Iowa high school boys’ basketball rankings: A huge week for Cedar Rapids Kennedy

Cougars remain top-ranked in Class 4A, have 3 games on tap this week, including Saturday at No. 4 West Des Moines Valley

Jeff Johnson

Feb. 6, 2023 1:31 pm

Kennedy Cougars center Landon Deiters (35) puts the pressure on Wahlert Catholic Golden Eagles forward Quinn Walsh (3) as he looks to pass the ball in the first half of the game at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday, January 13, 2023. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s boys’ basketball team continues to hold Class 4A’s top spot in the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s rankings.

If the same thing can be said a week from now, the Cougars will have truly earned it.

Kennedy (16-0) has three games: Tuesday night against Iowa City West, Thursday night against Iowa City High and Saturday afternoon at No. 4 West Des Moines Valley (14-3). West is just 10-7 but has lost a lot of close games and recently returned Kareem Earl, one of its top players, from injury.

Valley’s losses have been to No. 2 Waukee, No. 3 Waukee Northwest and No. 6 Ankeny Centennial. The Tigers have won eight in a row.

Central Lyon returns to the top spot in Class 2A after a one-week absence. The Lions (15-1) replace Western Christian, which lost a pair of games last week and dropped to sixth.

Alburnett has fallen out of the 2A rankings after losing last week to Wilton. Dyersville Beckman (15-5) jumps in at No. 10.

The Blazers have won 10 of their last 11 games.

Bondurant-Farrar (17-0) continues to hold the top spot in Class 3A, as its lone unbeaten. Clear Lake is second, MOC-Floyd Valley third and Newton fourth.

Cedar Rapids Xavier (12-5) jumped ahead of Marion (15-4) this week, with the Saints fifth and Wolves sixth. Xavier lost a 61-60 game last week to 4A eighth-ranked Dubuque Senior, then blew out Linn-Mar, while Marion lost to Mount Vernon and clinched the Wamac Conference East Division championship with a win over Independence.

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Grand View Christian and North Linn remain 1-2 in Class 1A, with identical 19-0 records. The Thunder have beaten teams by an average of 29.6 points per game, despite a schedule filled with Class 3A and 4A opponents.

Below is this week’s entire poll, with team record and last week’s ranking in parentheses.