Gazette boys' basketball poll: C.R. Kennedy ascends to top of 4A

CEDAR RAPIDS — Let's get it started. Again.

The boys' basketball season kicks back into gear Monday after the holiday break. Your No. 1 teams are Cedar Rapids Kennedy in Class 4A, Waverly-Shell Rock in 3A, Des Moines Christian in 2A and Gladbrook-Reinbeck in 1A.

Kennedy is the only change at the top in The Gazette's latest rankings, the Cougars (6-0) jumping to the apex of 4A after previous No. 1 Iowa City West lost to Cedar Rapids Prairie right before the break.

The Trojans (5-1) are second, followed by West Des Moines Dowling, Dubuque Senior and Sioux City East. Kennedy, by the way, re-kicks off its season Tuesday night at home against 10th-ranked Cedar Falls (4-2).

There was a bit of turmoil in 3A, with Atlantic and Oskaloosa losing right before the break. Atlantic, which lost twice, moved from third to ninth, and Oskaloosa fell out of the ratings.

Waverly-Shell Rock is 7-0, as is No. 2 West Delaware, third-ranked Dallas Center-Grimes and fifth-ranked Spirit Lake.

Four of the top five clubs in 2A are traditional parochial powers. Des Moines Christian is 7-0, No. 3 Pella Christian 5-1, No. 4 Carroll Kuemper 5-1 and fifth-ranked Western Christian 4-1.

South Hamilton (6-0) squeaks between them at second.

Lone Tree (5-1) lost to 2A Highland right before break and dropped from fourth to ninth in 1A. The top five teams all are undefeated.

Here are the entire rankings, with previous ranking in parentheses.

Class 4A

1. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 6-0 (2)

2. Iowa City West 5-1 (1)

3. West Des Moines Dowling 5-1 (4)

4. Dubuque Senior 5-1 (5)

5. Sioux City East 6-0 (3)

6. West Des Moines Valley 6-2 (7)

7. Waukee 5-2 (NR)

8. Ames 5-2 (6)

9. Lewis Central 6-0 (9)

10. Cedar Falls 4-2 (10)

Class 3A

1. Waverly-Shell Rock 7-0 (1)

2. West Delaware 7-0 (2)

3. Dallas Center-Grimes 7-0 (5)

4. Pella 5-1 (4)

5. Spirit Lake 7-0 (6)

6. Mount Pleasant 5-1 (7)

7. Charles City 6-0 (8)

8. Storm Lake 6-1 (NR)

9. Atlantic 6-2 (3)

10. Glenwood 4-2 (10)

Class 2A

1. Des Moines Christian 7-0 (1)

2. South Hamilton 6-0 (2)

3. Pella Christian 5-1 (3)

4. Carroll Kuemper 5-1 (5)

5. Western Christian 4-1 (4)

6. Cascade 7-0 (6)

7. Osage 6-0 (8)

8. Hinton 7-0 (9)

9. Camanche 8-1 (10)

10. Southeast Valley 7-0 (NR)

Class 1A

1. Gladbrook-Reinbeck 5-0 (1)

2. North Linn 7-0 (2)

3. New London 6-0 (5)

4. Ar-We-Va 7-0 (3)

5. Storm Lake St. Mary's 6-0 (7)

6. Montezuma 7-1 (6)

7. Grand View Christian 6-1 (9)

8. Remsen St. Mary's 6-0 (NR)

9. Lone Tree 5-1 (4)

10. Stanton 7-0 (NR)

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com