Metro Sports Report

No. 5 Saints dominate depleted J-Hawks

Jefferson dressed eight players for its girls basketball game Monday night at Xavier. The No. 5 Saints rotated 10 to 12 players on a regular basis.

But that wasn't the only big difference between the two teams.

The final score was a huge difference, too. The Saints dominated the J-Hawks, 67-30, at Xavier.

Jefferson (7-11, 2-11) has lost three starters with injuries for the rest of the season.

“It’s really disappointing for (Jefferson Coach Larry) Niemeyer and Jefferson to have to deal with so many injuries,” Xavier Coach Tom Lilly said. “I thought they could have been real tough this year.”

Strong Metro history at state tournaments

This is the 100-year anniversary of the first boys state basketball tournament and the Metro area has contributed significantly to its history, especially in the last 50 years.

In commemoration of the anniversary, the Iowa High School Athletic Association has compiled a historical document that can be read at its website (www.iahsaa.org). Members of the media, coaches, officials and others contributed to the historical look.

Small schools, many of which no longer exist or have merged with others, wrote many of the stories in the first 50 years. That’s still somewhat true today, but areas like the Metro have been at the forefront of state tournament highlights.

Huskies trip Janesville for 10th win

JANESVILLE - Spencer Zielke and Will Muhlbach topped a balanced scoring attack with 10 points apiece Monday night as Cedar Valley Christian defeated Janesville, 50-35.

David Sperling scored nine points, Jeremy Strutz collected eight points and Nick Henderson had seven points for the Huskies (10-7).

Nick Watson scored 19 points for Janesville (10-8).

Peyton's tough choice helps fuel Marion

Two games stand out for Marion’s Dani Peyton as pivotal in the Indians’ transformation from last season’s beleaguered 6-16 team into this year’s No. 15-ranked Wamac Conference contender.

The first was the second game of the season at Solon. “We went in as definite underdogs and had one of our best defensive efforts as a team,” says the senior point guard. “We were down eight points at the half and came back and won it by six.”