Cedar Rapids Jefferson's Kennedy Dighton pulls down a rebound record

Cedar Rapids Jefferson's rich tradition in girls' basketball has been built on a post-oriented attack.

Now, in terms of rebounding, Kennedy Dighton stands at the very top.

Dighton broke Jefferson's career rebounds record in Tuesday's win over Davenport Central. She has 562 boards, which eclipsed the old mark of Heidi Butz, who grabbed 557 in a career that ended in 1990.

Karen Schulte (1993) finished with 641, but a good share of those were at Norway.

'About halfway through my junior year, I realized I had a chance to break (the record), as long as I stayed healthy,' Dighton said Wednesday. 'I think it's just been a will to get the ball. You need the ball; you can't score without it.'

Dighton grabbed 146 boards as a freshman, 138 as a sophomore, 181 as a junior. This year, she has 97 through 12 games, an average of 8.1 per contest.

'She has good hands, good timing,' J-Hawks Coach Jason Edwards said. 'She's able to see where the misses are going. She wants the ball, and she goes to get it.

'She's been a consistent player for four years. You always know Big Cat is going to show up.'

Dighton also scored 20 points Tuesday, pushing her career total to an even 1,000.

'I expected (the rebound record Tuesday), because I just needed one to break it,' Dighton said. 'I didn't expect to get to 1,000, but the ball was going in the hoop.'

Dighton will play basketball at the University of Sioux Falls, an NCAA Division-II program.

'I thought about playing college softball somewhere, but I've always loved basketball just a little more,' she said.

Jefferson (5-7 overall, 3-3 MVC) hosts Class 5A No. 2 Iowa City High (13-0, 7-0) on Friday.

SOUTH TAMA'S MUSGRAVE ON A TEAR

South Tama's Jessica Musgrave has steadily climbed up the state's scoring chart, and a post-holiday surge has her fifth in the state and tops in the Gazette area.

A 5-foot-8 sophomore, Musgrave is averaging 23.3 points per game, and has scored 107 in four games in January, including a 33-point outpouring in a win over Benton Community on Jan. 13.

Center Point-Urbana ended South Tama's six-game win streak on Tuesday, 72-49, but Musgrave still managed 25 points.

HULSING HITS 500

Lynnville-Sully Coach Jerry Hulsing became the 35th coach in state history to reach 500 victories.

Hulsing reached the milestone Tuesday when the Hawks (15-0) defeated BGM, 50-25, at Brooklyn. He has coached 26 years, including 25 at Lynnville-Sully. His teams won 1A state championships in 1997, 1998 and 1999.

His record is 500-118.

MONDAY IS PAIRINGS DAY

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union will release postseason pairings for the three smallest classes on Monday.

Class 4A and Class 5A brackets are scheduled for a Jan. 30 release.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com