Metro Sports Report

Paige has 6 points in Carolina debut

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Former Linn-Mar prep Marcus Paige scored six points in his debut for the North Carolina Tar Heels Friday night.

North Carolina beat Gardner-Webb, 76-59.

Paige, a freshman, started for Carolina and played 28 minutes. He was 3-for-9 shooting, grabbed three rebounds, had two steals and committed four turnovers.

These Xavier gridders have 30-0 record

Daniel Vega, Sean Ickes and Logan Clarahan have never lost a football game during their entire Xavier High School careers.

Never. Ever.

Their freshman team compiled a perfect 9-0 record in 2010.

Their sophomore team finished with an unblemished 9-0 mark in 2011.

Now that they've reached the varsity as juniors, the Saints have a glittering 12-0 record heading into the semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs against Cedar Falls Friday at 7:06 p.m. in the UNI-Dome.

Civic leaders served an ace

It's easy to blame civic leaders when something goes wrong, so it's only fair to award a few roses when something good happens in Cedar Rapids.

And make no mistake about it, the state volleyball tournament is something very good for our community, pumping $1.8 million into the local economy on an annual basis.

Don't forget, Cedar Rapids was in danger of losing the state tournament when renovation work at the U.S. Cellular Center fell behind schedule and it became obvious the arena would not be available for this year's event.

Charles City spikes Saints out of tourney

The Charles City Comets are ranked No. 1 in the state for a very good reason.

They have a superstar with Jesse Sindlinger, a quick-hitting offense and a bunch of girls who unleash wicked jump serves that are hard to return.

The Xavier Saints got an eyeful Wednesday night.

Sindlinger collected 24 kills as the Comets whipped the ninth-ranked Saints, 25-18, 25-17, 20-25, 25-17 in the opening round of the Class 4A state volleyball tournament at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.