Metro Sports Report

Senior clamps down on Olson and J-Hawks

DUBUQUE – Taylor Olson and his Cedar Rapids Jefferson teammates found out just how tough the road can be in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

In the first of two Class 4A top-3 tests this week, the No. 8 J-Hawks struggled to overcome a poor shooting night Tuesday and fell to No. 3 Dubuque Senior, 61-46, at Nora Gymnasium.

Jefferson (7-1, 3-1 MVC) shot just 18-for-50 (36 percent) from the field in the loss. The offensive output was a far cry from what the J-Hawks produced before Christmas break.

Jefferson averaged 62.1 points per game during its seven-game winning streak to start the season.

“We had very poor shot selection, and we had very poor patience during the entire first quarter,” Jefferson Coach Stu Ordman said. “That hurt us for the entire game.”

MSR has 750,000 reasons to say thanks

Mike Koolbeck and I were reasonably sure the Metro Sports Report would be well-received in the community when we launched our website on Jan. 3, 2011.

After all, who would be opposed to thorough coverage of all the high school teams in Cedar Rapids and Marion?

Warriors lead Metro in state titles

State championships may not be the only measurement of success for high school teams. After all, not every team has the talent, the coaching, the tradition or the luck to be a legitimate contender.

At the same time, a state championship is the biggest carrot dangled in front of every team. It is the ultimate prize in high school athletics, the one common goal for every squad as seasons begin.

Last month, the Des Moines Register published a fascinating piece on Iowa high school state championships. The Register compiled information on every championship won since the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union began sanctioning state tournaments.

Cheatham of Linn-Mar has torn ACL

Linn-Mar High School's path to the girls state basketball tournament has gotten harder.

Shanice Cheatham suffered a torn ACL in Linn-Mar's game against Iowa City West on Dec. 20 and has been lost for the sesaon, Coach Mike Brandt confirmed Monday.

Cheatham, a 5-foot-10 senior, was averaging 8.1 points and 4.1 rebounds for the 10th-ranked Lions, who reached the semifinals of the state tournament last season.

Linn-Mar (6-4, 3-3) hosts Waterloo West in its first game of 2012 Tuesday night, hoping to break a three-game losing streak.

Cheatham was hurt in the final game before the holiday break. She also had an ACL injury as a freshman in high school.