Wildcats host Jebens Invitational, go to quad meet


Tyreese Crippen of Maquoketa Valley (front) works to escape the grasp of Midland’s Jordan Buford in a 132-pound match at the Maquoketa Valley tournament Jan. 9. (Photo by Pete Temple)
MAQUOKETA VALLEY RECAP

Wrestling

     Maquoketa Valley hosted the Farr Jebens Invitational Jan. 9 in Delhi, and finished 12th with 64 points. DeWitt Central won the tournament with 185 points, and Notre Dame of Burlington was second with 157.

     Timmy Harmon had the highest finish for the Wildcats, placing third at 195 pounds. Finishing fifth were Michael Schaul at 145 and Devin Smith at 285. In sixth were Tyreese Crippen at 132 and Brady Davis at 220.

     “Our first Farr Jebens Invitational turned out to be a good challenge for us,” Maquoketa Valley coach Kurt Hatfield said. “Timmy had a good shot at winning the tournament, fell short in the semis, and bounced back for third. Michael Schaul wrestled in a tough 145 bracket and got two big wins from behind, beating an MFL MarMac kid that had beaten him in the past.

     “I’m proud of how the kids wrestled, but our work is not done yet. Every day we must get better to accomplish our goals.”

     Earlier, the Wildcats competed in a quadrangular meet Jan. 7 at Alburnett, and went 1-2. MV opened with a 35-30 loss to Highland of Riverside, with all five of its wins coming by forfeit. MV then lost to Alburnett 54-15. Tim Harmon at 195 and Brady Davis at 220 recorded pins, and Carter Kruse (182) won by decision.

     “We had some good matches in the upper weights,” Hatfield said. “Carter, Brady and Timmy did a good job at starting hard and finishing hard.”

     Maquoketa Valley closed the meet with a 36-24 win over Edgewood-Colesburg. Getting wins on the mat were Michael Schaul by pin at 145 and Kruse by pin at 182.

     

Girls basketball

     Maquoketa Valley had a three-game week of girls basketball last week, and took care of all three opponents to up its record to 8-0 in the Tri-Rivers Conference, 11-0 overall.

     First, the Wildcats scored a 51-38 home victory over Alburnett Jan. 5. The middle two quarters proved to be the difference for the Wildcats, as a 13-13 tie after one quarter turned into a 41-24 MV lead after three. Emerson Whittenbaugh had a double-double with 17 points and 17 rebounds for the ‘Cats. Ella Imler was 4-for-6 from three-point range and totaled 16 points, six assists and three steals. Tata Tucker had 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks.

     The Wildcats then played a non-conference game Jan. 7 at home against Mount Vernon, and won 43-26. Statistics for this game were unavailable at press time.

     At Starmont Jan. 8, MV raced to a 48-13 halftime lead on the way to a 61-20 triumph. Tucker and Whittenbaugh had 20 points apiece, and Kennedy Rausch added nine.

     “This was a good way to end a busy week of basketball,” Maquoketa Valley coach Scot Moenck said. “I am proud of our kids, the way they have battled and hung in there.

     “We got off to a little bit of a slow start in this game, but in the second quarter we dialed in defensively and were able to generate some points with easy baskets. Kennedy Rausch came off the bench and hit three three-pointers in the second quarter to get us going.”

 

Boys basketball

     Maquoketa Valley split a pair of games in last week’s boys basketball action.

     The Wildcats (4-2, 6-4) played host to Independence in a Jan. 7 non-conference game, and wound up with a 55-48 loss. The Mustangs outscored MV 26-17 in the second half. Andrew Holtz had a big game for the ‘Cats, scoring 18 points. A.J. Ambundo added eight points and eight rebounds. Avery Holts had five assists and four steals.

     MV bounced back with a 54-17 win at Starmont Jan. 8, as Ambundo scored 23 points. The second quarter, in which the Wildcats outscored the Stars 32-7, proved decisive. Andrew Holtz added 12 points and six steals, and both he and Ambundo grabbed seven rebounds. 

     

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