It's official: Central City has a winning team

Cody Ratliff had hoped to improve his golf game last summer.His team's dedication prevented it from happening."Most of the summer, most of the girls were in the gym from 8 in the morning until noon, and I had to kick them out at noon so I could go golf," said Ratliff, girls' basketball coach at ascendant Central City.Winter wins have been a good substitute for summer birdies. For the first time since the school joined the five-player parade in 1993-94, Central City has a winning team.The Wildcats (13-8) hope to extend the party into the postseason. They travel to Lisbon (10-11) for a Class 1A first-round regional game at 7 p.m. Thursday.Last year, Central City avoided a losing season for the first time since the five-player shift, advancing all the way to the regional final and finishing 12-12."That got our kids excited about competing," Ratliff said. "And I think our (Tri-Rivers) conference schedule will help us in the postseason. Playing teams like Monticello and Maquoketa Valley, you're not going to find most quality teams than that. I think it will pay off in the end."Seniors Tanya Hendrickson and Meghan Simmons have pulled much of the scoring load. Hendrickson (12.6 points per game) does much of her work inside; Simmons (11.9 ppg) is an outside threat.Like Central City, Lisbon is having its best season in years. The Lions are led by junior Melissa Alger (10.9 points, 10.1 rebounds per game).The Wildcats and the Lions are in the same region as North Tama, the best area 1A team at 18-3, and 2010 state qualifier Lynnville-Sully (16-4).North Tama has a first-round bye and hosts Don Bosco or Cedar Falls NU High on Saturday.Class 2A regionals begin Saturday; 3A and 4A tournaments begin Wednesday.

Quad squadLinn-Mar has wrapped up its fourth consecutive Mississippi Valley Conference divisional title.The issue remains: Will it be a championship or a co-championship?Linn-Mar (19-1 overall, 14-1 MVC) concludes its regular season Thursday at home against Cedar Rapids Washington (16-3, 13-2).If Linn-Mar wins, the Lions are outright champions of the Mississippi Division. A Washington victory means a two- or three-way tie; Waterloo West (18-2, 13-2) hosts Cedar Falls on Friday.The Lions beat the Warriors, 44-41, on Jan. 13.