Chilly Cougars hold off Jefferson

CEDAR RAPIDS -- One of these days, Cedar Rapids Jefferson is going to take down a girls' basketball heavyweight.

It almost happened Friday night.

But Class 4A sixth-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy overcame a 21-percent shooting display and held off the J-Hawks, 43-39, in an intracity girls' basketball game at Kennedy High School.

"Jefferson's a young, dangerous team, and if you allow them to stick around, they're going to believe they can beat you," said Kennedy Coach Tony Vis.

The Cougars (8-1) held a precarious 37-36 lead when Jefferson's Amanda Ollinger drained a 3-pointer with 2:55 remaining, but made enough free throws down the stretch to survive.

Morgan Martin's turnaround basket and free throw at the 2:11 mark gave the Cougars a 40-36 lead and allowed them to exhale a bit.

Kennedy prevailed despite hitting just 10 field goals in 47 attempts. The Cougars hadn't played a game in three weeks before slipping on their home uniforms Friday.

"That might have been part of it," said Madi Meier, who led the Cougars with 12 points -- including 7 of 8 free throws. "It was our first game back and we were a little rusty. Hopefully (Saturday, against No. 5 Waukee) we come out stronger."

The Cougars enjoyed a 25-11 halftime lead. It seemed safe at the time, but the J-Hawks (3-7) were able to make a charge.

"I'm really pleased with the way we played at the defensive end," said Jefferson Coach Jason Edwards. "It's just one of those things. You never know when you're going to get over the hump. But if the team sticks together and keeps working hard, it's going to happen."

Kennedy's largest lead was 26-11 early in the third quarter, but the J-Hawks were within 32-25 by the end of the third quarter. Sam Kitterman's trey capped a 7-0 run to make it a game at 34-32, then Ollinger's triple made it a one-pointer.

That was as close as the J-Hawks got, though, and Kennedy was able to put a stamp on its wire-t0-wire win.

Meier led the Cougars with 12 points and Martin posted 11 points and 12 rebounds. Stephanie Botkin nabbed 11 boards as Kennedy enjoyed a 46-32 rebounding advantage.

The Cougars were without guard Jordan Holmes, who was home with the flu.

Kennedy Dighton accumulated 12 points and 13 rebounds for the J-Hawks. Ollinger was held to 10 points, just two in the first half.

"We didn't shoot well, but tonight wasn't a complete downer," Vis said. "We played as well defensively against Ollinger as anybody has."

Jefferson shot 12 of 46 from the floor (26 percent).

Friday's game did not count in the Mississippi Valley Conference standings. The rematch Feb. 7 at Jefferson will.

Both teams have tough road contests Saturday. Kennedy is at Waukee; Jefferson has a makeup date with Waterloo West. 

CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY 43, CEDAR RAPIDS JEFFERSON 39

At C.R. Kennedy

C.R. JEFFERSON (39): Maddy Blietz 3-10 2-3 9, Avery Guy 0-2 0-0 0, Kieley Brathwaite 0-4 0-0 0, Kennedy Dighton 4-12 3-3 12, Amanda Ollinher 3-13 3-4 10, Autume Starks 0-2 0-0 0, Sam Kitterman 2-3 0-0 6, Cassandra Veglahn 0-0 0-0 0, Alexis Dahlen-Zack 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 12-46 10-12 39.

C.R. KENNEDY (43): Madi Meier 2-11 7-8 12, Sydney Hayden 1-3 1-3 3, Paige Hendrickson 2-10 4-6 8, Stephanie Botkin 1-5 5-8 7, Morgan Martin 4-13 3-6 11, Brinley Milbrath 0-0 0-0 0, Carly Langhurst 0-2 2-2 2, Mariah Vis 0-0 0-0 0, Abby Hellweg 0-3 0-0 0, Madi DeLong 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 10-47 22-33 43.

Halftime: Kennedy 25, Jefferson 11. 3-point goals: Jefferson 5-17 (Blietz 1-4, Brathwaite 0-1, Dighton 1-4, Ollinger 1-4, Starks 0-1, Kitterman 2-3), Kennedy 1-12 (Meier 1-8, Hayden 0-1, Hendrickson 0-2, Martin 0-1). Team fouls: Jefferson 20, Kennedy 24. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Jefferson 32 (Dighton 13), Kennedy 46 (Martin 12). Assists: Jefferson 9 (three with 2), Kennedy 2 (Meier, Hendrickson). Steals: Jefferson 8 (Blietz, Ollinger 2), Kennedy 10 (Martin 3). Turnovers: Jefferson 19, Kennedy 17.