Metro Sports Report

Hembera is humble star for Huskies

The rules of play for the Cedar Valley Christian girls basketball team are pretty simple.

Call it the law of the long-armed: Place lanky and agile 6-foot Shelby Hembera firmly in the middle of the action and work everything around her.

On defense, her wide wing-span forces the other team to make passes to the outside. Or, if they dare, try to shoot over her.

If they miss, she’ll get the rebound.

Mauer excited about Year 2 with Kernels

“People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” - Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby

Looking out our windows in the days leading up to Christmas in Cedar Rapids, it has been pretty easy to relate to Hornsby's famous lament. Freezing drizzle. Freezing rain. Icy streets. Snow. All in all, not a view that brings to mind many thoughts of warm summer nights at the ballpark.

Cedar Rapids Kernels Manager Jake Mauer, however, has warm thoughts about what the Kernels accomplished this past season with a trip to the Midwest League playoffs and 88 victories. The Kernels kept winning even after Minor League Player of the Year Byron Buxton and other top players were promoted in June.

“What I was probably most happy with was that we really didn't miss a beat when we changed faces and really kind of changed our identity as a team,” Mauer said. "In the first half we just kind of out-slugged teams and really beat teams into submission scoring a bunch of runs.

Martin wins Metro Spotlight Award

Kennedy High School senior Morgan Martin is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Martin, a 6-foot-1 forward, is one of the top players for the Kennedy girls basketball team, which is ranked No.8 in Class 5A with a 7-1 record.

Martin is averaging 12.4 points for the balanced Cougars, shooting 54.8 percent from the field and 79.5 percent at the foul line. She is averaging 10.8 rebounds, which is second-best in the state in Class 5A, and has blocked 14 shots.

Baker wins Metro Spotlight Award

Cedar Rapids Jefferson sophomore Brenden Baker is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award this week for high school boys, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Baker is ranked No.1 at 106 pounds in Class 3A for the Jefferson wrestling team with a spotless 11-0 record and is a major reason the J-Hawks have climbed to No.9 in the team rankings.

He collected three straight pins en route to winning the 106-pound title at the West Des Moines Valley tournament this month. He also captured top honors at the Keith Young Invitational in Cedar Falls by knocking off Jack Wagner of Bettendorf, who was ranked No.1 at the time.