Cedar Rapids Xavier girls’ basketball coach Tom Lilly has worn a Grinch tie for games just prior to the Christmas break for the last decade or so. Grinch, make that Lilly, picked up his 630th career victory Friday night when his Class 4A ninth-ranked Saints beat up Cedar Rapids Washington, 61-36.
Pairings were set Thursday for the 14-team, 7-game crossover event, which will be held January 4th at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse. Matchups include Cedar Falls and West Des Moines Valley, Dubuque Senior and Waukee Northwest, and Cedar Rapids Kennedy versus Johnston.
Girls’ basketball: Maquoketa Valley-North Linn highlights a weekend full of goodies. Tri-Rivers West Division showdown also is a battle of unbeatens.
The Cedar Falls boys’ basketball team already has posted three significant wins in the very early portion of the season. Probably its best came Tuesday night when the Tigers knocked off Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 79-73, ending Kennedy’s regular-season win streak at 46.
An agreement between the parties allows the IHSSN to livesteam and telecast boys’ state tournaments through this school year, with the Iowa High School Athletic Association then gaining all rights. A dispute arose in 2023 over IHSSN’s decision to livestream events on a pay-per-view basis.
Six-foot-9 senior forward Davis Kern is a returning first-team all-state boys’ basketball player who has signed to play collegiately at South Dakota State. It was his Linn-Mar teammates, especially Payson Nietert and Trey Wright, who drove the offensive bus Friday night in a 69-59 win at Cedar Rapids Prairie.
Girls’ basketball: Cedar Rapids Xavier’s Libby Fandel registers 20 points and 15 rebounds, and does a more-than-adequate job defending the post in the Saints’ 50-33 win over Cedar Rapids Jefferson.
The Xavier girls’ varsity team defeated Cedar Rapids Jefferson at Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday, December 13, 2024.
The Vinton-Shellsburg boys’ basketball team went 1-21 last season. It won just three games each thre two seasons before that. But despite having no seniors on the roster, these Vikings are off to a 4-0 start.
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Girls’ basketball notes: Heading into Friday’s Liberty-City High showdown, the three Iowa City public-school teams are 11-4, and Regina has the look of a Class 2A state-championship contender.
Area girls’ basketball Super Ten: Cedar Rapids Prairie strengthens its hold on No. 1; Williamsburg moves into the list at No. 9.
It’s believed that North Linn’s boys’ basketball team hasn’t lost a home game since 2014, a streak that was in jeopardy throughout Tuesday night’s game against Alburnett. But the Lynx rallied from 13 points back and pulled out a 54-50 victory.
The North Linn boys’ basketball team defeated Alburnett at North Linn High School in Troy Mills, Iowa on Tuesday, December 10, 2024.
Girls basketball: Ava Hocker ignites Williamsburg’s final surge in 57-54 win over West Delaware in a 3A top-10 battle. Raiders improve to 4-0.
This Linn-Mar boys’ basketball team should be one of the best teams in the Mississippi Valley Conference this season. The Lions notched a solid early season non-conference victory Saturday afternoon over Waukee, 68-60.
High school volleyball notes: Williamsburg is 10-1 in Year 3 of Brittni Powell’s administration as head coach.
Nelson Brands is an accomplished wrestler, winning three state titles and All-American honors in high school and college. He also trained under Hall of Fame coaches. Brands will bring those experiences to his new role as Iowa City Regina boys’ head wrestling coach.
Seventh-ranked Linn-Mar fell to No. 1 Waukee Northwest , 3-2, in the Class 3A girls’ state soccer championship at the Cyclone Sports Complex in Ames, Iowa Saturday, June 7, 2025.
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