IOWA CITY – He didn’t think a couple of weeks ago that his Iowa City West boys’ basketball team was worthy of a top-10 spot in Class 4A.

After a 66-55 win Friday night over a good Cedar Rapids Prairie team, head coach Steve Bergman said this:

“We’re getting there.”

West (8-3) was pretty dominant in this game against a similar team from Prairie (8-3). Jack McCaffery scored a game-high 28 points for the Trojans, the Butler University signee getting 18 of those in the second half.

Guard Ethan Headings added 16 points, 14 in the first half, as West built a 33-25 halftime lead.

“I think we played really well,” said Headings, who made seven of his nine shots from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers. “We picked up on defense and offense. But there were just some stretches at the end of the second quarter and the end of the fourth quarter that we could have done a lot better.”

Prairie (8-3) fell behind early but rebounded late in the first quarter to grab a 17-16 lead. The meat of the game went West’s way, as it led 56-36 after three quarters.

“There were a lot of good things. A lot of good things,” Bergman said. “The first quarter for us early was awesome, then … That’s what we are. We’re pretty focused, then we’re really not. But, man that start of the game, could have really been something.”

Two of three losses for West have been by one point to Dubuque schools on the road, including Tuesday night’s 52-51 defeat at Class 4A No. 10 Dubuque Senior. The Trojans had the last shot, a good one, but it didn’t go in.

So close to being 10-1.

“We’ve lost two games in Dubuque on Tuesday night by one point,” Bergman said. “Both games we feel like we should have won, but we didn’t … Against Senior, we just couldn’t make free throws. We were like the Iowa women’s team, struggling to make free throws, so they got the lead back. We had the lead most of the game.

“We’re getting closer. We’ve got to handle the ball better. Had a little stretch again tonight where we had four or five turnovers in five or six possessions. We’ve got to keep plugging along.”

Prairie got 20 points from sophomore guard Tae Alexander, but just couldnt get it done. It needs to be a quick flush for the Hawks, who play Saturday night at undefeated Class 3A No. 3 Decorah.

“Ultimately I thought our execution to our game plan was poor,” said Prairie Coach Todd Kuntz. “And ultimately that comes back on me. I thought we had a really good plan, but a lot of times we were out of position. That’s going to happen with high schoolers.”

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AT IOWA CITY WEST

CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE (55): David Fason 2-7 1-4 5, Devin Ikeda 2-4 0-1 4, Jace McDermott 2-6 2-2 6, Tae Alexander 7-11 2-3 20, Austin Joens 1-8 0-0 3, Hudson Kimm 0-1 0-0 0, Will Wehr 3-6 6-6 12, Cayden Larson 1-7 2-2 4, Collin McClintock 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-53 13-18 55.

IOWA CITY WEST (66): Mason Goehring 3-9 3-4 9, Jack McCaffery 10-17 5-6 28, Henry Elser 2-3 2-2 7, Julian Manson 1-4 0-0 2, Ethan Headings 7-9 0-0 16, Jack Jensen-Fitzgerald 0-1 0-0 0, Jack Wallace 1-1 0-0 2, KingSton Swayzer 0-0 0-0 0, Greg Ford 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 25-45 10-12 66.

Halftime – West 33, Prairie 25. 3-point goals – Prairie 6-23 (Fason 0-1, Ikeda 0-1, McDermott 0-4, Alexander 4-6, Joens 1-6, Wehr 1-2, Larson 0-3), West 6-11 (McCaffery 3-6, Elser 1-1, Headings 2-3, Jensen-Fitzpatrick 0-1). Rebounds – Prairie 26 (Larson 6), West 30 (McCaffery 8, Goering 7). Total fouls – Prairie 11, West 16. Fouled out – None. Turnovers – Prairie 14, West 13.

Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com

Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson took the college football world by storm this year, establishing himself as one of the most electrifying offensive threats in the country.

Johnson racked up 1,537 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns on the year, leading the Big Ten in both categories. He also set the single-season rushing score record for Iowa, breaking a mark previously held by Shonn Greene. Additionally, he logged a robust 6.4 yards per carry.

As a result, Johnson’s NFL Draft stock has skyrocketed, with the 21-year-old suddenly viewed as a potential second-round pick in April.

Bleacher Report’s Dame Parson recently released a scouting report on Johnson, and he revealed a rather interesting comparison for the superstar rusher: Arizona Cardinals halfback James Conner.

“In conclusion, Johnson is a good to adequate starting running back in a versatile offense scheme,” Parson wrote. “He is more adept and suited for gap/man scheme runs, where he can attack downhill and maneuver through congestion. His functionality in the passing game makes him a good screen option to counter heavy-pressure defenses. Johnson is a lead-caliber running back who could routinely score double-digit rushing touchdowns in the NFL.”

You may think that Conner is a relatively tame comparison given how fantastic Johnson was in 2024, but keep in mind that Conner is a two-time Pro Bowler who just rattled off 1,094 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 4.6 yards per attempt this year. He also caught 47 passes for 414 yards and a score.

Johnson could very well develop into a lethal all-purpose back on the NFL level, so whoever lands him could be getting a steal in Round 2.

Enjoy the “warmer” weather while you can because Iowa is expected to see wind chill values hit sub-zero temperatures soon.

While Des Moines will reach nearly 50 degrees Friday, temperatures will start to drop and “bitterly cold winds” will enter the state, according to the National Weather Service. Some areas of the state will have wind chills of around 30 degrees below zero.

When will bitterly cold wind chills start in Iowa?

An Arctic cold front will move across Iowa on Saturday night. The coldest period will be Sunday through Tuesday. A mixture of breezy northwest winds and cold temperatures will bring wind chill temperatures down from 15 degrees below zero to as cold as 30 degrees below zero.

From Sunday to Tuesday, the overnight and morning hours will be the coldest, according to NWS.

What is Des Moines’ wind chill forecast?

By noon Saturday, the wind chill is expected to reach 0 degrees and it’s only worse from there. Sunday morning will have a wind chill of 16 degrees below and only improve to 14 degrees below zero by noon.

Monday will see similar temperatures with wind chills of 11 degrees below zero by noon and 12 degrees below zero by 6 p.m. Tuesday morning’s wind chill will drop down to 16 degrees below. By 6 p.m. Tuesday, temperatures will increase with the wind chill around 3 degrees below as the cold front begins to pass.

Where will be some of the coldest places in central Iowa?

Mason City and Estherville will see the wind chill drop as low as 29 degrees below zero on Sunday and Tuesday. Other towns like Ames, Carroll and Waterloo will see wind chills around 20 degrees below zero on Sunday and Tuesday.

More: Iowa weather: What is wind chill and how is it calculated?

How high will winds get in Iowa?

Peak wind gusts will start Friday evening and go into Saturday. Strong northwest winds could reach 30 to 40 mph Friday night.

Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.