Marion having a very solid season

MARION – The best record in the Metro is shared between one team you probably aren't surprised by and one you might be.

The Marion Indians are 11-3 going into their home game Friday night against Clear Creek Amana, tied with city mate Linn-Mar atop the Metro standings. Raise your hand if you thought this would be the case.

Don't lie now.

'Coming in, I knew we had seven guys in our rotation that had game experience from last year, which always helps,” said Marion Coach Mike Manderscheid. 'I knew we would have good guard play. Our interior guys were a bit of a question mark, but they've done a good job. They've shared the basketball, bought in right away to what we wanted to do.”

Marion has seven regular-season games remaining as it seeks to at least tie the 2010-11 state tournament team in wins. The Indians were 17-8 that season.

This team's best player has been senior guard Craig Engle, whom Manderscheid calls 'a quiet leader.” He averages 15.9 points and leads in assists and steals as well.

Junior guard Jacob Manderscheid, the coach's son, comes in next at 7.1 points, while sophomore Baylor Fish, son of baseball coach Steve Fish, also has started every game. Up front, Marion has gotten a little bit of something from several guys, including twin brothers Devin and Deshaun Quinn.

Terrence Williams and Derek Smith also have contributed.

'Night in, night out we are getting 20 to 25 points in the post,” Coach Manderscheid said. 'It's just a matter of where it comes from.”

Marion, as usual, got placed into a Class 3A district with Cedar Rapids Xavier. Benton Community and Solon are the other two there. DeWitt Central, Davenport Assumption, Maquoketa and Mount Vernon are in the corresponding district.

In other words, getting to state will be a tough chore for the Indians. Whatever happens, it's been a good, good season.

'I'm really happy with what they've given us,” Manderscheid said. 'It's been a fun group to coach.”

Around the hoop

- North Cedar raised $10,000 for cancer-stricken coach/teacher Al Moser during a home double-header last week against Monticello. The school had special orange T-shirts made up for the occasion, with Monticello Coach Tim Lambert ordering 18 for his staff and players.

'Our crowd and students loved it when they ran out onto the court with them on,” North Cedar Principal Dain Jeppson said in an e-mail. 'One of our cheerleaders said to me during the game, ‘I just want to go out there and hug every one of them.'”

- The Iowa High School Athletic Association will release pairings for all Class 1A and 2A postseason games next week. Teams in each district are seeded according to results from games five through 15. Class 3A and 4A postseason pairings are expected to be released the following week.

- Dubuque Wahlert star and University of Iowa recruit Cordell Pemsl has missed the last two games to rest a nagging knee injury. The 6-foot-8 Pemsl, a junior, had arthroscopic surgery on his knee in the offseason. He is averaging 18.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.

- Cedar Valley Christian snapped a 34-game losing streak last week, beating HLV, 35-14. The Huskies got 18 points from sophomore Travis Geels, holding HLV to four second-half points, two each in the third and fourth quarters.

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