Mount Vernon is short ... but not on victories

MOUNT VERNON -- They ain't big.

In fact, Mount Vernon starts four guys who are 6-foot-1 or shorter. Three starters don't even crack 6-foot.

But there's that thing about the fight in the dog and not the size of the dog in the fight. Or fight in the Mustang in this case.

“When we play, we need to play well a certain way to be successful,” said Mount Vernon Coach Ed Timm. “We have zero post presence, are a really small team. We have to play good defense, have to block out to prevent offensive rebounds and have to have no turnovers.”

Check, check and check so far this season. Mount Vernon goes into its game at West Delaware Friday night with a 7-1 record, including 5-0 in the Wamac Conference's East Division.

The lone loss was in the second game to Williamsburg, 47-44, one that Timm said he didn't mind too much because it was early and brought home the point about having to play well to succeed. Mount Vernon picked up wins over ranked teams Western Dubuque, Dyersville Beckman, Solon and North Cedar after that.

Call it a lesson learned, just like the one the coach thinks his team got when it lost a down-to-the-wire Class 3A substate final against Marion last season. Timm said all of his guys eschewed AAU ball last spring and summer to play together in leagues and camps.

Guard Jack Keleher is MV's co-leader in scoring at 15.3 points per game and is the most improved player in the Wamac, according to his coach. Timm's son, Jake, also averages 15.3. Micah Russell is next at just under 10.

“That was a devastating loss for the kids last year, a devastating loss for our program,” said Timm, in his sixth season at MV after a stint as head coach at Cornell College. “They made a commitment to play together all spring, all summer ... They played against all 4A teams. That has made us so much better.”

Good enough to make it to the state tournament for the first time since 2003? We'll see. Mount Vernon has dropped to Class 2A, but there are a ton of good nearby 2A clubs it could face in the postseason (North Cedar, Iowa City Regina, Dyersville Beckman, Cascade).

Playing in the Wamac should help prepare the Mustangs, though.

“By far, this is the best our league has been,” Timm said.

His team obviously included.

Around the hoop

- Has it been a half-century already? Believe it or not, it's been 50 years since Cedar Rapids Regis won the first of its five state basketball championships.

Head coach Bob Jennings, assistant coach Dick Breitbach and members of the team will be honored during halftime of Cedar Rapids Xavier's home game Saturday against Western Dubuque (5 p.m. tipoff). A team reception and film-viewing session precedes from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., with a friends and family reception from 4:30 to 5.

- If you happen to be out Sioux City way Friday night, you want to check out this game. Linn-Mar plays at South Sioux City (Neb.) in a matchup of two of the top prep point guards in the country. Linn-Mar's Marcus Paige, of course, has signed with North Carolina. South Sioux City's Mike Gesell is an Iowa signee.

Linn-Mar plays Saturday night at Sioux City Heelan.

- The

Iowa High School Athletic Association will release sectional, district and substate groupings for all four classes Monday. Pairings won't be released until late January, as teams are seeded according to how they fare in games five through 15.