Run of nail-biters forces Anamosa to mature in a hurry

By Jeff LinderThe Gazette jeff.linder@gazettecommunications.comYou might think the opening two weeks of the season would elevate Jack Leighty's stress level.Quite the contrary."I've never had so much fun coaching before," said the girls' basketball coach at Anamosa High School.The Raiders already have faced a season's worth of late-game, do-or-die situations. Three of Anamosa's four games have been decided by one point: Nov. 21 at Delhi: The Raiders fail to hold a late lead, and Kendra Kregel's jumper with 7 seconds left gives Maquoketa Valley a 29-28 win in the season opener. Dec. 2 at Anamosa: The Raiders make enough free throws at the end to hold the lead, and outlast then-No. 15 Vinton-Shellsburg, 40-39. Dec. 5 at Van Horne: Down a point with 3 seconds left, Kayla Zumbach gets the ball under the basket on an inbounds play and converts as the Raiders hand Benton Community its first loss, 47-46."Obviously, we've gotten a lot of experience in facing pressure situations already," Leighty said. "It has forced the kids - and me - to be on our toes all the time."We've played some good teams, and I think it will be a good tuneup for (Wamac Conference East Division play).At 3-1 - they wedged a 23-point win over Independence among all those nail-biters - the Raiders open divisional play tonight at Dyersville Beckman.Flying high through 5How good is Cedar Rapids Jefferson?"I don't know," said Coach Larry Niemeyer.In terms of wins and losses, the J-Hawks are the best they've been since 2002-03, the last time they opened 5-0.A soft early schedule has helped to an extent, but Jefferson does have a signature win over Iowa City West, 56-38, last Friday."That was a big win for us," Niemeyer said.The schedule stiffens this weekend. Jefferson (2-0 in the Mississippi Valley Conference) hosts Cedar Rapids Xavier (4-1, 2-0) tonight, then travels to Class 2A No. 1 MFL MarMac (3-0) Saturday."We needed an opponent, and (Jefferson athletics director Scott) Kibby scheduled them," Niemeyer said of the MFL MarMac contest.Jefferson has started fast behind a balanced offensive attack. Four players - Katelynn Jourdan, Britteny Steffeny, Amanda Burger and Alex Jacobson - are scoring in double-figures.Jourdan (15 ppg, 8 rpg) "has really improved a lot," Niemeyer said of the junior forward."She's pretty inexperienced, so she's going to get better and better."Niemeyer typically uses a six- to seven-player rotation.1A showdown SaturdayDefending Class 1A state champion Springville has the area's longest winning streak (15 games) and hasn't lost to a 1A opponent since the 2007 regional final.The top-rated Orioles face a challenge on both fronts Saturday when they travel to Wyoming to face No. 10 Midland in a non-conference battle.Both teams have been impressive out of the chute. Springville (2-0) is allowing 24.5 points per game, and Midland (3-0) has defeated its opponents by an average of 32 points.Contact the writer: (319) 368-8857 or jeff.linder@gazcomm.com