Vis 'really happy' for Harlan

DES MOINES -- Tony Vis stood outside the Wells Fargo Arena interview room Thursday night, his former players talking to the media.One by one, they exited the room and greeted Vis with bear hugs."I'm really happy for them," Vis said. "I knew when I left, they had things stacked for a long time."Eighth-ranked Harlan will play No. 5 Cedar Rapids Xavier for the Class 4A championship at 6 p.m. Saturday.Coaching the Cyclones is Zach Klaassen, who was elevated to the head position after Vis elected last spring to take the job at Cedar Rapids Kennedy."It was a very, very tough decision," Vis said. "A lot of those kids, we invested a lot of time into them. They were my daughters' best friends."Brianna Vis is in her senior year at Kennedy, and was the Cougars' starting point guard. Mariah Vis is a junior and backed up her older sister.Coach Vis said his daughters "I'm sure, are wishing they were still wearing red this week, walking through the line and celebrating with their teammates."Kennedy was 15-8 in Vis' first season.Top players Paige Hendrickson, Stephanie Botkin and Madi Meier return for 2013-14. So does Morgan Martin, who missed virtually the entire season with a knee injury. The Cougars probably will be a top-five 5A team to begin next season.MISS IOWA BASKETBALL: MEET THE CANDIDATESSportswriters will gather Saturday to select the Iowa Newspaper Assocation all-state teams.The race for Miss Iowa Basketball 2013 appears to have three primary candidates:* Iowa City West's Ally Disterhoft led the state in scoring at 26.3 points per game, led her team to state three times (including the 2012 championship) and finished her career with 1,590 points. She has signed with Iowa.* Mason City's Jadda Buckley missed eight games with an injury, but averaged 13.3 points and 5 assists per game. She led the Mohawks to state three times. They fell in the semifinals Friday. She has signed with Iowa State.* Southeast Polk's Caitlin Ingle averaged 14.4 points and 4.8 assists per game. The Rams meet West Des Moines Dowling for the 5A championship Saturday. She has signed with Drake.All-state teams probably will be released Tuesday.