The Exira-EHK Spartans will welcome in the CAM Cougars for a varsity basketball doubleheader tonight in Elk Horn and we’ll have coverage on KJAN. Both games shape up to be interesting ones on paper.

On the girls side the Spartans enter the game 4-0 and are currently ranked #5 in Class 1A. The Cougars are 5-1 on the season with their lone loss on the road to a tough Boyer Valley squad. Kealey Nelson has led the Spartans with 17 points per game and fellow senior Sophia Peppers has averaged 14 points per game. CAM has been led by Madison Gettler’s 15 points per outing, while Paige McAfee has been a big factor with 13 points per game so far.

In the boys game the 3-2 Cougars will take on a 2-2 Spartan squad. CAM runs behind senior guard Thomas Hensley who has averaged 23 points per game and is already over 25 steals on the year. Nic Holste has averaged 17 points for CAM. For the Spartans Trey Nelson has stepped up this season averaging 15 points per contest while point guard Cole Burmeister has dropped down 14 per outing.

You can catch all the action tonight on KJAN with Chris Parks and Mike Smith on the call. Pregame starts at 5:50pm for the girls game. Listen on-air, online, or on the app. Live video is also planned on KJANTV.

2017 FOURTH Iowa Girls High School Basketball Rankings
Compiled by the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union
Thursday, December 14, 2017

Class 1A

Dropped Out: Boyer Valley (14)

Class 2A

Dropped Out: None

Class 3A

Dropped Out: Anamosa (12)

Class 4A

Dropped Out: Harlan (14), Dallas Center-Grimes (15)

Class 5A

Dropped Out: Ames (14), Urbandale (15)

@ Lewis Central

Atlantic 34, Lewis Central 31
Atlantic 54, Kuemper Catholic 27
Lewis Central 54, Kuemper Catholic 27
Atlantic 2 time winners: Aybren Moore (113), Steele McLaren (120), Kole Hansen (126), Chase McLaren (132), Connor Pellett (152), Devin McKay (195), John McConkey (285).

@ Harlan

Harlan 52, Shenandoah 24
Harlan 48, Clarinda 17
Shenandoah 35, Clarinda 27

@ Denison-Schleswig

Red Oak 48, Denison-Schleswig 31
Red Oak 70, St. Albert 0
Denison-Schleswig 66, St. Albert 18

@ Mount Ayr

Mount Ayr 36, East Union 30
Mount Ayr 33, Nodaway Valley 27
East Union 39, Nodaway Valley 18

@ Southwest Valley

Southwest Valley 42, Pleanantville 31
I-35 63, Southwest Valley 16

@ Colfax-Mingo

Colfax-Mingo 60, Coon Rapids-Bayard 22
Coon Rapids-Bayard 54, Baxter 9

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say beginning today (Friday), you can purchase your Iowa 2018 hunting and fishing licenses! Find a nearby Iowa license vendor, or get your license on the DNR’s online sales site.  A hunting or fishing license also makes a great gift for the holidays. You’ll just need the recipient’s social security number AND birthdate. Or you can call the DNR customer service desk at (515) 725-8200 for assistance looking up a person’s license information to make the purchase.

Here’s a list of popular licenses from which to choose:

Angler’s Special 3-Year License: $53.00 — save $4.00 compared to the price of three annual licenses
Hunter’s Special 3-Year License: $86.00 – save $10.00, and includes hunting with habitat fee
Outdoor Combo: $47.00 — annual hunting, fishing and habitat fee included
Annual Resident Fishing License: $19.00
Annual Resident Hunting License: $19.00 plus $13.00 habitat fee required
Visit the DNR’s license page for a complete list of licenses available. We hope you enjoy Iowa’s outdoors in 2018!

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Jim Field.

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Ar-We-Va, Westside 60, Westwood, Sloan 52
Earlham 74, AC/GC 40
Murray 59, Lenox 51

Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln 55, St. Albert, Council Bluffs 48
Earlham 62, AC/GC 28
East Union, Afton 33, Moravia 31
Murray 41, Lenox 20
Westwood, Sloan 80, Ar-We-Va, Westside 59

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Stephen Piscotty has been traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Oakland Athletics for two infield prospects, allowing the outfielder to be near his family following his mother’s diagnosis with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Gretchen Piscotty was diagnosed in May with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that attacks nerve cells. Her son left the Cardinals for five days after the diagnosis and returned May 31. St. Louis receives Yairo Munoz and Max Schrock in the deal.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Miami completed its trade that sent left fielder Marcell Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals, the third All-Star jettisoned by the Marlins this month in an unrelenting payroll purge under new CEO Derek Jeter. St. Louis dealt four prospects to the Marlins: right-handers Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen, outfielder Magneuris Sierra and left-hander Daniel Castano. Miami traded second baseman Dee Gordon to Seattle and right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, the reigning NL MVP, to the New York Yankees.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Reliever Luke Gregerson and the St. Louis Cardinals have finalized an $11 million, two-year contract. A 33-year-old right-hander, Gregerson was 2-3 with a career-high 4.57 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 61 innings this year for the World Series champion Houston Astros. He gave up a career-worst 13 home runs. Gregerson did not allow a run in five postseason games.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chargers visit the Chiefs on Saturday night knowing the winner has the inside track on the AFC West title and a playoff berth. Nothing will be decided for certain, but both teams are approaching their showdown at Arrowhead Stadium as a must-win game.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Mikaela Foecke had 19 kills, Annika Albrecht and Briana Holman had 13 apiece and Nebraska fought off match point in the fourth set to beat Penn State in a five-set thriller in the NCAA volleyball semifinals. The Huskers are seeking their fifth national title.

DALLAS (AP) — Scott Frost has won the Eddie Robinson Award as national coach of the year. Frost led Central Florida to a perfect regular season before taking the coaching job at Nebraska. The winner was announced by the Football Writers Association of American and the Sugar Bowl.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., December 13, 2017 – The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have traded outfielder Stephen Piscotty to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor league shortstop Yairo Muñoz and second baseman Max Schrock.

Piscotty wanted to be closer to home after his mother was diagnosed with ALS last year. He missed time with the Cardinals last year after the diagnosis to be with his family. This trade allows him to be closer to his ailing mother in Pleasanton, CA.

Muñoz, 22, was signed by the Athletics as a non-drafted free agent out of Nagua, Dominican Republic in January of 2012. The 6-foot-1, 165 lb., right-handed hitting infielder played shortstop, third base and center field between Midland (AA) and Nashville (AAA) during the 2017 season. He batted .300 with 13 home runs, 68 RBI and stole 22 bases in 112 games and is currently playing in the Dominican Winter League for the Toros del Este.

Over 504 career minor league games, Muñoz batted .265 with 41 home runs and 237 RBI and 63 stolen bases in 87 attempts. Muñoz was a 2015 Midwest League All-Star at Beloit and a 2014 New York-Penn League All-Star with Vermont.

Schrock, 23, was originally a 13th round draft pick by the Washington Nationals in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of South Carolina. Schrock was traded to the Athletics in 2016 in exchange for former Cardinals pitcher Marc Rzepczynski. He has batted .324 over his career with a .372 on-base percentage, 18 home runs and 131 RBI over 281 minor league games.

The 5-foot-8, 180 lb., left-handed hitting second baseman was a 2017 Mid-Season and Post-Season Texas League All-Star at Midland (AA) and 2016 South Atlantic League All-Star at Hagerstown (A) including earning the Top Star Honor for the SAL All-Star Game.

In 2017, Schrock ranked fourth in the Texas League with a .321 batting average while ranking third in on-base percentage (.379) and was the “Toughest to Strike Out in” the league registering 10.80 plate appearances per strikeout. Defensively, Schrock led all Texas League second basemen in games (101), total chances (436), put outs (173), assists (257) and double plays (83).

Piscotty, 26, was the Cardinals supplemental first round (33rd overall) draft pick out of Stanford University in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft. Piscotty batted .268 with 38 home runs and 163 RBI over 323 career Major League games. He signed a six-year contract extension with the Cardinals on April 3, 2017.

Muñoz has been placed on the Cardinals 40-man Major League roster and Schrock will be assigned to a minor league roster.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Jim Field.

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If state policymakers legalize sports betting, Iowa casinos are aiming to get the business. Iowa Gaming Association executive director Wes Ehrecke says the federal “barrier” to sports betting may soon be removed. “In the past 25 years, only one state has been allowed to have sports betting and that’s been Nevada and New Jersey challenged the constitutionality of that and the Supreme Court heard arguments last Monday,” Ehrecke says. “…There’s a lot of people thinking they’re going to rule in favor of New Jersey and, if they do, that would allow all states to opt in.”

Iowa’s casino industry will propose legislation in 2018 that would legalize sports betting in Iowa at the 19 state-licensed casinos. “Like other gambling games, it would allow people to bet on sports within our casinos, regulated by our (Iowa) Racing and Gaming Commission,” Ehrecke says.

Ehrecke cites reports indicating Americans bet about 150 billion dollars a year on sporting events, but only five percent of that is done legally in the state of Nevada. “So it’s flourished in an illegal activity way,” Ehrecke says. “No age limits or anything like that.”

Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett — a Republican candidate for governor — yesterday (Wednesday) called for legalizing sports betting in Iowa, but Corbett would prefer the Iowa Lottery manage the wagering on football, baseball and basketball games. That would create thousands of sites around the state for placing bets and Corbett says the Iowa Lottery is a “trusted brand” that could manage the betting volume.

Anticipating a 2018 ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that would legalize sports betting beyond just the State of Nevada, Mississippi and Pennsylvania already have state laws to allow sports betting. This past year, legislation was introduced, but not enacted in 16 other states that would have legalized “sports book” operations.

(Radio Iowa)