The Cedar Rapids Prairie boys basketball team set a goal for a certain number of victories this season, but sophomore Max Smith Drahos and Coach Jeremy Rickertsen do not agree on the exact number.

"At the beginning of the year we said we wanted to be the first Prairie team in awhile to get 10 wins," Smith Drahos said Tuesday night, "and we wanted to go deep into substate and possibly go to state."

Rickertsen thought 10 wins was reasonable, but set his sights higher than that.

"We were thinking more like 14 or 15," he remarked. "We'll see. Double digits would be good. It's a step in the right direction. Yeah, we'd take that."

The improved Prairie Hawks won their eighth game Tuesday night with a 66-45 victory over the struggling Jefferson J-Hawks in a Mississippi Valley Conference contest at Prairie.

Prairie is 8-9 overall and 5-7 in the MVC with four tough games left in the regular season against Dubuque Senior, Washington, Linn-Mar and Cedar Falls, followed by the Class 4A substate tournament. Ten wins will not be easy, but it's within reach.

"It's going to be tough, but I think we can do it," said Smith Drahos.

Rickertsen likes the way his club has improved this season.

"There's hills and valleys, but we've had more hills, I think, than valleys," said Rickertsen, in his first year as head coach. "It's a process of trying to work hard every day. We're getting there."

Prairie has struggled the last six years with records of 6-17, 6-17, 9-13, 3-19, 5-16 and 6-18, so even a modest record of 8-9 this season is cause for optimism in the College Community school district.

Drahos played a big role in Tuesday's victory with three 3-pointers and a game-high 15 points. He hit all three of his triples in the first half and had 11 points by intermission, helping Prairie to a 38-21 cushion.

The Hawks made eight 3-pointers in the first half and dialed 10-of-15 from long distance for the night.

"We played well. It helps when you shoot the ball well," said Rickertsen. "The guys did a good job of moving the ball and finding the open guy and then knocking them down."

Drahos scored a career-high 19 points against Wahlert this season and has scored in double figures in six games. He had never made three 3-pointers in a game before, but was red-hot in the first half against Jefferson.

"It was my best night ever," he said about his 3-point marksmanship from the corner.

Drahos thinks the Hawks are headed in the right direction.

"Our defense, especially, has gotten a lot better and we've become more of a team," he said. "We're moving the ball a lot more. We treat each other like teammates more. We're improving a lot and the future is bright for us."

Cal Clark hit two 3-pointers and chipped in 10 points for Prairie. Coen Brown and Mitch Lorenz also nailed a pair of 3-pointers for the Hawks.

Prairie led by 29 points in the fourth quarter, 66-37, before settling for the 21-point victory. Jefferson scored the last eight points of the game.

The J-Hawks fell to 1-15 overall and 0-11 in the MVC. Adam Van Oort led Jefferson with nine points.

JEFFERSON (45): Cardis 2 2-2 6, Wiederin 1 0-0 2, Galvin 0 0-0 0, McCauley 1 0-0 2, Webb 1 2-2 4, Van Oort 3 2-4 9, Davison 0 0-0 0, Bevins 0 1-2 1, Szabo 2 2-2 6, Konigsmark 2 0-1 5, Hall 0 0-0 0, Kramer 1 1-2 3, Furrow 0 2-2 2, Hunt 2 1-2 5, Green 0 0-2 0. Totals 15 13-19 45.

PRAIRIE (66): Copeland 0 0-0 0, Clark 4 0-0 10, Reittinger 0 0-0 0, Fisher 1 0-0 2, Smith Drahos 6 0-0 15, Brown 2 0-0 6, Rima 2 2-2 6, Meeker 0 2-2 2, Boldt 2 0-0 4, Lorenz 2 0-0 6, Schrader 3 0-0 6, Oxley 0 1-2 1, Nierling 0 0-0 0, Simpson 2 3-4 8. Totals 24 8-10 66.

Halftime - Prairie 38, Jefferson 21. 3-point goals - Jefferson 2 (Van Oort 1, Konigsmark 1), Prairie 10 (Smith Drahos 3, Clark 2, Brown 2, Lorenz 2, Simpson 1).