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Lion boys cagers creating memorable moments

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- The Linn-Mar Lions hope their path to the Class 4A state championship in Iowa runs through Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Coach Chris Robertson and the top-ranked Lions drubbed Apple Valley (Minn.) in Minneapolis last weekend, then hopped on the bus again Saturday and clipped Madison Memorial (Wis.) in La Crosse.

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Linn-Mar matmen go 5-0 at Estherville

ESTHERVILLE -- The Linn-Mar Lions won all five of their matches at the Estherville wrestling tournament Saturday.

The Lions beat Forest City 34-17, Blue Earth (Minn.) 40-24, Spirit Lake Park 49-21, Estherville 56-12 and Sioux City Heelan 64-15.

Josh Pederson (140), A.J. Garcia (215/285) and Joel Northrup (112) all went 5-0 for Linn-Mar. Pederson collected three pins, Garcia had two pins, while Northrup had a pin and a technical fall.

Ross Lembeck (135) finished 4-0 with two pins and a technical fall. Tanner Regenwether (145) and Jeremy Severin (130) both went 4-1. Regenwether collected three pins and a major decision, while Severin had two pins and a major decision.

Late run lifts Lions

The Kiah vs. Tia Show fizzled Thursday night.

Kiah Stokes, Linn-Mar's star player, missed four crucial free throws in the final 15 seconds. Tia Dawson, Washington's top player, fouled out and scored only four points.

It was not an instant classic, but Linn-Mar found a way to win a ballgame.  As usual.

The third-ranked Lions scored the last six points of the game on free throws and escaped No. 5 Washington, 44-41, in a Mississippi Valley Conference defensive battle at Washington.

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Offers were there early for Paige

MINNEAPOLIS -- Marcus Paige was just 14 years old, not yet in high school, when college basketball coaches began offering him full scholarships to attend their schools.

The first offer came from Ben Jacobson, the head coach at the University of Northern Iowa. The very next day, then-Iowa State coach Greg McDermott invited Paige to become a Cyclone.

This was during the summer of 2007, shortly after Paige had graduated from the eighth grade. College was still five years away, yet Jacobson and McDermott were willing to bet that the skinny, precocious point would grow into someone special.

They were right, but Roy Williams and the University of North Carolina won the grand prize. Paige committed to the Tar Heels on Thursday and made the announcement Saturday night before playing for Linn-Mar at the Timberwolves Shootout.

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