Metro Sports Report

No. 4 Eagles take 101-94 thriller

FORT DODGE - All-American Doug Wilson poured in 32 points Wednesday night as the fourth-ranked Kirkwood Eagles topped Iowa Central, 101-94, in the ICCAC conference opener in Fort Dodge.

Devonte Thedford, who was Wilson's high school teammate at Des Moines Hoover, came off the bench to provide 19 points as the two Hoover grads combined for 51 markers.

Luke Apple finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Eagles (9-1, 1-0). Allante Pickens added 10 points.

Wilson, who led the nation in field-goal percentage last season, hit 13 of 19 shots from the floor. He was also 6 for 8 at the foul line and finished with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Tull paces No. 13 KCC women

FORT DODGE - The 13th-ranked Kirkwood women's basketball team began the ICCAC conference race Wednesday night with a 64-46 victory over Iowa Central in Fort Dodge.

Ashley Tull paced the Eagles (6-4, 1-0) with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Johanna Myers hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points. Ju Gaston contributed 10 points.

Brittany West scored 15 points for Iowa Central (7-3, 0-1).

Basala's clutch '3' lifts Mustangs

Mount Mercy Coach Aaron Jennings likes his team's chances when they need a clutch 3-pointer to win a ballgame in the final second.

It's called confidence.

Bailey Basala drilled a 3-pointer with 5-tenths of a second remaining Monday night to snap a 90-90 tie and give the Mustangs a dramatic 93-90 victory over St. Ambrose in a non-conference game at the Hennessey Recreation Center.

Antwain Strong found Basala with a perfect pass with a few seconds left and the 6-foot-5 sophomore from Moline, Ill., let it fly with perfect rhythm and touch.

"Antwain was driving to the hoop. I knew he was going to find me," said Basala. "He always does. Always."

Mount Mercy, which leads the NAIA in 3-point shooting, made 18 against St. Ambrose, matching the second-most in school history. The Mustangs broke the school record when they made 22 against Viterbo in the season opener this year.

Jennings uses a version of the "Princeton Offense" that he learned while playing for Bill Carmody at Northwestern. It stresses ball movement, back-door cuts and open shots on the perimeter.

College basketball is faster now and more wide-open than when Jennings played at Northwestern, and he's tweaked the "Princeton Offense" so his players can let it rip.

Hoover grads click for Kirkwood

The boys basketball program at Des Moines Hoover has been a crucial pipeline for the Kirkwood Eagles in recent years.

First there was Chris King, an all-conference guard who graduated from Kirkwood last year. There's Doug Wilson, an All-American center for the Eagles last season and the top player this year.  And now there's Devonte Thedford, a promising freshman guard.

Thedford made his first start for Kirkwood Saturday and helped the Eagles come zooming out of the gates in an impressive 110-45 victory over Black Hawk College at Johnson Hall.

Thedford scored 10 quick points as the Eagles raced to a 25-6 lead with strong moves to the basket to help set the tone for the 65-point blowout.

King, Wilson and Thedford were teammates at Des Moines Hoover when Thedford was a freshman. They reached the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament that year and they all ultimately signed with Kirkwood.

"Yeah, those were my guys," said Thedford, a 6-foot-2 combo guard who loves to attack the basket.