Prairie Girls Basketball

Schmitt leads Prairie by Saints

The Cedar Rapids Prairie girls basketball team began its warmups for  Friday night's game at Xavier with only eight players on the floor and  with a 2-8 record.

At the other end of the floor, the Saints had a full complement of  players with a flashy No. 7 ranking in the Class 4A poll and an  impressive five-game winning streak.

Advantage Saints, right?

Not this time.

Sarah Schmitt was hot from the foul line and pumped in 22 points as  the young Prairie Hawks upended the Saints, 52-45, in a Mississippi  Valley Conference game at Ron Thillen Gymnasium.

Prairie had two freshmen and two sophomores in the starting lineup,  but the Hawks withstood a Xavier rally in the second half and were the  more composed team at the end.

"Our kids played above what their grades may show," said Prairie Coach Josh Bentley. "They stayed together. And they executed and stayed  disciplined."

Schmitt, a 5-foot-7 sophomore, swished 10 of 11 free throws for the  Hawks, including six straight in the final 56 seconds to help Prairie  notch the victory.

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Prairie girls roll by Marshalltown

Olivia Usher scored 13 points Wednesday night as Cedar Rapids Prairie bounced Marshalltown, 61-26, in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A regional basketball tournament at Prairie.

The Hawks (11-11) will play No. 6 Linn-Mar (17-4) in the semifinals Saturday night at Linn-Mar.

MaKenzie Stoffer scored 11 points for Prairie and Lauren Kuch added 10.

Victoria Johnson scored nine points for Marshalltown (1-21).

MARSHALLTOWN (26): Aspen Chadderdon 0 0-2 0, Johnson 4 0-1 9, Ceren 0 0-0 0, Vergara 0 1-2 1, Alyvia Chadderdon 2 3-4 7, Maxour 2 3-4 7, Feldman 1 0-1 2, Gatwech 1 0-0 2, Vest 1 0-0 3, Metzger 0 0-0 0, Boland 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 4-10 26.

PRAIRIE (61): Moenk 1 0-0 2, Altenhofen 3 0-0 9, Sanders 0 0-0 0, Lampe 1 0-0 2, Schmitt 2 2-3 7, Stebral 0 0-0 0, Usher 4 3-6 13, Wagemester 3 0-0 6, Shreeves 0 0-2 0, Kuch 3 5-8 11, Stoffer 0 1-2 1, Person 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 11-21 61.

Halftime - Prairie 38, Marshalltown 18. 3-point goals - Marshalltown 2 (Johnson 1, Vest 1), Prairie 8 (Altenhofen 3, Usher 2, Kuch 2, Schmitt 1).

No. 8 Lions top Hawks for 8th in row

Jaime Printy Brandt and her husband Danny are expecting their first child in July, but she's having too much fun as the Linn-Mar girls basketball coach to step aside next season.

Brandt plans to return for her third year as head coach next season despite becoming a new mother.

"I do. Yup. No worries," she said Friday night with a smile. "I'm going to stick around. That's the plan.

"My husband will bring our baby to the games, I guess. It will be a gym rat, just like me."

Brandt and the eighth-ranked Lions defeated Cedar Rapids Prairie, 50-35, in a Mississippi Valley Conference game to finish the regular season with an eight-game winning streak Friday.

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No. 15 Wash girls clip Prairie

The 15th-ranked Washington girls basketall team stormed to a 14-2 lead at the start and went on to beat Prairie, 60-52, in a Mississippi Valley Conference game Tuesday at Prairie.

The Prairie Hawks cut the lead to three points, 42-39, but the Warriors held on down the stretch.

Vanessa Eniola scored 15 points for Washington (13-7). Anne Visser scored 13 points and Jayla Johnson added 10 points.

Olivier Usher shot 10-of-11 from the free-throw line and finished with 18 points for Prairie (10-10). Jenna Wagemester scored 15 points and Sarah Schmitt added 10.

WASHINGTON (60): Clark 0 3-4 3, Carey 1 0-0 2, Visser 6 0-0 13, Eniola 5 2-2 15, Hoeger 0 0-0 0, Bruner 2 0-0 5, Puk 2 1-1 6, Riley 2 0-0 6, Mia 0 0-0 0, Johnson 4 2-5 10. Totals 22 8-12 0.

PRAIRIE (52): Moenk 0 0-0 0, Altenhofen 0 0-0 0, Schmitt 4 1-2 10, Stebral 0 0-0 0, Usher 2 10-11 18, Wagemester 3-4 15, Kuch 1 0-0 2, Stoffer 0 1-2 1, Person 2 2-4 6. Totals 16 17-23 52.

Halftime – Washington 27, Prairie 21. 3-point goals – Washington 8 (Eniola 3, Riley 2, Visser, Bruner, Puk), Prairie 3 (Usher 2, Schmitt).