Washington Boys Basketball

Oglesby working on Woodbury

DES MOINES -- Cedar Rapids Washington’s Josh Oglesby is already committed to playing college basketball at Iowa. Now he’s lobbying hard to land a big teammate, Sioux City East’s 7-foot-1 junior center Adam Woodbury.

“I told him if we won he had to come to Iowa,” Oglesby joked after his team downed Woodbury’s 45-41 Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. “I just tell him how Coach (Fran) McCaffery and I have built a relationship and how much he cares about his kids.

“I text him and tell him to come to Iowa. We need a dude like him, and he can have a big impact right away. If he went to Kansas or Texas, he might not play right away. But I think if he came to Iowa, and we got him into summer school and got him lifting weights. As a freshman, he can come in and get rebounds, and then sophomore and junior and senior years, it’s all him. You’ve got to get a 7-foot guy the ball. I’d love to have him.”

Woodbury called Oglesby “a good dude,” but said he hasn’t decided on a college yet, and that he’s not sure how much impact Oglesby’s prodding will have on his decision.

Washington point guard Wesley Washpun, meanwhile, said he’ll wait until April to decide on a collegiate landing spot.

“Coaches are still just calling. They want to see how the year finishes up,” he said.

“I’m going to wait till the spring and take some official visits. Then I’ll make a decision in April. It’s still wide open.”

No. 1 Linn-Mar too much for Warriors

Shane Benton led his team in floor burns and hustle Friday night. And that was saying something.

Benton’s top-ranked Linn-Mar Lions used precision passing and a blue collar work ethic to break the game wide open in the second half and easily defeat Washington, 62-41, to clinch a Mississippi Valley Conference division championship at Linn-Mar.

“We just have got to go after everything,” Benton said. “I like to go after every loose ball.”

Benton scored 11 points and brought a boat load of passion and defensive intensity. At one stage in the third quarter he dove for a ball near the baseline, which brought the entire Linn-Mar bench to its feet.

Benton also had several strong moves inside and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line. He said the team enjoys playing together.

“It is just so much fun. I feel really good about this team. We have a great group of seniors and a lot of good juniors. It is a special group of guys,” the 6-foot-3 senior said.

A University of North Dakota recruit, Benton had the assignment of guarding Warrior star Josh Oglesby.

“He kind of reminds me of Reggie Miller,” Benton said. “With that high release, he is tough.”

Oglesby finished with 21 points, but had to earn every basket. He started off hot, scoring 13 of his team’s first 14 points, but had only eight points over the final 16 minutes of play. He hit 8-for-18 shots from the floor and 2-of-3 free throws.

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Warriors drop another heartbreaker

Frustration, thy name is Washington.

The heartache continued for the Washington Warriors Tuesday night when they dropped their sixth game of the season to a Top 10 opponent in another nip-and-tuck affair.

The seventh-ranked Cedar Falls Tigers denied the Warriors, 50-48, on a basket by Bobby Brummel with two seconds left in a Mississippi Valley Conference game at Washington.

The Warriors, once ranked themselves, have lost six times to ranked opponents this season with setbacks by 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8 points (and one by 25).

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Oglesby, Washpun shoot down East

WATERLOO -- The Waterloo East boys' basketball team did everything in its power Monday night, but Cedar Rapids Washington presented too many matchup problems and beat the Trojans, 64-44, in a Mississippi Valley Conference game.

Josh Oglesby's height and athleticism caused the Trojans problems and he went off, scoring 29 points and draining five 3-pointers. Wes Washpun was 9-of-13 from the field and scored 18 points for the Warriors (11-6, 8-4 MVC).

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