Jeff Johnson

Alburnett’s boys’ basketball team went to 2-0 against River Valley Conference opponents this season with an impressive 64-37 win over Cascade at Saturday’s Wells Fargo Advisors Shootout at Coe College. The Pirates are ranked seventh in Class 2A.

The Cedar Rapids Kennedy boys’ basketball team has rolled its opponents so far this season. Over a 10-0 start, the Cougars’ average win is by over 30 points per game. Kennedy beat Dubuque Wahlert at home Friday night, 86-55.

Watch or listen to the January 12, 2023, Prep Basketball Podcast as Jeff Johnson and Jeff Linder discuss the latest Iowa high school basketball rankings and possible upcoming changes.

Alburnett’s boys’ basketball team goes into Friday with a 10-1 record and a No. 7 ranking. That’s in a new class, as the Pirates have bumped up from 1A to 2A this season.

Marion’s boys’ basketball team hasn’t faced many junk defenses this season, but Center Point-Urbana started Tuesday night’s game with a box-and-one: four defenders in a zone and another face guarding Marion all-state guard Brayson Laube. The Wolves laid waste to that D, getting 14 first-quarter points from Myles Davis in a 75-57 win.

Waukee Northwest, Cedar Rapids Xavier, Central Lyon and Grand View Christian were your No. 1 boys’ basketball teams in the first-ever Iowa High School Athletic Association rankings, released just prior to the holidays. Monday’s second rankings see those teams stay at the top in their respective classes.

The Iowa Heartlanders are last in the ECHL’s Central Division in large part due to lack of success in close games. Meanwhile, the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are on a heater, winning their last five games and going 7-2-0-1 in their last 10.

Iowa City High and Iowa City West played girls’ and boys’ basketball Sunday afternoon, the first hoops games ever at Xtream Arena. City High’s boys’ one a dramatic affair, while West won the girls’ game comfortably.

The River Valley Conference Shootout went off successfully Saturday at Kirkwood Community College’s Johnson Hall. Fourteen of the league’s 15 teams took part in seven boys’ basketball games.

Class 3A top-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier kept its record perfect Friday night, when Aidan Yamilkoski hit a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer to give the Saints a 64-62 win at Class 4A 10th-ranked Iowa City West.

Watch or listen to the January 5, 2023, Prep Basketball Podcast as Jeff Johnson and Jeff Linder discuss the latest talking points in Iowa high school basketball.

Brendan and Riley Fitzgerald are part of a true hockey family, their fathers front-office guys for their respective National Hockey League clubs. The first cousins grew up playing together and have been reunited this season as members of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

With a couple of freshmen and a sophomore in the starting lineup, Cedar Rapids Prairie’s girls’ basketball team has dealt with a lot of ups and a lot of downs so far this season. Tuesday night was an ‘up,’ specifically a 58-46 win over Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

Cedar Rapids Prairie’s boys’ basketball team went into the holiday break with a 1-5 record, though it easily could have been 4-2, considering losses of one, two and three points. The Hawks found the perfect way not to lose a close game Tuesday night. It didn’t play one, blowing out Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 69-31.

Anthony DeAngelo played for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders as a 14 and 15-year-old in 2010-11. The Philadelphia Flyers defenseman is giving back to the community where his career really began as part of a “Tony D Saves For The Children” promotion.