High School Basketball

Central Lee split their matchup with West Burlington last night, as the girls’ team picked up a 62-55 victory, while the boys’ team lost a 49-46 heartbreaker. 

Central Lee will take on Van Buren County tonight with the first game at 6 pm at home.

The Holy Trinity Catholic girls’ team lost a defensive slugfest to Wapello last night, 35-23, while the boys’ team kept rolling behind Layne Rung’s 26 points to dismantle Wapello, 65-42. Annaka Greiner’s 12 points led the Arrows. 

Mediapolis will tangle with Holy Trinity Catholic at home tonight with the girls’ teams playing at 6 pm.

Wapello will compete on the road against Winfield-Mt. Union tonight with gametime at 6 pm.

The Fairfield boys’ team lost to Washington last night, 81-55. The Trojans will face off against Keokuk at 6 pm tonight on the road. 

The Columbus girls’ team defeated New London last night, 59-6. Megan Lee scored all six points for the Tigers, while Iris Garza cashed in 12 points for the Wildcats.

WACO will host Columbus tonight with game one at 6 pm.

Danville will prepare for a road matchup against New London tonight with the girls’ game at 6 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:45 pm. 

Burlington Notre Dame will celebrate their Homecoming tonight with a showdown against West Burlington with the girls’ game tipping-off at 6 pm.

Mt. Pleasant will celebrate their Senior Night tonight against Washington at home with game one tipping-off at 6 pm. 

High School Wrestling

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team handled Burlington last night, 48-24. Aven Beauchamp, Levi Evans, Landon Yocum, Ramzy Davis, Jackson Newman, and Juan Lopez all picked up victories by fall. The Panthers will travel to Fairfield tomorrow, January 31st, for the Southern Iowa Classic. 

The Burlington Notre Dame and Van Buren County boys’ teams competed at a triangular last night as the Nikes defeated Louisa-Muscatine, 56-21, and Van Buren County 63-18. Jared Glendening finished the night 2-0. 

Van Buren County fell to the Falcons, 60-18. Jackson Meek and Alex Scott escaped the night unscathed. 

Wapello hosted a quad last night, but it was WACO that walked away 3-0, defeating Pekin, 60-12, Highland, 48-33, and the hosts, 42-29. Ian Maize, Rydge Sterna, Harley Larrimore, and Tyler Rogers each went undefeated for the night for the Warriors.

Wapello collected a 1-2 record for the meet, defeating Pekin, 47-6, but losing 49-24 against Highland. Cohen Wolford and Grayson Nagle led the charge for the squad, as they each went 3-0. 

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team hosted a quad last night and swept the competition, shutting out Lone Tree, 78-0, and stomping Mediapolis, 51-21, and Montezuma, 56-18. Angel Ineichen was the lone Wildcat to go undefeated in all three of his matches. 

Mediapolis picked up a victory over Lone Tree, 42-12, but fell to Montezuma, 47-24. James Garrison, Kyler Crow, and Brody Minster finished the night undefeated. 

The Southeast Iowa Super Conference boys’ teams will meet up tomorrow for their conference tournament. 

The Fairfield, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union, Mediapolis, Van Buren County, and WACO girls’ teams will make the trip to Wapello for the Class 1A Region 6 state qualifying meet tonight.

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will wait for their Class 2A Region 5 state qualifying meet tonight in Ottumwa.

High School Bowling

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will compete at the Class 2A Region 4 state qualifier on Monday, February 2nd, at Clinton, while the West Burlington girls’ team will host Fairfield and Central Lee for the Class 1A Region 8 state qualifier.

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will travel to Keokuk on Tuesday, February 3rd, for a triangular. 

College Signing

Mt. Pleasant’s Addison Clark signed her letter of intent yesterday to continue playing volleyball at Simpson College in Indianola. For Clark, it might not have been the first choice, but a visit was all it took to change her mind,

“Actually, a funny story, Simpson was almost like a backup college. Like, I originally almost was gonna cancel it. I’d been to a couple different ones [colleges] and then I knew Savannah Walls went there and I was like, she’s always said good things. So I was like, you know, like, let’s go. And then I met the coach and absolutely fell in love with her. You know, she wanted me as a player and as a person, which I thought was really important. And then I loved their facilities. I thought the drive was a good drive. Two hours isn’t bad at all. And I don’t know, I just think everything fit into place. And then all of a sudden, I was like, wow, like this is where I want to go. And it just kind of had that like, this is it feeling.”

Clark was a two-time All-SEC 2nd Team nominee for the Panthers as she collected 640 career kills, leading the team in kills for the past two seasons. She will be studying Pediatric Oncology. 

Southeastern Community College

The women’s basketball team will take on Iowa Western Community College tomorrow, January 31st, at 1 pm on the road. 

The men’s basketball team clobbered Kennedy-King College last night, 87-66. Brady Martin cashed in for 14 points in the winning effort. The Blackhawks will host Malcolm X College tomorrow at 3 pm.

The men’s and women’s wrestling teams will make the trip to Eureka College tonight at 6 pm.

College Basketball

The Iowa State women’s team will host UCF tomorrow, January 31st, at 2 pm.

The #8 Iowa women’s team had their eight-game win streak snapped by USC last night, 81-69. Journey Houston led the scoring with 16 points off the bench. The Hawkeyes will have to bounce back quickly with a showdown against #2 UCLA on the road on Sunday, February 1st, at 3 pm. 

The Iowa men’s team will spend some time on the west coast with a matchup against Oregon on Sunday at 7 pm. 

The #8 Iowa State men’s team demolished Colorado last night, 97-67. Jamarion Bateman produced 17 points from off the bench in the winning effort. The Cyclones will travel to Kansas State on Sunday at 1 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1936 – New owners of baseball’s Boston Braves survey newspaper journalists to pick a new team nickname, known as the ‘Bees’ in 1940 but return to the ‘Braves’ in 1941.

1971 – UCLA men’s basketball starts their NCAA record 88 game winning streak.

1990 – LA Kings center Wayne Gretzky sets an NHL record by scoring his 100th point of the season for the 11th straight season; milestone comes with an assist in a 5-2 Kings’ win over the visiting New Jersey Devils.

Mt. Pleasant, IA- With her friends, family, and coaches in attendance and one flick of the pen, Addison Clark realized a lifelong dream that involved long drives, arduous workouts, adversity, and triumphs. Clark is set to play collegiate volleyball at Simpson College in the fall.

Yet, it took a visit to the Division III school in Indianola to convince the senior that this was where her dream would take place,

“Actually, a funny story, Simpson was almost like a backup college. Like, I originally almost was gonna cancel it. I’d been to a couple different ones [colleges] and then I knew Savannah Walls went there and I was like, she’s always said good things. So I was like, you know, like, let’s go. And then I met the coach and absolutely fell in love with her. You know, she wanted me as a player and as a person, which I thought was really important. And then I loved their facilities. I thought the drive was a good drive. Two hours isn’t bad at all. And I don’t know, I just think everything fit into place. And then all of a sudden, I was like, wow, like this is where I want to go. And it just kind of had that like, this is it feeling.”

Clark’s journey to her “a-ha moment” started before high school, but it was not always a smooth trail. A promising freshman year that saw her start in 34 matches and tally 85 kills led to an injury shortened sophomore year where she missed 13 games.

Not only a heartbreaking development on the court as a player, but a logistical nightmare for wanting to earn a spot at the next level. In these moments, lessons are learned, and determination is formed.

“Honestly, it really scared me, especially for my travel season,” said Clark. “Because, I mean, that was kind of the year where college recruiting started and I was like, well, if I’m not even gonna be able to play, like, how am I gonna get recruited? But I just think, honestly, it was trusting in the process, trusting in the struggle, and just, you know, you have to go through the hard to get to the good. And just good things come to those who are patient. I think that eventually happened to me.”

Patience paid off, as Clark led the team her junior season with 197 kills with a 0.105 kill efficiency, adding 32 blocks, 215 digs, and 13 aces to the season totals for 2^nd Team All-SEC honors. It led to Mt. Pleasant winning three more games, including their first-round regional matchup. Expectations were high entering her senior year, but a new head coach would present another obstacle.

Except head coach Alicia Schrader did not receive that memo and neither did Mt. Pleasant, who rattled off 22 wins and their first winning season since 2021 with Clark racking up a team high 281 kills and 317 digs. Her 0.160 kill efficiency and 33 aces were also career highs, leading to another All-SEC 2^nd Team nod.

Another hurdle conquered, and Clark was grateful for the coaching hire,

“100% props to our new coaches. They completely turned this program around. I’m so excited for it in the next couple years. They made the team love volleyball again. They made us want to be on the court, want to be with each other. And I think that shows on the court, not just like, as this as a team. But when you don’t like the game, it’s so hard to do well in it. And these coaches completely turned it around. And I’m just so thankful for them and what they’ve done for this program.”

The love of the game, too often people lose it after putting so many hours into it. For Clark, that comradery reinvigorated a need to keep playing,

“I just, I think the biggest part is the love for it. And, like, the love that everybody gives you. It’s not even just like, oh, like, the kill was cool. That’s obviously a great feeling. But when you have your teammates pushing you around and shoving you and just those laughs and memories, like, I mean, how can you not want to be on the court and having fun? I mean, that’s, that’s what volleyball is. It’s fun. And I just, I think when that stops, that’s when you realize that it’s your time to stop, too, you know?”

Clark finished her career at Mt. Pleasant with 640 kills and two All-SEC 2^nd Team nominations; now, she will get to start a new journey just two hours away from her hometown, enjoying a dream that seemed so far away all those years ago.

“I mean, little me would be so like, wow,” interjected Clark. “I mean, that’s all I have for it. Because like, honestly, I didn’t think, I mean, I thought it was possible. But also at the same time, I didn’t even know if I wanted to do this in the beginning.

And then I just was like, wow, like, I love volleyball. I loved the people at Simpson. And I was just like, I’m not done yet. And there’s still so much more left to do. And so, I’m just so excited I got the opportunity to do that.”

The Storm is coming off a 19-win season and their first winning record since the 2022 season. Entering her second year at the helm will be Dani Kohut Lynch, who is a two-time Iowa Conference Coach of the Year.

Clark will be studying Pediatric Oncology during her stay at Simpson. It’s an opportunity to give back to something that has personal connections,

“My grandma, she had cancer about when I was three. And also, my aunt had cancer about a year or two ago. And I’ve kind of known since my grandma, I just want to be able to give back to people. And she had amazing nurses and people who helped her. And she was able to overcome that. So, I just want to be that for other people. And I just, that’s always been a dream of mine, being a doctor. And I was just like, I want to help people who’ve gone through the same thing she has.”

Des Moines, IA- The status quo has been maintained as the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) and Iowa PBS agreed to a multiyear extension of their partnership to provide broadcast coverage of the State Championship finals for volleyball, basketball, softball, and for the first time wrestling.

The broadcast and streaming partnership ensures that the championship events remain free and accessible everyone in Iowa’s 99 counties.

“For generations, Iowa PBS has played a vital role in bringing championship moments into homes across the state,” said Iowa PBS Executive Director and General Manager Andrew Batt. “Extending our partnership with the IGHSAU ensures Iowa student-athletes can compete for a state championship in front of a statewide audience.”

In addition to broadcast coverage, the IGHSAU championship events will be available on Iowa PBS digital platforms.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Iowa PBS,” said IGHSAU Executive Director Erin Gerlich. “Iowa PBS has been a tremendous partner in elevating the Iowa Girl through its high-quality coverage, and we are excited to see that commitment extend to the Iowa Girls State Wrestling Championships.”

The Girls’ State Wrestling championships are scheduled for February 5th and 6th. KILJ will be providing updates for all of our local wrestlers.