J-Hawks sweep rebuilding Linn-Mar

Cedar Rapids Jefferson's Morgan Allee slides safely past Linn-Mar's Lindsey Harms on Thursday at the Jefferson Softball Complex. The J-Hawks swept the Lions, 4-0 and 11-1. (Photo by Cliff Jette)

CEDAR RAPIDS — A spectator made the observation early and accurately:

“This doesn’t seem like Jeff/Linn-Mar.”

Class 4A third-ranked Cedar Rapids Jefferson struck for 22 hits and dominated rebuilding Linn-Mar, 4-0 and 11-1, in a Mississippi Valley Conference softball double-header Thursday night at the Jefferson Softball Complex.

All-Metro boys track

Here is the first team:

All-Metro girls track

Here is the first team:

Stokes makes the team

Kiah Stokes said she felt “timid and shy” during tryouts for the USA Basketball 16-and-under national team.

“I think I could have done more,” said the sophomore from Linn-Mar High School.

Evidently, she did plenty.

Stokes was named Sunday to the 12-girl team that will represent the USA in the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship for Women at a site and time to be announced.

Paige gets an offer from Iowa

Marcus Paige took an unofficial visit to the University of Iowa on Wednesday, and came home with a scholarship offer from the men’s basketball program.

“I’m pretty excited,” Paige said Thursday night. “I liked the coaching staff. It’s a great school. It’s the Big Ten.

“Of course I’ll consider (Iowa).”

No. 1 Cougars roll on

Cedar Rapids Kennedy's Jade Grimm heads the ball in a 6-1 girls' soccer win over Linn-Mar on Thursday. (Photo by Jim Slosiarek)

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Kennedy Cougars were quick responders.

Saddled with a rare early deficit, Class 2A Cedar Rapids Kennedy roared back and defeated No. 10 Linn-Mar, 6-1, in a Mississippi Valley Conference girls’ soccer match Thursday night at Kennedy High School.

Stokes invited to Colorado Springs

Linn-Mar's Kiah Stokes (41) collects one of her 18 blocks against Cedar Rapids Washington in a January game. Stokes has been invited to try out for the USA Basketball 16-and-under national team. (Gazette photo by Jim Slosiarek)

MARION — All-state basketball player Kiah Stokes of Linn-Mar has been invited to try out for the USA Basketball 16-and-under girls’ basketball team.

Tryouts will take place at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., in late May.

And what about Marcus?

According to his mother, Linn-Mar freshman Marcus Paige (15) won't determine his college destination until he's a junior. (Gazette photo by Jim Slosiarek)

MARION — Morgan Paige has committed to play women’s basketball at the University of Wisconsin. Her younger brother apparently is in no hurry to make a college decision.

“He going to wait until his junior year,” the siblings’ mother, Sherryl Gaffney-Paige, said Monday morning. “He’ll see where he fits in. He’s in no rush at all.”

Gaffney-Paige said that Marcus, the starting point guard as Linn-Mar (23-3) advanced to the Class 4A state final, “is getting a lot of notice” from Northern Iowa, Iowa State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Creighton and Virginia.

A 6-footer, Paige averaged 7.3 points and 3 assists per game. His coming-out party came in the state semifinal, when he scored 12 of his career-high 22 points as the Lions rallied past Bettendorf. He scored eight points in the championship-game loss to Ames.