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IHSAA boys’ basketball poll: North Linn enters in Class 1A
Lynx, who have been in seven consecutive state championship games, are in the Class 1A for the first time this season at No. 10
Jan. 20, 2025 3:23 pm
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CEDAR RAPIDS - Hey, North Linn’s boys’ basketball team is ranked again.
The Lynx moved into the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s Class 1A poll Monday for the first time this season at No. 10. North Linn (13-1) has been in a state championship game seven straight years but a 20-point loss a couple of weeks ago dissuaded the 1A rankings committee to include it until now.
Of course, it could be a temporary ranking considering the Lynx play Tuesday night at Alburnett. The Pirates (9-2) are a good Class 2A team who lost earlier this season at North Linn, 54-50.
All of the top-ranked teams from last week remain No. 1 this week. They would be Cedar Falls in Class 4A, Huxley Ballard in 3A, Western Christian in 2A and Bellevue Marquette in 1A.
Cedar Falls (11-1) stays on top of the state’s biggest class despite losing last week for the first time, at Linn-Mar, 69-61. The Lions backed up that big win with a win over a school from Wisconsin (Eau Claire Memorial) on Saturday, moving up this week from sixth to fourth.
Cedar Rapids Kennedy inched up to third, after Waukee Northwest’s 62-49 loss last week to No. 2 West Des Moines Valley. The top 10 in 4A actually remains the same as last week, with a bit of movement up or down for the third through 10th-ranked teams.
Ballard, Clear Lake and Knoxville are the lone unbeatens now in 3A, after Decorah (10-1) lost Saturday night at home to Cedar Rapids Prairie, 80-75. Ballard is ranked first this week, followed by Clear Lake, Decorah, Knoxville and MOC/Floyd Valley in that order.
Cedar Rapids Xavier (8-4) dropped slightly from ninth to eighth after a loss last week to Linn-Mar. Mount Vernon (11-1) stayed at No. 10.
In Class 2A, the top five are identical to a week ago: Western Christian (11-2), Carroll Kuemper (13-1), Grand View Christian (3), West Lyon (4) and Orange City Unity Christian (9-3) in that order.
River Valley Conference North Division foes Monticello, Cascade and Northeast Goose Lake are eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively, this week. NEGL beat Monti last week, while Monti beat Cascade earlier this season, and Cascade beat NEGL.
Marquette (11-1) survived a close encounter with Lisbon last Friday to remain atop Class 1A. It’s Madrid second, Woodbine third, Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn/Remsen-Union fourth and Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center fifth.
Here is this week’s entire poll:
Class 4A
- 1. Cedar Falls 11-1 (1)
- 2. West Des Moines Valley 10-2 (2)
- 3. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 9-2 (4)
- 4. Linn-Mar 10-2 (6)
- 5. Waukee 9-2 (7)
- 6. Waukee Northwest 10-3 (3)
- 7. Dubuque Senior 8-2 (10)
- 8. Council Bluffs Lincoln 10-0 (NR)
- 9. Muscatine 9-1 (5)
- 10. West Des Moines Dowling 9-3 (9)
Class 3A
- 1. Huxley Ballard 10-0 (1)
- 2. Clear Lake 10-0 (2)
- 3. Decorah 10-1 (3)
- 4. Knoxville 10-0 (5)
- 5. MOC/Floyd Valley 10-2 (6)
- 6. Dubuque Wahlert 8-3 (4)
- 7. Adel-DeSoto-Minburn 9-3 (7)
- 8. Storm Lake 9-1 (9)
- 9. Cedar Rapids Xavier 8-4 (8)
- 10. Mount Vernon 11-1 (10)
Class 2A
- 1. Western Christian 11-2 (1)
- 2. Carroll Kuemper 13-1 (2)
- 3. Grand View Christian 13-0 (3)
- 4. West Lyon 11-2 (4)
- 5. Orange City Unity Christian 9-3 (5)
- 6. Grundy Center 12-0 (8)
- 7. Treynor 9-3 (9)
- 8. Monticello 10-1 (7)
- 9. Cascade 11-2 (10)
- 10. Northeast Goose Lake 11-2 (NR)
- Dropped out: West Burlington (6).
Class 1A
- 1. Bellevue Marquette 11-0 (1)
- 2. Madrid 11-0 (2)
- 3. Woodbine 11-0 (4)
- 4. MMCRU 11-2 (8)
- 5. Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center 9-1 (6)
- 6. Remsen St. Mary’s 9-2 (3)
- 7. Northwood-Kensett 12-0 (7)
- 8. Gladbrook-Reinbeck 9-2 (5)
- 9. Fort Dodge St. Edmond 10-2 (9)
- 10. North Linn 13-1 (NR)
- Dropped out: North Mahaska (10).
Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com
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