Metro Sports Report

Marion finds comfort zone against Indee

One object of a 3-2 zone is to eliminate an opponent’s outside shooting. Sometimes, however, being exposed in the paint is a downside. On Tuesday night, Independence experienced that downside.

Marion dominated around the basket and played stifling defense as the Indians rolled against Independence, 55-39, at the Marion gym in a Wamac Conference game.

The Mustangs, concerned with Marion’s outside shooting ability, played predominately in a 3-high 2-low zone defense. Marion took full advantage of the extra space inside, crashing the boards and creating second-chance opportunities all night.

MSR will talk Metro hoops on KFXA-TV

The Metro Sports Report has accepted an invitation from the KFXA television station in Cedar Rapids to talk about high school basketball on its Wednesday night telecasts during the rest of the 2012-13 season.

Metro Sports Report president Jim Ecker or vice president Mike Koolbeck will appear on the FOX-28 News at Nine broadcasts, either live or by tape, beginning this Wednesday night.

The "News at Nine" broadcast on KFXA starts each night at 9 p.m. and runs for an entire hour. The sports report usually begins at 9:40 p.m., and the segment with a guest from the Metro Sports Report will last two or three minutes each Wednesday.

Ecker and Koolbeck will talk about the boys and girls basketball teams at the eight high schools in the Metro area. That includes Jefferson, Kennedy, Washington, Prairie, Xavier, Linn-Mar, Marion and Cedar Valley Christian.

Hembera leading her team to the future

Are we having fun yet? You couldn’t blame Cedar Valley Christian basketball player Shelby Hembera for asking.

The current Metro girls scoring leader, she’s an uncommonly good athlete playing her heart out for an undermanned team from a tiny high school – far from the bright lights of the Metro’s marquee teams and games.

After leading her team to four wins as a freshman last year during the Huskies’ first season in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, she grew an inch, added a bit of heft to her slender frame and returned for her sophomore season as an even more dominating presence on the court. Her average hovers around 20 points per game.

Jeffery focused on state wrestling title

In a world of crewcuts and closely-cropped hair, Linn-Mar junior Alijah Jeffery stands out in a crowd at a wrestling tournament with his mop of thick brown curls.

"That's Alijah," Linn-Mar Coach Doug Streicher said with an amused smile Saturday. "We love it."

Jeffery's curly hair isn't the only reason he stands out in a group of wrestlers, of course. Only a junior, he's already enjoyed an impressive career with the Lions.