Kirkwood Community College - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Wilson powers No. 6 Eagles by NIACC

MASON CITY - Doug Wilson scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds Wednesday night as the sixth-ranked Kirkwood Eagles dumped NIACC, 78-49, in an ICCAC conference game in Mason City.

The Eagles raised their records to 19-4 overall and 8-0 in the league with their 11th straight win. Kirkwood leads the ICCAC standings by two games with four games left in the regular season.

The Eagles can clinch at least a tie for the league title Saturday when they host Iowa Lakes, which sits in second place in the conference with a 6-2 record.

Chris King popped in five 3-pointers and contributed 17 points for Kirkwood. LJ Stansbury added 10 points.

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No. 7 Eagles ride 3-pointers to victory

It's a good thing Bryan Petersen did not forbid his guys from shooting any more 3-pointers after the Kirkwood Eagles missed 16 of them in the first half Saturday.

When it counted, the Eagles hit nothing but net.

Kirkwood popped in six straight 3-pointers during a key stretch in the second half to break open a close game and bounce Iowa Central, 85-79, in a conference game at Johnson Hall.

The Eagles were clinging to a 52-48 lead when the 3-point barrage began with eight minutes remaining.

Carlo Marble began the flurry with a triple from the corner. Ethan Meeker followed with a 3-pointer, then Bailey Kale connected from behind the arc to join the fun.

Marble hit another trey, Meeker followed suit and Marble capped the impressive display with another 3-pointer to give Kirkwood a 73-56 advantage with a four-minute onslaught from behind the arc.

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No. 2 Eagles pass chemistry test

The Kirkwood Eagles feel good about themselves when they make a good play, but they seem happiest when one of their teammates does something even better.

It's called chemistry and it's been a key ingredient for the second-ranked Eagles this season.

Kirkwood collected its 12th straight victory Saturday and remained in control of the ICCAC conference race with an 80-39 victory over Iowa Central in a women's basketball game at Johnson Hall.

Sophomore point guard Tay Wilson led the Eagles (22-3, 8-0) with 19 points, five steals and four assists, but her biggest smiles were for the other Eagles who joined the fun.

Freshman Mackenzie Jenkins popped off the bench and popped in four 3-pointers for 14 points. Sophomore Megan Axcell hit three triples and scored 11 points in the triumph. Many other Eagles also played well and there were lots of smiles go around.

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Usher commits to Kirkwood baseball

If Levi Usher plays college baseball, he'll stay in the neighborhood and play for the Kirkwood Eagles.

It could be a big "if," however.

Usher, a senior at Cedar Rapids Prairie, would be tempted to skip college and play pro baseball if he's selected high enough in the major league draft this June and likes the offer.

"I would be very tempted," he told the Metro Sports Report Sunday evening. "It's something my parents and I have talked about. I think I'm ready for it.

"We'll see how the spring goes and how I play."

Usher is a fleet center fielder who hit .468 with seven homers, 34 RBIs and 37 stolen bases for Prairie last season as a junior. He's ranked as the No. 2 high school prospect in Iowa by Perfect Game USA and the 82nd best high school player in the country.

If he goes high enough in the draft and is offered a lucrative signing bonus, he'll head straight to the minor leagues. If the draft does not turn out the way he wants, he'll head to Kirkwood and play for the Eagles in 2019.

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Wilson helps No. 8 Eagles top DMACC

Doug Wilson used to treat visits to the free throw line like he was going to the dentist.

Now it seems like he's going to the candy store when he gets fouled. And he's taking the Kirkwood Eagles along for the goodies.

Wilson made DMACC pay at the foul line Saturday as the eighth-ranked Eagles beat the Bears, 83-73, in an ICCAC conference game at Johnson Hall.

Wilson cashed 8 of 10 foul shots at key times and scored a game-high 20 points as Kirkwood maintained a two-game lead in the conference at the halfway point of the campaign.

This past Wednesday night, Wilson was 8 for 11 at the charity stripe and poured in a career-best 34 points as the Eagles won a big game at Ellsworth.

Adding those numbers together, the 6-foot-7 freshman from Des Moines is 16 for 21 at the foul line the last two games for 76.2 percent. Prior to that, he was a poor 20 of 55 for 36.4 percent.

Practice. Practice. Practice.

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Muhl nets 850th win as Eagles soar

The showdown for the conference lead turned into another showcase for the Kirkwood women's basketball team Saturday.

It also produced the 850th victory for Coach Kim Muhl in his Hall of Fame career with the Eagles.

The second-ranked Eagles jumped to a 22-2 lead in the first quarter and pelted 14th-ranked DMACC, 84-45, at Johnson Hall to grab a two-game lead in the ICCAC conference standings.

"It was a good win for us," said Muhl. "They dialed in."

Muhl raised his record to a sizzling 850-150 in exactly 1,000 games at Kirkwood in 29 years. He's already won seven NJCAA Division II national titles and has a shot at No. 8 this season.

Muhl, 62, brushed aside a question about making a run for 1,000 wins before he's through.

"I'm going for 851," he said, laughing.

Kirkwood raised its records to 21-3 overall and 7-0 in the conference with its 11th straight victory. The league's two alphabet schools, DMACC and NIACC, are both 5-2 at the mid-point of the race.

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Wilson nets 34 for No. 8 Eagles

IOWA FALLS - Doug Wilson poured in 34 points Wednesday night as the  eighth-ranked Kirkwood Eagles dropped Ellsworth, 90-83, in an ICCAC conference game in Iowa Falls.

Wilson, who leads NJCAA Division II in shooting accuracy, made 13 field goals and was 8 for 11 at the foul line.

The victory kept the Eagles in first place in the conference at 5-0, good for a two-game lead in the loss column. Kirkwood has won eight straight games and is now 16-4 overall.

Ethan Meeker popped in four 3-pointers and contributed 18 points for the Eagles.

Ellsworth fell to 12-8 overall and 1-4 in the conference.

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Ajak paces No. 2 Eagles by Ellsworth

IOWA FALLS - Awal Ajak scored 15 points and had five steals Wednesday night as the second-ranked Kirkwood Eagles defeated Ellsworth, 65-47, in an ICCAC conference game in Iowa Falls.

Arika Wooldridge contributed 10 points off the bench for the Eagles. Christmas Puok and Niaja Taylor had eight points. Puok, Megan Axcell, Taylor and Olivia Usher all had six rebounds.

Kirkwood drubbed Ellsworth 22-3 in the first quarter and cruised to the victory from there.

Kirkwood won for the 10th straight time, raising its records to 20-3 overall and 6-0 in the conference. The Eagles host DMACC Saturday at 1  p.m. in a showdown for the conference lead.

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No. 11 Eagles hold off No. 13 Spartans

Chris King needed a heating pad for his sore back at halftime and was suffering from leg cramps after the game, but he felt good when he left Johnson Hall Saturday afternoon.

King poured in 27 points and collected six assists as the 11th-ranked Kirkwood Eagles topped 13th-ranked Southwestern Community College, 89-84, in a ferocious junior college basketball game.

King, a 6-foot guard from Des Moines, shrugged off the ailments after playing 37 of 40 minutes in a key ICCAC affair.

"I'm just trying to fight through it," he said. "You've always got injuries and little bruises through the season, so it's nothing really.

"You just have to go out there and give it your all for your team."

Kirkwood raised its ICCAC record to 4-0 and took a two-game lead in the loss column in the conference standings ahead of Southwestern (3-2), Iowa Lakes (3-2) and Iowa Central (2-2).

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