Jeff Linder

Using its trademark balance — nine kids played, nine kids scored — Class 5A 10th-ranked Prairie set up a monster showdown by defeating Xavier, 58-47, in a girls’ basketball Tuesday night. The Hawks welcome No. 7 Cedar Falls on Thursday. The winner is guaranteed a share of the Mississippi Division championship.

Women’s basketball: Kelsey Plum spoke Friday about Caitlin Clark’s pursuit of her NCAA women’s basketball scoring record. “I'm actually very grateful to pass that baton. I'm very happy for her.”

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark needs 65 points to reach Kelsey Plum’s record as the all-time NCAA Division-I women’s basketball scorer.

Women’s basketball: Caitlin Clark scores 38, and No. 3 Iowa weathers a giant third-quarter storm to earn its first win at Maryland in the Terrapins’ Big Ten era, 93-85.

Girls’ basketball: Kobi Lietz’s 3-pointer at the buzzer sends Solon past Mount Vernon, 55-54, in a Wamac Conference East Division thriller.

Time, TV and notes for Saturday’s women’s basketball game between No. 3 Iowa and Maryland.

Women’s basketball: Lisa Bluder and the Hawkeyes are 0-6 at Maryland, including a 96-68 waxing last season. But the Terrapins are as vulnerable now as they’ve even been since joining the Big Ten.

Girls’ basketball: Examining the regional brackets in 3A, 2A and 1A.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark needs 103 points to reach Kelsey Plum’s record as the all-time NCAA Division-I women’s basketball scorer.

No. 1-ranked teams in Iowa high school basketball picked up some big wins last week: Class 1A’s top-ranked North Linn girls beat 3A No. 1 Mount Vernon, while the 4A top-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy boys handled West Des Moines Valley. And there’s another big boys’ game on Friday, when 1A No. 1 Bellevue Marquette hosts No. 3 North Linn. The Call It Both Ways podcast discusses those games on this week’s episode, plus more notable performances.

Despite an overtime loss at West Des Moines Valley, Cedar Rapids Prairie continues to climb in The Gazette’s area high school girls’ basketball Super Ten rankings.

Waverly-Shell Rock won the last three bouts — all by fall — and rallied past No. 8 Linn-Mar, 42-36, in a Class 3A boys’ wrestling regional dual Tuesday night at Linn-Mar High School.

Time, TV and notes for Wednesday’s women’s basketball game between No. 3 Iowa and Northwestern.

Analysis, guesses and projections on the second half of the 2023-24 Big Ten women’s basketball race

Caitlin Clark scored 38 points, and the Iowa women’s basketball team used a midgame surge to jet in front for good in a 92-73 win over Nebraska.