STORY AND VIDEOS: North Carolina recruit Marcus Paige paces Linn-Mar to 81-62 win over South Sioux City and Iowa recruit Mike Gesell

Sioux City was too far for me to travel Friday with a big basketball/wrestling doubleheader in Iowa City Saturday.

So I asked Brian Vakulskas of Sioux City to send me a report from Friday night's boys' basketball game between Linn-Mar and South Sioux City (Neb.) in Sioux City. He did a great job of doing so (and his brother, Dan, supplied me with some nice photos and videos). Here is Brian's account:

SIOUX CITY – If Iowa City is a long ways away from here, then Chapel Hill, North Carolina must be a world away.

Nonetheless, basketball fans got a rare opportunity to see a future Hawkeye and a future Tar Heel square off against each other as part of the CNOS Foundation Basketball Classic at the Tyson Events Center.

It was perhaps a preview of a future Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchup.

Marcus Paige and eighth-ranked Linn-Mar traveled to the northwest corner of the state tonight to face Mike Gesell and the two-time defending Nebraska Class B state champion South Sioux City Cardinals.

Next fall, Paige will don the Carolina blue and white.  Gesell will wear black and gold.  The two were teammates with the All-Iowa Attack AAU basketball squad the past two summers.

Both outstanding guards on their respective teams, tonight was the Paige show.  Making his first 8 field goal attempts, he finished the night 11 of 14 from the floor and 6 of 6 from the free throw line. His 31 points paced the Lions to an 81-62 win.

Gesell never seemed to find a rhythm, finishing 5 of 15 from the floor and 4 of 4 at the line for 18 points.

“They just outplayed us on both ends,” said Gesell.  “We just didn't shoot the ball well and didn't come out ready to play.

“[Linn-Mar] had the bus ride and we're right here in town.  They're a very good team and, with teams like that, you've got to bring your A-game and we just didn't do that tonight.”

The outcome was not a surprise to Paige, who contributed 2 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals.

“We fully expected to win this game,” admitted Paige.

South Sioux City Coach Terry Comstock seemed wowed by Paige's play.

“Marcus is a great player and we expected that he was going to do a lot,” said Comstock.  “But some of the shots he took tonight were just phenomenal.  I think he outdid the expectations I had of him.  He's just a very good player.”

Linn-Mar held South Sioux City to just a handful of offensive rebounds and virtually no second-chance points.  Coincidentally, rebounding has been a point of emphasis for the Lions this season.

“We're not the biggest team and they're not the biggest team,” said Paige.  “We figured, if we could somehow get an advantage on the rebounding and hold them to one shot, that would definitely give us the advantage.  We were able to do that tonight.”

Paige's seniority on a relatively young squad has forced him to shoot more this year than he has in years past.

“I'm out there doing whatever I need to be doing to get this team the win, whether it's shoot all the shots or not shoot any shots,” said Paige, who scored 18 first-quarter points

“In the second half, they came and doubled me and a lot of other guys freed up.”

“When we watched him on film, we knew [Paige] would give it up and he wouldn't go between two or three guys,” said Comstock.  “I just didn't expect that our defensive rotation wouldn't come around.  We gave up some easy layups that we didn't need to.”

Jimmy Roth added 20 points for the Lions, 11 in the second half.

Paige said his friendship with Gesell is strong enough that the two had plans to eat dinner with their families after the game.

“I'll wait a couple weeks before I talk any smack,” joked Paige.

Linn-Mar (5-2) takes on defending three-time (3A) state champion Sioux City Heelan Saturday night at the Tyson Events Center.