Metro Sports Report

Foreman leaping hurdles to fight cancer

WAVERLY - Brooke Foreman dedicated her state title in the 400 meter hurdles last year to her late grandfather, who lost his battle with cancer before getting a chance to see her run.

Foreman is dedicating this season to Ed Foreman as well with a unique plan that she hopes will help fight cancer and motivate herself to win another state crown.

Olson ready for 3rd state tourney

He was nervous as a sophomore at the 2010 state tournament and injured as a junior last year.

Now Taylor Olson hopes his third straight trip to the state tournament with the Jefferson J-Hawks has a happier ending.

Jefferson (15-8) will face top-ranked Ankeny (23-0) in the opening round at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Hemphill didn't let torn ACL end his dream

Cedar Rapids Jefferson senior Tyler Hemphill treats the brace he wears on his left knee like an old friend.

He couldn't play without it.

Hemphill tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee during an AAU tournament last summer, but elected to postpone surgery until after the 2011-12 high school campaign was over.

Gibbs helps Creighton win MVC tourney

Linn-Mar has had its share of current and former players on the national stage. This time, it was Grant Gibbs squarely in the spotlight.

Gibbs, a 6-foot-4 junior, had a huge role in Creighton’s 83-79 overtime victory Sunday over Illinois State in the Missouri Valley Conference basketball championship game. He had a career-high 20 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 5 assists and no turnovers.

Creighton (28-5) automatically qualified for the NCAA Tournament, a trip that will be Gibbs’ second.

Gibbs made two free throws with 11.8 seconds remaining in regulation to give Creighton a two-point edge. Illinois State sent the game to overtime, but Gibbs canned a 3-pointer at the start of extra time to give the Bluejays the lead for good.

Gibbs has teamed nicely with Doug McDermott, Creighton’s leading scorer who had 33 points in the MVC final. Had McDermott’s father, Greg, not taken the Creighton job Gibbs might find himself somewhere else.

In fact, McDermott called Gibbs “a huge priority’’ when he was the head coach at Iowa State. Northern Iowa also was squarely in the recruiting fray, as Coach Ben Jacobson was the first to offer Gibbs a scholarship.