Jeff Johnson

The Iowa High School Athletic Association released boys’ basketball rankings Monday. 38 of the 40 teams in last week’s poll remain this week, with some changing of positions.

The Linn-Mar boys’ basketball team knocked off Class 4A third-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy earlier this week by two points. The No. 4 Lions got another top-10 win Friday night at home, downing No. 10 Cedar Rapids Prairie, 69-57.

North Linn senior guard Mason Bechen is second in the state in scoring average this season. He recently surpassed 1,500 points for his career and could wind up finishing second all-time at the school. He scored 54 points Tuesday night against Starmont to break NL’s record for points in a game, one he set earlier this season at 48.

Call It Both Ways: High school basketball podcast with Gazette sportswriters Jeff Linder and Jeff Johnson talking area high school basketball.

Mason Matson hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:01 left, as his Linn-Mar boys’ basketball team beat Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 67-65, Tuesday night at Kennedy. The Lions came in ranked fourth in Class 4A, and Kennedy third.

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders acquired forward Noel Ohgren in a trade from the USHL’s Fargo Force earlier this season, and the 18-year-old from Sweden has paid big dividends for the club. Ohgren’s brother, Liam, is with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. Their father, Andreas, is a personal trainer who has worked with many NHL players from Sweden over the years.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association’s latest boys’ basketball rankings were released Monday. Four of the eight schools in the Metro are in the top 10 of their respective classes, including three in Class 4A.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson’s boys’ basketball team found itself down 21 points to Cedar Rapids Washington in the second half and 16 after three quarters. But a mammoth comeback in the fourth gave the J-Hawks a stunning 65-61 win Friday night at Wash.

Here are boys’ basketball standings for Gazette-area schools and conferences. These are through Thursday, Feb. 27.

The Decorah boys’ basketball team is 13-1 and ranked second in Class 3A. The Vikings, who made it to the state tournament semifinals last season, are led by what Coach Jonathan Carlson calls their Batman and Robin: senior guard Zach Driscoll and junior center Cael LaFrentz, who average 50 points per game between them.

The Iowa Heartlanders are conducting a Women In Sports Night for their ECHL game Saturday night at Xtream Arena against Kalamazoo. Part of the promotion is a Hockey 101 Class pregame and appearances by players Mellissa Channell-Watkins and Sophie Jacques of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.

Call It Both Ways: High school basketball podcast with Gazette sportswriters Jeff Linder and Jeff Johnson talking area high school basketball.

The Cedar Rapids Prairie boys’ basketball team seemed to announced their impending arrival to everyone in Class 4A earlier this season when it upset Cedar Rapids Kennedy. A 71-70, double-overtime win Tuesday night over top-ranked Cedar Falls might just show that the Hawks have indeed arrived.

Clear Lake took over the top spot in Class 3A in the latest Iowa High School Athletic Association boys’ basketball rankings, released Monday. The other No. 1s remain the same: Cedar Falls in 4A, Western Christian in 2A and Bellevue Marquette in 1A.

This Hillcrest Academy boys’ basketball team has a 15-1 record after a big 48-45 win Friday night over WACO at Wayland, avenging the Ravens’ only loss this season. That was head coach Dwight Gingerich’s 753rd career victory in 43 years, which places him fourth all time in the state of Iowa.