Mt. Mercy Men's Basketball

Mount Mercy sets youth basketball camps

Mount Mercy University will be hosting youth basketball camps for boys and girls this summer at the Hennessey Recreation Center on campus.

The first session for the boys basketball camps will be held July 22-25 and the second session will be July 29-Aug. 1, from 8:30 to 3:30 p.m. each day. The cost is $175 per session, with discounts for multiple sessions and siblings. Lunch is not included.

The first session for the girls basketball camps will be held July 8-12 and the second session will be July 15-18, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The cost is $160 per session, with a discount for siblings. Lunch is not included.

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Webb coming home to play for Mustangs

Aaron Jennings finally got his man. And he’s a good one.

RoyShawn Webb, who played his prep basketball at Cedar Rapids  Jefferson, will be joining the Mount Mercy men’s basketball program  after spending two years at Iowa Central Community College.

Webb, a versatile 6-foot-4 guard, averaged 15.2 points and 5.7  rebounds at Iowa Central this past season as a sophomore.

“I’ve been recruiting him since he was in high school,” said Jennings,  the head coach at Mount Mercy. “I told him when he committed to Iowa  Central that I’d be recruiting him in a couple of years again.

“He’s a high-level, high-character guy.”

LJ Harris, a high-scoring guard from Ellsworth Community College, also  has committed to the Mustangs. He averaged 19.9 points and 4.8  rebounds this past year, giving Mount Mercy a pair of talented  high-scoring guards who can shoot and handle the ball.

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Mustangs' season ended by Graceland

They may not be as talented as last year's NAIA national champions, but the Graceland Yellowjackets showed some championship-caliber play on Tuesday night.

Unfortunately for the Mount Mercy men's basketball team, that meant an end to their season.

Senior Mo Jackson scored 25 points to lead six players in double figures, including a key 4-point play to stymie a Mustang rally with 5:13 remaining, as Graceland avenged two regular-season losses with a 94-84 win in the opening round of the Heart of America Conference Tournament at the Hennessey Rec Center.

No. 9 seed Graceland (16-14) advances to the quarterfinals on Thursday night against No. 1 seed and top-ranked Benedictine (28-2). Mount Mercy, the eighth seed, closes its season at 16-15.

The visitors led 45-42 at halftime as both teams played spirited basketball in the first 20 minutes. Mount Mercy came out aggressively to start the second half, grabbing several offensive rebounds but were unable to finish.

"I thought we got to the basket," said Mustang Coach Aaron Jennings. "We drew up a couple plays. We executed, guys created, got some good looks but nothing dropped. I think we missed our first three or four layups and our first couple free throws and they took advantage."

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Mount Mercy hosts Heart opener

There's good news and not-so-good news for the Mount Mercy men's basketball team in the Heart of America Conference tournament.

Here's the good news: The Mustangs drew the No. 8 seed and will host No. 9 Graceland in the opening round Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Hennessey Recreation Center.

Here's the not-so-good news: If the Mustangs defeat Graceland, they'll face top-ranked Benedictine in Atchison, Kan., in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Benedictine finished a perfect 24-0 in the conference this year and is 14-0 at home.

Mount Mercy finished in a four-way tie for seventh place in the Heart of America Conference with an 11-13 record with Culver-Stockton, Graceland and MidAmerica Nazarene. All four teams made the 10-team playoffs and are seeded No. 7, No. 8, No. 9 and No. 10 on tiebreakers.

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