Jacob Aune took off his jersey in the Prairie locker room Tuesday night and revealed nothing but skin and bones.

"I know I'm skinny," he said. "I've been skinny my whole life."

Skinny, but tough.

The skinny Hawks from Prairie gave the brawny fifth-ranked Cougars from Kennedy a stiff battle Tuesday night before falling short, 62-48, in a Mississippi Valley Conference game at Kennedy.

Aune, a 6-foot-2 junior, said he weighs about 138 or 140 pounds, which means he was giving away at least 75 pounds to the football players who play basketball at Kennedy.

Christian French stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 225 pounds, Kyle Lamaak is 6-foot-4 and 215, Jake Manning (who doesn't play football) is 6-foot-5 and 213 pounds. That's what Kennedy had near the basket.

Meanwhile, Prairie countered with a 138-pounder and a 5-foot-8 point guard named Jerome Frazier who showed no fear.

"Playing against guys like Christian (French) is fun," Aune insisted, "being able to go into him and see what I can do."

Aune popped in 18 points and hit two 3-pointers to help the Hawks stay within striking distance. His 3-pointer pulled Prairie within 41-38 early in the fourth quarter.

"Yeah, we gave ourselves a chance," said James Moses, in his first year as Prairie's head coach. "I'm proud of my guys. They fought."

The Hawks arrived at Kennedy with three wins all season. By contrast, the Cougars are 12-2 and ranked fifth in Class 4A.

In the final analysis, Kennedy's size and strength prevailed over Prairie's heart and guts.

Manning stayed near the basket, missed only one shot (8 for 9) and scored 21 points. Lamaak muscled in 12 points, and while French scored only four points he was another big obstacle.

"They were just overpowering," said Moses. "Kennedy is tough. They play real physical."

Prairie has a few 6-foot-3 guys, but they didn't have the muscle to contend with Kennedy for 32 minutes. They gave it a good shot, though.

"They play hard," said Kennedy Coach Bob Fontana. "I thought they played harder than us tonight for all but 8 or 10 minutes of the game."

The Cougars (12-2, 7-2) ran off six straight points for a 47-38 lead after Aune's 3-pointer had pulled the Hawks within 41-38. Josiah Coleman, another Kennedy football player (6-4, 180) scored four of those points with a basket and two free throws.

Prairie never got closer than seven points again.

"We're learning," said Moses, a former star for the Iowa Hawkeyes. "I think our kids are responding."

The Hawks (3-11, 2-7) won only two games last season, so they've surpassed that total and have battled Iowa City West and Kennedy in their last two MVC outings.

"We've made a lot of improvement," said Frazier. "We're starting to come together as a family."

Coleman scored 14 points for Kennedy. The Cougars, a poor free-throw shooting team last season, canned 20 of 24 at the foul line.

PRAIRIE (48): Aune 7 2-3 18, Frazier 4 2-3 10, Jantzen 1 0-0 3, Lafferty 2 0-1 4, MacDougall 2 0-0 4, Mougin 1 0-0 2, Boots 1 0-0 2, Eilers 1 0-0 3, Kehoe 0 2-3 2, Hilgenkamp 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 6-10 48.

KENNEDY (62): Manning 8 5-5 21, Misener 1 0-0 2, Lamaak 4 4-6 12, Coleman 5 2-3 14, French 2 0-0 4, Fuller 0 8-8 8, Dixon 0 0-0 0, Christians 0 0-0 0, Heitland 0 1-2 1. Totals 20 20-24 62.

Halftime -- Kennedy 26, Prairie 19. 3-point goals -- Prairie 4 (Aune 2, Jantzen 1, Eilers 1), Kennedy 2 (Coleman 2). Fouled out -- Aune, Lafferty.