Metro Sports Report

Paige nets 33 as No. 3 Lions stop Prairie

There were two great jazz performances in the Cedar Rapids Prairie gym Friday night.

One was by the Prairie pep band, which calls itself "The Art of Noiz," for good reason.

The other was by Marcus Paige.

Linn-Mar's jazzy point guard tossed in 33 points to help the third-ranked Lions survive Prairie, 68-60, in a spirited Mississippi Valley Conference game.

J-Hawks work it out with Olson inside

Taylor Olson scored 23 of his game-high 28 points in the second half and Jefferson held off a game Washington, 68-52, Friday night in a Mississippi Valley Conference boys basketball game at Washington.

Winless Washington (0-5, 0-3) put up a good battle until about the 5-minute mark of the fourth quarter. That's when Olson took over for the unbeaten J-Hawks (6-0, 3-0).

Heitland FTs help Cougars hold off City High

In a ragged, rugged affair that resembled football without the pads, the ninth-ranked Kennedy boys were barely tough enough to withstand City High’s finesse-free style, 59-54, Friday night at home.

Except for 6-foot-6 jumping jack Jerel Moore, the Little Hawks' lineup is made up of football players. And they bring a lot of that game to the court.

With no outside threat to speak of, the Little Hawks drive to the basket and then bang around for rebounds.

“We knew they were going to be big and athletic and that they would crash the boards,” said Cougar Trevor Heitland, who won the game from the free throw line.  “Things got a little out of control for awhile. But we kept our composure toward the end. We made some basic, simple plays (when) we had to make ‘em.”

Burrell gets pin, but J-Hawks get win

Tyler Burrell has defeated a state heavyweight champion this season, but it did not count on his record.

He beat his brother, Brandon Burrell, who won the Class 3A state title in 2009 when he was a senior at Cedar Rapids Washington. Brandon Burrell is now a junior at Central College, where he's a member of the wrestling and football teams.

"I have a great time with my brother. We wrestle around all the time," Tyler Burrell said Thursday night. "He came back a couple of weekends ago and I wrestled him and beat him 3-to-2.

"He had hadn't starting wrestling yet (this season at Central), so his excuse was he wasn't in wrestling shape."