Jefferson Boys Basketball

Cougars suppress Jarrod Uthoff, J-Hawks

The sixth-ranked Kennedy Cougars did to the second-ranked Jefferson J-Hawks on Friday night what Washington did last month.

They kept 6-foot-8 all-stater Jarrod Uthoff from getting the ball in the middle much of the game and then bottled him up with two or three defenders when he did get  it.

Averaging 28.8 points coming into the Mississippi Valley matchup of one-loss teams, Uthoff made four of just 10 shots taken from the field (including one three-pointer) and was held to 12 points.

Without his usual scoring, Jefferson didn’t have enough firepower to overcome the hard-nosed effort Kennedy put on in a 44-37 win.

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J-Hawks bomb Waterloo West

While the flurries were falling in eastern Iowa the J-Hawks found something else falling that they haven’t seen much of … their outside shots.

No. 2 Jefferson blew out Waterloo West, 72-42.

The J-Hawks kept pace with the Mississippi Conference leaders with an 8-1 overall record (5-1 in the MVC). Waterloo West drops to 3-5, 2-4.

So far this year Jefferson has not been known for its outside shooting. The J-Hawks came into tonight’s game going 25-91 (27.5%) from beyond the arc. To contain an inside attack the Wahawks came out in a 2-3 zone. In the first quarter Jefferson rained in five 3-pointers (Ty Meiborg 3, Jarrod Uthoff 2). At the end of the first half Jefferson went 6-10 and maintained a 44-19 lead.

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J-Hawks move up to No. 2 in 4A poll

Jefferson moved up to the No. 2 spot in the Associated Press Class 4A boys basketball poll released Monday (Jan. 10).

Linn-Mar (9-0) remains the No. 1 team in the state. Jefferson (7-1), which escaped Iowa City West in overtime Friday night, moved up to No. 2 when Sioux City East was upset by Hull Western Christian, 54-50, Saturday night in Sioux City.

Kennedy (8-1) dropped two spots to No. 6 after being upset by Class 3A No. 10 Dubuque Wahlert Tuesday at Dubuque. The Cougars rebounded with a pair of wins at Sioux City over the weekend.

Washington (6-3) is the fourth Metro team in the rankings. The Warriors are tied with Davenport Central for No. 10.

The new rankings set up a pair of interesting games Friday night when Linn-Mar plays at Washington and Jefferson at Kennedy. Both games are scheduled to tip at 7:30.

CLASS 4A TOP 10

1. Linn-Mar (9-0), 2. Jefferson (7-1), 3. Sioux City East (6-1), 4. Ankeny (8-1), 5. Des Moines Hoover (8-1), 6. Kennedy (8-1), 7. Waukee (8-2), 8. Cedar Falls (6-2), 9. Urbandale (8-2), 10. (tie) Davenport Central (6-1) and Washington (6-3).

Uthoff is 'Mr. Clutch' in Jefferson's OT win

You'll have to forgive Iowa City West Coach Steve Bergman if he doesn't let the team bus stop in Cedar Rapids anymore.

One of the Metro's top teams and elite players killed him again Friday night with a miracle shot.

Jarrod Uthoff poured in 34 points and turned into "Mr. Clutch" as fifth-ranked Jefferson squeezed past the Trojans in overtime, 67-63, in a Mississippi Valley Conference thriller at the Jefferson gym.

Uthoff hit two 3-pointers in the final 20 seconds of regulation, including an off-balance triple with eight seconds left that tied the game and forced overtime. The 6-foot-8 superstar then scored the first five points of overtime to put the J-Hawks (7-1, 4-1) ahead to stay.

"I thought Jarrod's performance was one of the most competitive performances I've seen in 32 years of coaching," Jefferson Coach Stu Ordman remarked. "I thought he was absolutely sensational. He kind of put us on his back and carried us. I'm very proud of him."

Iowa City West (4-4, 2-4) lost Tuesday night at Washington, 54-52, when Wes Washpun banked in a 3-pointer from about 28 feet at the buzzer. Three nights later, Uthoff sent them home unhappy again.

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