Metro Sports Report

Xavier girls 5th heading into postseason

The Xavier Saints have the best chance among Metro schools of making the Class 4A girls state basketball tournament, based on the final regular-season rankings announced Monday.

Xavier (16-5) is ranked No. 5 by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU), the only Metro school in the top 10 this week.

Kennedy (12-9) dropped from No. 7 to No. 12 after being upset by Marion Saturday night. Washington (13-7) fell from No. 10 to No. 13 and the fading Prairie Hawks dropped out of the top 15 entirely.

Morgan Barnes tops all-Metro swim team

Cedar Rapids Washington senior Morgan Barnes has been named the Athlete of the Year on the 2012 all-Metro swimming team.

Barnes placed second in the 500-yard freestyle and finished third in the 200-yard freestyle at the state meet in Marshalltown Saturday, helping the Warriors finish seventh in the team standings.

Franklin passes on hoops tradition

Deb Franklin was a tough and talented player at Cedar Rapids Washington in the mid-1970s, back in the days when girls’ basketball was first introduced to the Metro area.

She knows the physical nature of the game and what it takes to become an excellent player. That’s why she has passed along a family tradition of beating on her child, and her daughter loves it.

Don’t get the wrong idea, though. Franklin does drills with her daughter, Danielle, that include swatting at her with foam paddles to give her an idea of what to expect when she’s on the court.

Lions, Cougars climb in boys basketball poll

The Linn-Mar Lions and Kennedy Cougars jumped two spots apiece in the Associated Press Class 4A boys basketball rankings Monday.

Linn-Mar (15-4) climbed from No. 8 to No. 6 in the poll, while Kennedy (14-5) jumped from No. 10 to No. 8. The Lions and Cougars are playing in the same substate this season, so only one of them can make the Class 4A state tournament.

Iowa City West (19-0) continued to sit atop the rankings, followed closely by Ankeny (19-0) heading into the final week of the regular season. Iowa City West received 8 of 11 first-place votes and Ankeny received the other three.

There are five Mississippi Valley Conference teams in the top-10 with Iowa City West No. 1, Cedar Falls No. 3, Linn-Mar No. 6, Kennedy No. 8 and Dubuque Senior No. 10.