Metro Sports Report

Albaugh, Semler lead Indians to Wamac crown

As usual, the dynamic duo of seniors Dusty Albaugh and Kasey Semler  came through Friday night and carried the Marion boys to a 57-35 home court win over Dyersville Beckman.

“The Red Nation really had something to cheer about tonight,”  Albaugh, the talkative one of the two, said about the Indian student section that whooped it up long after the game was over.

Marion (13-7, 13-5 Wamac) wrapped the Wamac West Division title.

“We played with a lot of intensity and played really good defense," Albaugh said. "And Kasey, he’s something else. He’s able to drive and open up the lanes, then kicks it out for open shots.”

Albaugh received three of Semler’s no-look passes for long 3-pointers and four others for shorter baskets as he tied his longtime running mate for game-high honors with 19  points.

After being held to two buckets and two free throws in the  first half, Semler scored 13 in the second, including seven straight from the charity stripe.

It was his pinpoint passing, though, that sparkled  throughout. He had 10 assists to go along with his 19 points, but could have had a half dozen more if he hadn’t faked out his own  teammates with bullets that bounced out of bounds.

Lions whip Wash, win MVC title

Shane Benton led his team in floor burns and hustle Friday night. And that was saying something.

Benton’s top-ranked Linn-Mar Lions used precision passing and a blue collar work ethic to break the game wide open in the second half and easily defeat Washington, 62-41, to clinch a Mississippi Valley Conference division championship at Linn-Mar.

“We just have got to go after everything,” Benton said. “I like to go after every loose ball.”

Benton scored 11 points and brought a boat load of passion and defensive intensity. At one stage in the third quarter he dove for a ball near the baseline, which brought the entire Linn-Mar bench to its feet.

Benton also had several strong moves inside and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line. He said the team enjoys playing together.

“It is just so much fun. I feel really good about this team. We have a great group of seniors and a lot of good juniors. It is a special group of guys,” the 6-foot-3 senior said.

A University of North Dakota recruit, Benton had the assignment of guarding Warrior star Josh Oglesby.

“He kind of reminds me of Reggie Miller,” Benton said. “With that high release, he is tough.”

Oglesby finished with 21 points, but had to earn every basket. He started off hot, scoring 13 of his team’s first 14 points, but had only eight points over the final 16 minutes of play. He hit 8-for-18 shots from the floor and 2-of-3 free throws.

Uthoff gets physical with Cougars

Jarrod Uthoff bought a ticket and watched his future teammates at the University of Wisconsin defeat Iowa in a physical game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday night.

It inspired him Friday night against Kennedy.

Uthoff scored 26 points, snared a career-high 19 rebounds and blocked five shots as No. 9  Jefferson upended the third-ranked Cougars, 53-44, at  Jefferson.

The 26 points were typical (he leads the state at 26.2 per game), but the 19 rebounds and five blocks were nearly twice his norm. He played a fierce, inspired game at both ends of the court, 48 hours after watching that physical game in Iowa City.

"I realized I need to get a lot stronger and be more physical to play in the Big Ten," he said. "And I figured I should start playing like it right now."

Uthoff is 6-foot-8 and 190 pounds, but he's gained 10 pounds of muscle since last season and does a better job of catching the ball in traffic. He's also a stronger defender and held Kennedy's Jake Manning to six points, about half his average.

Kiah Stokes named McDonald's All-American

Linn-Mar senior Kiah Stokes has been named a McDonald's All-American and will play in the prestigious all-star game March 30 at the United Center in Chicago.

Stokes also has been selected for the WBCA Nike All-Star Game in Indianapolis April 2.

Stokes, a 6-foot-3 center, was averaging 24.6 points, 14.7 rebounds and 5.1 blocked shots heading into Thursday night's game against Cedar Rapids Washington. She holds the Linn-Mar career records for points, rebounds and blocks.

Stokes has signed with the University of Connecticut and will be joining the Huskies next season.

Stokes was named to the West team for the McDonald's All-American game with with future UConn teammates Brianna Banks (Fayetteville, Ga.) and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (Santa Ana, Calif.).

Iowa recruit Samantha Logic from Racine, Wis., was chosen to play for the East team.