titles in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 during their nine-year streak of brilliance.

"We feel like we play in the best conference in the state of Iowa, so it's very important to us and I think especially important to this team," Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson said. "We got off to an 0-and-2 start in the conference and I think a lot of people wrote us off.

"We battled back, and this was something they wanted to do. It's important for our guys."

Linn-Mar graduated four starters from last year's state champs, so Robertson had big holes to fill this season. It got harder when Matt Lassen, one of the team's best players, suffered a severe concussion in early December and missed two months of the season.

Lassen returned to action last week and tossed in five 3-pointers Tuesday night to help sink the J-Hawks. Lassen, a 6-foot-4 junior, is coming off the bench for the Lions, but said he feels good and is ready for the stretch run.

"I've felt great since I've been back," he said after finishing with 15 points. "Tonight I think I got a lot more open looks and my shot felt great and I was getting great passes from my teammates. My shot was feeling good so I kept shooting.

"I felt great. I wasn't tired, I wasn't winded," he said.

Lassen played on the varsity last year as a sophomore and now has two MVC titles. "Those are really, really important to Coach Robertston," he said. "He really cares about those. To be the best team in the conference is a big honor."

Jefferson tried to guard Paige and the Lions with a man-to-man defense in the first quarter and suffered the consequences. Paige hit five straight shots, including a trio of 3-pointers, and Linn-Mar raced to a 25-8 lead after one period with torrid shooting.

The Lions grabbed a 20-point margin at 31-11 early in the second period when Lassen hit a 3-pointer. The J-Hawks switched to a zone defense and eventually pulled within 12 points at 41-29 on a three-point play by Justin Underwood midway through the third period, but the Lions turned on the jets again.

Jon Schlotterback made it a 20-point bulge again at 51-31 with a three-point play late in the third quarter, Lassen made it a 25-point affair at 58-33 with his fifth triple and it became a 29-point blowout at 68-39 in the final minute.

Paige made 8-of-9 shots in the first half and had 21 points by intermission. His only errant shot in the first half was a 35-foot heave in the final second of the first period.

Linn-Mar made twelve 3-pointers in the ballgame, with Paige and Lassen hitting five apiece. Paige filled out the boxscore with seven steals, six rebounds and four assists.

Lassen, who has committed to Albany (N.Y.), grabbed five rebounds in his best game since returning to the court. "He gives us a huge boost, especially offensively," Paige said.  "He's a very good offensive player. To see him playing confident and not worrying about anything is great."

Taylor Olson scored half of Jefferson's points with 21. Ky Kramer hit three 3-pointers and finished with nine points. The J-Hawks (12-8, 8-7) played without injured starter Alec Saunders, who is nursing a sprained ankle.

JEFFERSON (42): Robinson 1 0-0 2, Kramer 3 0-0 9, Hemphill 1 0-0 2, T.Olson 8 3-6 21, Underwood 2 1-1 5, J.Olson 0 3-5 3, Goodell 0 0-0 0, Sullivan 0 0-0 0, Mueller 0 0-0 0, Wiederin 0 0-0 0, Knox 0 0-0 0, Taylor 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 7-12 42.

LINN-MAR (68): Martins 0 0-0 0, Roth 2 0-0 5, Gogg 1 0-0 2, Henry 1 0-0 2, Paige 10 5-6 30, Meier 0 4-5 4, Hutchins 0 0-0 0, Lassen 5 0-0 15, Schlotterback 2 1-1 5, Hackett 1 0-0 3, Holland 1 0-2 2, Nelson 0 0-0 0, Richardson 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 10-14 68.

Halftime - Linn-Mar 39, Jefferson 24. 3-point goals - Jefferson 5 (Kramer 3, T. Olson 2), Linn-Mar 12 (Paige 5, Lassen 5, Roth 1, Hackett 1).

Coleman helps No. 10 Cougars belt J-Hawks

Josiah Coleman and Taylor Olson are star players for their high school basketball teams and friendly rivals.

Next season they could be college teammates at Coppin State University if things fall into place.

Coleman got the best of his buddy Friday night as No. 10 Kennedy drubbed Jefferson, 55-39, in a Mississippi Valley Conference game that featured a monster dunk by Coleman.

Coleman collected 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists for the Cougars (14-5, 9-5), while Olson scored 14 points and played his normally strong floor game for the J-Hawks (12-7, 8-6).

Coppin State assistant coach Jay Dull, a native Iowan, sat in the stands and enjoyed the show. Coppin State has offered Coleman a scholarship and is recruiting Olson as well.

Coleman, a smooth 6-foot-7 swingman, and Olson, a polished 6-1 point guard, have played together on the Iowa Barnstormers AAU team for several years and are good friends who are thinking about playing on the same team in college.

"I'd like to," Coleman said. "I like him. We're pretty close. We're tight."

Coppin State is located in Maryland, and Olson likes the idea of heading to the East Coast with a good buddy like Coleman.

"Yeah, we've been talking about that," Olson said. "We've talked about going to the same school and what it would be like. That would be fun."

Coleman also has offers from Wyoming and Sacramento State, but said he probably won't decide until this spring. Olson does not have any Division I offers, but is hopeful.

Zach Burnham, a 6-7 forward from Davenport Central, has already committed to Coppin State. Burnham also played for the Barnstormers with Coleman and Olson.

"We're close, too," Olson said. "All three of us text each other and stuff like that."

As far as Friday's game goes, it wasn't much of a game from Jefferson's point of view. Kennedy played flawlessly in the first half and grabbed a 23-4 lead early in the second quarter.

"I thought our kids came out with a great mindset, and I thought we came out and established what we wanted to do early," Kennedy Coach Bob Fontana said. "They followed the game plan almost to a tee in the first half.

"I thought our defense was excellent, I thought we rebounded pretty well and we executed real well. I thought that was important against a quality team that plays good defense themselves."

Kennedy opened a 21-point gap in the first half and led 31-12 at intermission. Jefferson pulled within 13 points at 44-31 late in the third quarter on a three-point play by Olson, but that was as close as it ever got.

Jefferson played without starting forward Alec Saunders (sprained ankle) and reserve guard Jacob Olson (bronchitis). Kennedy was missing reserve guard Patrick Martin (concussion), but the Cougars had the deeper club and more firepower than the J-Hawks.

"Give Kennedy credit," Jefferson Coach Stu Ordman said. "They totally took us out of our offense in the first half. They played very good team man-to-man."

Olson was not happy with the way his team played. The J-Hawks made only one field goal in the first quarter and had only two more buckets in the second period.

"I thought at the beginning we came out with no energy at all," Olson said. "We didn't really play how we should play. We didn't play our game from the beginning.

"It didn't even seem like we wanted to win at all."

The J-Hawks defeated the Cougars, 56-43, on Jan. 13 at Kennedy in their first meeting this year. Coleman and Kennedy point guard Darius Fuller did not play in that game while serving a 10-game suspension, but both of them played prominent roles Friday night.

Fuller scored eight points, helped run the show and contributed to a strong defensive effort against Olson. "He's doing a nice job of managing the game, just what you want out of a point guard," Fontana said.

Coleman was looking forward to Friday's game after missing the first encounter.

"Yeah, I was pretty jacked up," he said. "The first time we played them, me and Darius were out. So I wanted revenge.

"I took it hard when they beat us bad. I wish I could have been there for us."

Coleman poured in 13 points in the first half, personally outscoring Jefferson 13-12 in the opening 16 minutes. His highlight dunk came early in the third quarter when he soared above the rim for an offensive rebound and slammed it home with authority.

"The coaches make fun of me, because I don't dunk a lot," he said, smiling. "I had to shut them up a little bit."

Fontana liked the way Coleman played the entire game.

"He came ready to play tonight, and you know what? That's what he needs to do," Fontana said. "If we're going to go anywhere (in the postseason tournament), people like himself and some of our other seniors, they better show up ready to play every night."

Fontana is not reluctant to criticize his players in public when he feels they deserve it, but he had few complaints Friday. He acknowledged he was happy with his team's performance.

"Yes," he said. "I always tell them, happy but not satisfied. When we win the state championship, then I'll be satisfied."

Fontana liked the way his club responded after a tough one-point loss to top-ranked Iowa City West on Tuesday.

"They were upset with themselves that they lost that game," he said. "That shows a sign of maturity."

Fuller and Cody Bell scored eight points apiece for Kennedy in a balanced attack. The Cougars got a strong effort from the starting lineup of Coleman, Fuller, Bell, Elliott Christians and Trevor Heitland, and the Cougars also got a boost off the bench from Josh Jahlas, Alex Hayden, Ben Struss and Blake Murdock.

Justin Underwood scored nine points for Jefferson and Ky Kramer had seven points.

KENNEDY (55): Fuller 4 0-1 8, Heitland 2 3-5 7, Bell 4 0-0 8, Coleman 6 2-2 15, Christians 3 0-1 6, Jahlas 2 0-0 4, Hayden 2 0-0 5, Murdock 0 0-0 0, Struss 1 0-0 2, Carter 0 0-0 0, Oltmann 0 0-0 0, Rhoads 0 0-0 0, Koelling 0 0-0 0, Johnson 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 5-9 55.

JEFFERSON (39): Robinson 1 0-0 3, Olson 5 4-6 14, Kramer 2 1-2 7, Hemphill 1 2-2 5, Underwood 2 5-6 9, Goodell 0 0-0 0, Sullivan 0 1-2 1, Mueller 0 0-0 0, Taylor 0 0-0 0, Lafler 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 13-18 39.

Halftime - Kennedy 31, Jefferson 12. 3-point goals - Kennedy 2 (Coleman 1, Hayden 1), Jefferson 4 (Kramer 2, Robinson 1, Hemphill 1). Fouled out - Olson, Hemphill.

Olson leads J-Hawks by Waterloo East

WATERLOO - Taylor Olson collected 17 points, five steals and five assists Tuesday night as Cedar Rapids Jefferson trimmed Waterloo East, 61-57, in a Mississippi Valley Conference basketball game in Waterloo.

Ky Kramer contributed 13 points, three steals and two assists for the J-Hawks (12-6, 8-5). Tyler Hemphill produced 11 points, four steals, two blocks and an assist.

Olson shot only 2 for 12 from the field, but he cashed 12 of 19 free throws and hit a 3-pointer. The J-Hawks won the game at the foul line, hitting 27 of 39 (compared to 6 of 14 for East).

Desmond VanArsdale tossed in five 3-pointers and led Waterloo East (5-13, 2-11) with 17 points. Corshundous Love and Deaton Hoskins scored 10 points apiece.

Waterloo East led at halftime, 29-23.

JEFFERSON (61): Saunders 2 1-2 5, Robinson 2 3-6 7, Kramer 3 5-6 13, Hemphill 3 4-4 11, Olson 2 12-19 17, Goodell 0 2-2 2, Underwood 3 0-0 6. Totals 15 27-39 61.

WATERLOO EAST (57): Jones 1 1-2 3, Love 4 1-4 10, Hudley 1 2-2 4, Hoskins 4 2-5 10, Todd 3 0-0 7, VanArsdale 6 0-1 17, Robinson 1 0-0 2, Clifton 2 0-0 4. Totals 22 6-14 57.

Halftime - Waterloo East 29, Jefferson 23. 3-point goals - Jefferson 4 (Kramer 2, Hemphill 1, Olson), Waterloo East 7 (VanArsdale 5, Love 1, Todd 1).