Iowa & Nebraska: Bettendorf makes statement at Ed Winger Invitational

The Winger Invitational featured eight state-ranked teams and eight individuals ranked No. 1 in Iowa at their weight by The Predicament. Eight grapplers in the field were ranked nationally by Amateur Wrestling News, InterMat, or both. The major upsets of the meet were at 152, where Iowa City West’s Justin Koethe won a 6-4 decision over nationally ranked Mike Kelly of Cedar Falls, and at 189, where nationally ranked Evan Knight lost a shocking 8-5 decision in his home gym to Des Moines Roosevelt’s Matt Riley.

Bettendorf had two individual champions and placed in the top three at five other weight classes.

ISLANDERS STAND TALL AT ROCKIES MEET: Nationally ranked Grand Island failed to crown a single individual champion but still won the team championship last weekend at the Top of the Rockies Invite in Lafayette, Colo. The Islanders bested a 32-team field that included squads from five different states, including four defending team state champions.

Andrew Reidy (119), Alan Taylor (189), and Nate Westerby – who lost to nationally ranked Conner Medbery of Loveland, Colo., in the 215-pound championship – all took home second-place finishes for the defending Class A champion Islanders.

SKUTT SWEEPS RCC TOURNEY: Class B No. 1 Skutt Catholic opened a double-digit first-quarter advantage and then cruised past state-ranked South Sioux City, 59-49, in the River Cities Conference Tournament championship game. The SkyHawks forced South Sioux City’s Mike Gesell into early foul trouble and held the super sophomore to just nine points – well below his 21-point season average.

SOUTH SIOUX CITY'S STREAK ENDS: Meanwhile, the Skutt Catholic girls squad made history en route to winning the River Cities tournament crown. Prior to the SkyHawks defeating Beatrice, 56-46, in the championship game, they blew out South Sioux City, 71-49, in the semifinals. That ended the Cardinals’ bid for a 16th consecutive conference tournament title.

BUSS LEADS BOYS SCORING DERBY: Senior forward Nathan Buss poured in 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Charles City in a 53-34 blowout of Garner-Hayfield on Friday. According to quickstatsiowa.com, the 6-foot-9 Northern Iowa signee leads the state in scoring at 27.8 points per game and has scored 30-plus points eight times in 14 games. His Comets entered the week with a 13-1 record and were ranked No. 7 in Class 3A by Iowa Sports Connection.

File photo by Nicholas Koza

Harrison Barnes, Ames

North Carolina recruit Harrison Barnes was in second place for points per game at the beginning of the week. The senior forward was averaging 27.3 points for nationally ranked Ames, which has won 38 consecutive games dating back to last season.

HARRINGTON AVERAGING 36 POINTS PER GAME: By a wide margin, the leading point producer this season in Iowa girls hoops is Davenport North’s Amber Harrington. The 5-10 senior erupted for 40 points in an 87-64 loss to Assumption on Friday. It was the fifth time in 11 games she scored at least 40. North, however, had only a 3-9 record as the week began.

Iowa State-bound center Hallie Christofferson of Exira is the state’s second-leading scorer, averaging 26.1 points per game. The 6-3 senior also has 14 rebounds per contest and has led the Vikings to a 13-0 record and top-five ranking in the Class 1A state polls.

* More than just city bragging rights will be on the line when Omaha Central hosts Omaha Skutt Catholic in a boys basketball game on Tuesday night. The winner will earn the right to claim it’s the best large-school team in Nebraska. Central (10-2) entered the week ranked No. 1 in the Class A poll and Skutt Catholic (13-1) was No. 1 in Class B.

* Nationally ranked and defending Iowa boys 4A champ Ames might finally be tested when it travels to Southeast Polk on Tuesday night. The Little Cyclones have an average margin of victory of 32 points this season, but the Rams (11-1) are ranked No. 3 in the state after winning their last eight games. The contest features two of the state’s premier scorers in Ames’ Barnes (27.3 ppg.) and Southeast Polk’s Kody Ingle (25.3).

With a little more than a week left before National Signing Day, Millard South quarterback Bronson Marsh accepted a scholarship offer to play football next year at Nebraska-Omaha, according to the Omaha World-Herald. Marsh led the Patriots to an undefeated season and Class A championship in 2009. He was named Nebraska player of the year by Gatorade and ended his prep career as the state’s all-time leader in passing yardage among 11-man players . . . Cedar Rapids Washington running back Andre Dawson has committed to play football in-state at Northern Iowa. Dawson, who reportedly chose the Panthers over an offer to play in the Big Ten at Purdue, ran for 2,212 yards and 28 touchdowns in 12 games as a senior. Northern Iowa has also received a commitment from Clinton all-state running back David Johnson, who rushed for 1,304 yards and 27 touchdowns with an 8.9-yards per-carry average.