Explorer PCM
SHUT DOWN
An often controversial piece of equipment in Prairie City are no longer allowed to be used. In a letter from the Iowa Department of Transportation on Sept. 30, the city’s permit application to continue using speed cameras was denied after speed camera use was legislated in House File 2681 earlier this year.
“We are disappointed by the DOT’s decision,” Prairie City Mayor Chad Alleger said. “From our understanding of how the bill was written, we should have been approved”.
In the denial letter, systems operations division director Dave Lorenzen said the three fixed cameras located on Highway 163 and South State Street across from Prairie City Elementary were deemed “not necessary.” The city was instructed to “cease using all systems at those locations until the city obtains a permit to operate” them from the IDOT.
“The city may choose to reapply
Speed cameras use denied in Prairie City by IDOT
for a permit at a later date,” Lorenzen said. “However, since the city is not being issued a permit at this time, the earlier the IDOT could issue a permit for any new location or for previously denied location is July 1, 2026.”
According to House Fire 2681 section 321P the IDOT may approve or disapprove the application for a permit based on the department’s determination that a system is appropriate and necessary and the least restrictive means to address the critical traffic safety issues at a location. For existing systems, an application had to be submitted with a list of system locations, justification for placement of the systems and use of the systems. That is the application that was denied by the IDOT causing the city to cease using the speed cameras as of Oct. 1.
“The use of this system had greatly reduced the number of speeding vehicles coming through the area by the school and on the highway which has made the
Decision made
PCM School Board approves upper and lower elementary building split
staff and community members who have reached out and helped make this decision.”
In a unanimous decision, the PCM School Board approved moving to preschool through second grade at Monroe Elementary, and third through fifth grade at Prairie City Elementary for elementary education. The decision was made for the 202425 school year during the April 15 board meeting.
In a statement, the board shared why it came to this decision:
“This was a tough decision to make, and it was not taken lightly as a lot of time was put into it. We believe, at this time, this is the best decision for PCM School District, both educationally and financially. We would like to thank all parents,
Discussions on the topic started in February when the proposal of aligning third grade in Prairie City was brought before the board. At that time, PCM Elementary Principal Donita Geetings said with a retirement of a third grade teacher there would be three classes in Prairie City and one in Monroe, making it an ideal time to combine the students. The board tabled the topic after wanting to explore more options. If all of third grade were to move to Prairie City, Monroe would be left with one class in kindergarten through second
THE GRANDEST OF OPENINGS
After more than 13 years of work, the new Prairie City Library, located in downtown west of city hall, opened with fanfare and a large crowd excited to see the renovated space
PCM Middle School blazing a new trail
The 3DS — 3 Durable Skills — system is in place to address and track student effort, respect and peer interaction behaviors while at school
Jamee
Since the start of the school year, students at PCM Middle School have been graded not only on their academic work but their soft skills, as well. The school introduced 3DS — 3 Durable Skills — as a way to address the students effort, respect and peer interaction behaviors while in the building.
“When I think about students, I’m not only thinking about their academic side but they have the other side the coin, their personal growth. In school, we are
ultra focused on their academics, but in my mind important things are the ability to communicate, work together and give effort,” PCM Middle School Principal Sam Brown said. When you do interview of business and as “what do you want” when hiring, no local businesses are saying we need someone to run the Pythagorean Theorem like a son-of-agun, they want people that are creative thinkers, works well with others, shows up to work — soft skills. Those were things we didn’t have any way to report on and most schools don’t.” Brown has found when
parents ask him about how their student is doing they often want to know not only where they are academically but also socially and emotionally. By adding 3DS into the mix, parents can see weekly how their student in doing through the district’s Infinite Campus system.
“They want to know if their student is listening, being respectful, helping others, etc.,” Brown said. “The goal of this 3DS System is to fill that communication gap. We strongly believe that this is information that all families should have access to in
Mustang Nutrition opens in downtown Monroe, serving area favorites like shakes and mega tea bombs
Monroe community members don’t have to travel far to get their fill of mega tea bombs and shakes anymore. Mustang Nutrition, located at 102 N. Commerce St. on the square, has a wide variety of drinks from refreshers and coffees to wildly popular teas and shakes in so many flavors it will be hard to pick a favorite.
“For shakes the salted cara- mel crunch cone is my favor- ite. It is absolutely amazing; the best ever,” owner Kenzie Cordes said. “For teas, I can’t decide sometimes. I like sweet, sometimes I like sour. I can’t tell you one.” Cordes opened the doors of Mus-
tang Nutrition in ear- ly 2024, her third nutrition club. She started in West Des Moines after owners of an al- ready opened club were look- ing for move on and branched out to neighboring Pleasantville last year.
“My first one was in West Des
Jamee A. Pierson/PCM Explorer
The three stationary speed cameras located in Prairie City were denied a permit for use following state legislation limiting speed cameras use earlier this year.
Jamee A. Pierson/PCM Explorer Colorful mega tea bombs, delicious shakes and many more tasty treats are available at Mustang Nutrition on the west side of the square in Monroe.
By Jamee A. Pierson PCM Explorer
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By Jamee A. Pierson PCM Explorer
By
A. Pierson PCM Explorer
By Jamee A. Pierson PCM Explorer
Explorer PCM
Mentioning
Events at The Gathering Place
right way by Andy Algreen
PCM Food Pantry
The PCM Food Pantry at the Monroe Presbyterian Church, 113 S. Main St. in Monroe, is open 9 a.m. to noon and 6 to 7 p.m. Mondays and 9 a.m. to noon Thursdays.
TOPS
TOPS 1025 meets at 5:30 p.m. every Monday at the First Reformed Church in Prairie City for weigh-in, with meeting to follow. Go to the north side parking lot at the church and enter in the north door. Call 515-994-2200 for information.
Men’s Recovery meeting
Lighthouse Recovery Ministries hosts a Men’s Recovery meeting at 6:30 p.m. each Monday at Grace Alive Church, 703 W. Second St. in Prairie City. Contact Barb at b.miller@lighthouserecoveryia.com with questions.
PCM Clothing Closet
The PCM Clothing Closet, on the second floor of the Family Life Center at 105 S. Sherman St. in Prairie City, will be open from 3:30 to 7 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday and 2 to 4 p.m. Sundays.
Jasper County SWCD to meet Jan. 3
Jasper County Soil and Water Conservation District will meet at 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 3 at the Jasper County Conservation building at 1030 W. Second St. S. in Newton.
Donations to Old Settlers Committee
The Old Settlers Committee is seeking donations for the 2025 Old Settlers Celebration. Donations will be used for the purchase of Christmas lights for the park and new chairs and tables for upcoming events. Monetary donations can be dropped off at Salon Essence, Monroe City Hall or mailed to the committee at P.O. Box 93 in Monroe, IA 50170.
Time to license your cat and dog in Monroe
Pet licenses in Monroe can now be purchased at city hall and are due by April 1. Cat and dog licenses are $10 for altered animals. Unaltered animals are $20. Rabies shots must be current. Licenses not purchased by April 1 will be subject to an extra $10 fee.
Enjoying a meal together
Congregate meals now serving lunch at The Gathering Place
Monday through Friday, seniors in the greater Monroe area are invited to have a meal together at The Gathering Place. Served by Jasper County Elderly Nutrition, the new congregate meals site serves lunch each weekday at 11:30 a.m. “It is really nice. They’ve done a great job with it,” Jasper County Elderly Nutrition Program Director Kelli Van Manen said when talking about moving the meals to The Gathering Place at a county supervisors meeting. “They already have some pro -
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roadways safer to all using them,” Prairie City Police Chief Kevin Gott said. “While the total volume of traffic has remained basically the same, the number of vehicles traveling greater than 10 miles over the limit has greatly decreased. This is a result of
gramming that we can tap into. And we can bring in some programming that we have access to through Aging Resources, so I think it will be a win-win.”
Congregate meals ended last fall at its previous site, Monroe City Hall. Four dedicated people ontinued to gather at various spaces for meals until The Gathering Place was approved to hold the meals. Since then, more than a dozen seniors regularly come together to eat lunch each day. There is no charge for the meals for those ages 60 and older, but
the success from having the program in place.”
He also said the number of accidents has been greatly reduced since the cameras have been in place. In a similar time frame, from 2016-2019 there were 63 recorded accidents compared to 28 recorded accidents from 2020-present.
“The overall goal of the program was to improve the safety of the roadways but there is also a
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grade, along with all pre- school classes. The board was uncomfortable with that situation.
At a work session, the board discussed the entire topic of grade alignment and if the district was moving too fast without a definite direction. Board president Ryan Van Der Kamp posed several questions about the topic: Are we rushing? Is there enough information? Have people been informed of a plan? It seems likes we have gone several directions lately?
Superintendent Michelle Havenstrite said the administration hasn’t changed direction and is fully on board with total grade alignment, as was recommended by the Elementary Vision Team three years ago. The vision team, made up of parents, teachers and staff, researched how to best improve the elementary school and shared its findings with the board. They found having two sections in Monroe and one in Prairie City wasn’t the best Prairie City wasn’t the best situation and recommended grade alignment and all students and staff in one building.
donations are accepted and needed. Spouses are eligible to participate and do not need to be 60 to receive a meal. Those under age 60 must pay $7.91 for each meal regardless of income. Since meals are prepared in Newton and delivered each day, they must be reserved ahead of time. To reserve a meal, call 641-792-7102 or email kvanmanen@jasperia.org before 9 a.m. the morning of the meal. Monthly menus are available on the county website or posted at The Gathering Place.
financial impact that will be noticed, as well,” Gott said. “The city is currently evaluating how current and future projects will now be funded with the loss of the violations paid by speeding motorists.”
Dollars from the speed cameras have been used to fund the new public library location and fire and EMS building, along with numerous other projects. The city has
The move of third grade was continuing what Havenstrite called a “slow and methodical pathway to everyone underneath one roof,” which was the recommendation in January 2022.
“Those who are saying we are changing direction, we aren’t changing direction,” Havenstrite said. “Our staff had told us, our parents involved, said we want to be together under one roof. We believe we can be more efficient and more effective as a team and provide high quality education. This team is willing to take it slowly to get it right and that is why the third grade recommendation was the next best step.”
At the March board meeting, Van Der Kamp started discus- sions by recommending the board hold on all changes and move forward as is for the next school year. Board member Jeremy St. Peter made another suggestion.
“My concern is we have every- body in a uproar and people are really wanting us to take action on this. I think if we don’t do that, we are letting people down because they want a decision,” St. Peter said. “Unfortunately we’re looking for another admin now (following the resignation of Geetings).
I just hate to put another admin
collected more than $3 million since the cameras were put in place in 2021.
“While we respect the decision of the IDOT, we are disappointed in the outcome since we feel that we did meet all of the requirements that were asked for,” Gott said. “Prairie City was not the only city affected by the decision, since the majority of the permits from other communities were denied, as well.”
through this big fight of alignment of grades. If we could get that done and move forward with the plan that would take a lot of pressure off the admin and eliminate that part of the discussion.”
The idea of upper and lower elementary buildings started to take form and gain momentum with the board. A proposal was brought for approval at the April meeting and passed for the next school year.
In a letter sent by Havenstrite she said the first step will be hiring a new grades 3-5 elementary principal.
“We aim to complete hiring by April 29,” Havenstrite said. “Later this week, I’ll meet with the elementary administration and Mr. Rusty Vos to discuss the physical move, including classroom arrangements and any necessary building improvements. We’ll also plan how to move furniture and materials.”
She also recommended registering students as soon as possible so the district can start working on transportation and bus routes for the next year.
“I’m dedicated to making this transition smooth, and we’ll keep you informed as plans progress,” Havenstrite said. “Thank you for your patience and support.”
the same way that they have untethered access to their student’s academic grades.”
The system is based on a rubric Brown and other school leaders put together last year. It consists of the three pieces — effort, respect and peer interaction — and a point system associated with the students behavior.
“We want students to earn a certain amount of points each week, that is the baseline, it is our standard of behavior,” Brown said. “If they are below that, just like if they fail a science test, we want to be able to give them support.”
The 3DS System tasks students with receiving 55 points out of a possible 96 points each week from all of their classes. This rubric details the specific scoring criteria that teachers will be using. Each
teacher will grade each of their students on their demonstration of the 3 Durable Skills. Students that earn less than 55 points will receive supports to help them meet the goal of 55+ points each week. Those supports will come during an After School Program (ASP) where students will learn and practice their durable skills.
In the same way that support is available for our students earning less than 55 points each week, this system also gives the school the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the students who are consistently earning more than 55 points each week.
With the system possibly being the first of its kind there will be some tweaks and changes along the way to make it the best it can be for students, staff and parents. Brown asks for a bit of patience but is excited to see their hard work in action throughout the year.
“One of the teachers asked what do other schools do with their 3DS and I said there are no other schools that do this.
As far as I am aware of, we are one of the first school that have built the system around
of a convenience store.
Moines in 2020. It was a crazy year to open a business. It was already an existing club and they were looking for a new owner, so I offered. I took it over and it went really well,” Cordes said. “I wanted to get closer to people that I
know so I started venturing out down here.” Monroe caught her eye after a family member mentioned it would be a good spot for her business. A native of Knoxville, she liked the idea of being closer to home.
“My brother lives here (in Monroe) and he gave me the idea to look here,” Cordes said. “I just love small towns so I am used
“Prior to
to the small-town feel. It kind of gave me the idea of Monroe and it is just such a cute, little town that there is so much fun stuff.”
They were both right and the club has already become a hit in the area. Cordes explained the items in her club are more than the shake you can get at an ice cream shop or a tea pulled out
and now when issues arise, we have the tools to work through them. The pediatric OT team is wonderful.”
-Alex P.
and Colfax
“Protein shakes are all less than 250 calories and 24 grams of protein, they are full meal replacements. Mega teas are the most popular energy drinks and they are 200 milligrams of caffeine and less than 50 calories,” Cordes said. “We also have our winter menu with hot shakes and teas, non-caffeinated drinks and mega ice coffees which are 36 grams of protein and less than 80 milligrams of caffeine.”
She really likes making the shakes as she is a fan of ice cream but the rest of her staff like the brighter offerings.
“All of the girls like mak- ing the teas and all
of the colorful drinks,” Cordes said.
The younger crowd have flooded the club, especially in the morning.
A before school mega tea is becoming routine for students getting ready to go to class.
“Before school, all of the kids come in the five min- utes before they have to be at school,” Cordes said. “We’re usually prepared about five minutes before they come in and then — BAM! — there they all are. It has been a good hit, good turn out, though, so far.”
As the weather turns warmer, she is excited for events to start in downtown Monroe. Looking to give back, Mustang Nutrition also holds
fundraisers with local organizations.
“That why I like small towns. The community is so good and it is fun to give back,” Cordes said. “Monroe does so many fun things on the square so I’m really excited for that.”
Mustang Nutrition is open 6:30 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. Those looking to give it a try but aren’t sure about what to order, just start asking questions and Cordes and her staff will be happy to answer. The re- sult could be a new favorite drink
“It has been fun so far,” Cordes said.
it,” Brown said. “For us to blaze the trail in kind-of exciting.”
20 MLK Day NO SCHOOL Monroe City Hall Closed 10am Video Exercise Class 11:30am Congregate Meals at TGP 6pm School Board at ME 7pm PC Ambulance, City Hall 10am JV, G BB at Williamsburg 6:30pm FCA Huddle
PCM 4:30pm 7, B BB at Nevada 4:30pm JV, B BB vs Perry at PCM 6pm V, G BB vs Perry at PCM 7:30pm V, B BB vs Perry at PCM 6pm V, G WR at Colfax-Mingo
21
13 10am Video Exercise Class 11:30am Congregate Meals at TGP 5:30pm PC Park Board Monroe City Council 7pm PC Ambulance, PC City Hall 3:30pm JV/V, G/B Bowling at Pleasant Hill 4:30pm JV2, B BB at PCM 6pm JV, B BB vs Earlham at PCM 7:30pm V, B BB vs Earlham at PCM 5pm JV, B WR at BCLUS
14 8am Prayer and Coffee at TGP 9:30am Supervisors, County Courthouse 11:30am Congregate Meals at TGP 6:30pm Mon Legion Auxiliary 3pm Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Group at the PC FRC 6:30pm Kiwanis, Mon City Hall 4:30pm JV, G BB vs W. Marshall at PCM 6pm V, G BB vs W. Marshall at PCM 7:30pm V, B BB vs W. Marshall at PCM
15 Monroe Trash & Recycling Day 11:30am Congregate Meals at TGP 1pm Get Fit, Don’t Fail at TGP 5pm Community Meal at Monroe United Methodist Church 6pm PC Celebration Commission
16 9am Focus Group at TGP 11:30am Congregate Meals at TGP 5pm PC Community Bingo Night TBD JV, G/B at Pleasant Hill 3pm V, G/B at Pleasant Hill 4:30pm 8, B BB at Roland-Story 4:30pm 7, B BB vs Roland-Story at PCM 4:30pm JV, B BB at Greene County 6pm V, G BB at Greene County 7:30pm V, B BB at Greene County 5:30pm JV/V, B WR at PCM
17 11:30am Congregate Meals at TGP 4:30pm JV, G/B BB at Saydel 5:45pm JV2, B BB at Saydel 6pm J, G BB at Saydel 7:30pm V, B BB at Saydel 5:30pm JV, B WR at Centerville Invite
25 7am PC Lions Pancake Breakfast at the Prairie City Community Building 8am HS District Large Group Speech TBD 9am PCM Dance Team Clinic 9am V, B WR at Urbandale 1pm PCM Dance Team Show 6pm Chili Cook-Off and Silent Auction Fundraiser at TGP
18 8am HS Robotics League at Lakewood 9:30am V, B WR at Perry 1pm V, G/B Bowling at Ottumwa 7:15pm Winter Formal Setup 8pm Winter Formal 11pm Winter Formal Teardown
11 9am V, B WR at PCM 10am JV/V, G WR at Ogden 6 10am Video Exercise Class 11:30am Congregate Meals at TGP 7pm PC Fire Dept, PC City Hall 6pm JV2, B BB at Pleasantville 7pm JV, B BB at Pleasantville 7 8am Prayer and Coffee at TGP 9:30am Supervisors, Jasper County Courthouse 11:30am Congregate Meals at TGP 1pm Game Time at TGP 6pm Mon American Legion 4:30pm JV, G/B BB at Roland-Story 5:45pm JV2, B BB at Roland-Story 6pm V, G BB at Roland-Story 7pm JV2, G BB at Roland-Story 7:30pm V, B BB at Roland-Story 8 Monroe Trash 11:30am Congregate Meals at TGP 1pm Get Fit, Don’t Fail at TGP 6pm PC City Council, City Hall 6pm Bingo at TGP 6:30pm Monroe Fire Dept. Meeting 6:30pm FCA Huddle 9 11:30am Congregate Meals at TGP 5:30pm Community Potluck at TGP 3pm JV/V, G/B Bowling at Pleasant Hill 5:30pm JV/V, B WR at PCM 6pm JV, B BB at Sigourney 7:15pm JV, B BB at Sigourney 6pm Level 2, JV/V, G WR at Johnston 6pm V, G BB at Montezuma 7:30pm V, B BB at Montezuma
10 11:30am Congregate Meals at TGP 2pm Piano with Jacque Robinson at TGP
2 NO SCHOOL Monroe Trash & Recycling Day 10am Downsizing Made Easy at TGP 11:30am Congregate Meals at TGP 3 NO SCHOOL 11:30am Congregate Meals at TGP 4:30pm JV, G BB vs S. Hamilton at PCM 6pm V, G BB vs S. Hamilton at PCM 7:30pm V, B BB vs S. Hamilton at PCM
news@pcmexplorer.com with your calendar item 4 8am HS Robotics League meet at Martensdale-St. Marys 10am V, B WR at Osage HS 5 1pm HS Softball & Baseball Workouts at MS 1 New
Mustangs split
HOIAC triangular, place seventh at Fort Madison
STORY CITY — PCM’s wrestling team handled its business on the mat during a road triangular against Roland-Story and Nevada on Dec. 19.
But too many forfeits against the Norse were too much to overcome during a 44-31 loss. It was the first dual loss of the season for the Mustangs, who downed Nevada 47-21 in their other Heart of Iowa Athletic Conference matchup.
The Mustangs were 8-2 in contested matches against Nevada and gave up the only two forfeits at 106 and 120. There were double forfeits at 113 and 126.
Seven of the eight wins by PCM against the Cubs (13, 1-2 in the conference) ended in first-period pins and Class 2A No. 11 Kaliber Fry (20-2) scored a 16-1 technical fall at 132.
Scoring wins by fall were Bentlee Sloan (9-9) at 138, Easton Morris at 144, Zach Richards at 150, Tucker Wheeler at 165, Jeffery McDanel at 175, Kaiden Valcore at 215 and Kaden Clark at 285.
PCM (9-1, 3-1) was 6-4 in contested matches against Roland-Story (3-3, 2-2) but gave up forfeits at 106, 113, 120 and 132.
Sloan, Wheeler (19-3) and Clark all won by first-period pin at 138, 165 and 285 and McDanel (9-6) also won by fall at 175. Harrison Brinegar won his match 14-3 at 157 and Richards (8-3) claimed a 13-8 win at 150. Sloan, 2A No. 6 Wheeler, McDanel and Clark all were 2-0 with two pins for the night. Richards also went 2-0 at 150.
Class 2A No. 4 Clark is now 20-0 with 17 pins at 285. He’s registered 15 first-period pins and five of them have come within 45 seconds.
The Mustangs competed in the conference triangular without Sawyer Bouwkamp, who is 9-4 this season. Mustangs finish seventh at Fort Madison FORT MADISON — Clark and Wheeler both won titles, Fry placed third and the Mustangs came in seventh as a team at the Fort Madison Invitational on Dec. 21. The 22-team tournament began with pool matches on Dec. 20 and the Mustangs used nine wrestlers to score 234.5 points in seventh.
Burlington Notre Dame won the tournament with 404 points. The rest of the top five included Benton Community (392.5), Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (377), Clear Creek-Amana (359.5) and Dubuque Hempstead (327).
Solon (302) was sixth with 16 wrestlers, while Cedar Rapids Kennedy (228), Ottumwa (226) and Waterloo Columbus/Winfield-Mount Union (219) completed the top 10.
PCM was the only team inside the top 10 with fewer than 10 wrestlers in the field.
Both Wheeler and Clark won their brackets with 7-0 weekends.
PCM girls take undefeated conference record into break
DES MOINES — The Class 3A No. 10 PCM girls basketball team countered a tough shooting night with a dominant effort on the boards and a fast start propelled the Mustangs to a 54-33 road win over Grand View Christian on Dec. 17 during Heart of Iowa Athletic Conference action.
The Mustangs led 19-6 after one quarter and outscored the Thunder 13-10 in the second and 13-8 in the third. Both teams scored nine points in the fourth.
PCM, which improved to 4-0 against GVC since 2018, shot 36 percent from the floor and made only 3-of-19 from 3-point range but out-rebounded its hosts 41-19.
The Mustangs (8-1, 5-0 in the conference) also turned the ball over only 11 times and connected on 5-of-8 from the free-throw line. The Thunder made 6-of-13 from 3 but committed 21 turnovers.
Libby Winters led PCM with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two steals and Tori Lindsay added 13 points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Rebecca De Vries scored a career-high 10 points and grabbed four rebounds off the bench, Lila Milani chipped in nine points, six boards, two assists and two steals and Addison Steenhoek finished with seven points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Kyra Naeve registered five boards, three assists and four steals
and reserve Holly Wood pulled down two rebounds.
Maiah Murphy led the Thunder (3-6, 1-5) with 16 points, while Addie Hackett had nine points and four rebounds.
North Mahaska 52, PCM 32 MONROE — The Mustangs scored a season low for points and a pair of subpar quarters was too much to overcome during a 52-32 non-conference home loss to 2A No. 2 North Mahaska on Dec. 16.
PCM was outscored 16-7 in the second and 15-8 in the fourth. North Mahaska had a six-point advantage from both 3 and the free-throw line.
Winters matched a career best with 17 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds for her third career double-double.
Naeve posted nine points, two assists and three steals, Lindsay chipped in three points, three boards, four assists and three steals and Milani collected three points and four rebounds.
Steenhoek swiped two steals, but the Mustangs shot 26.5 percent
from the floor, made 3-of-20 from 3 and turned the ball over 20 times.
North Mahaska (7-0) shot 35.8 percent from the floor, made 5-of-18 from 3 and connected on 9-of-12 from the foul line. The Warhawks committed 15 turnovers.
Breckyn Schilling led the hosts with 22 points, five rebounds and five assists and Nataliya Linder added 10 points and 12 boards.
PCM
60, Nevada 23
MONROE — Lindsay buried six 3s, Winters also reached double figures by halftime and Milani scored all 10 of her points in the second half during a 60-23 home win over Nevada on Dec. 20.
The Mustangs improved to 5-0 in the HOIAC thanks to dominant second and third quarters.
PCM led 12-8 after one and outscored the Cubs 9-6 in the fourth. The Mustangs dominated the middle two frames, 39-9.
The Mustangs scored their third straight win over Nevada. Both teams made eight free throws in the contest.
Lindsay led PCM with 22 points, while Winters scored 12 of her 16 in the second half and Milani finished with 10. Steenhoek put in six and Naeve scored three.
Official statistics were not available at press time.
Emilee Kelly led Nevada (3-5, 3-2) with 13 points.
Troy Hyde/PCM Explorer
PCM junior Tucker Wheeler, right, finished 7-0 and won the 157-pound bracket title at the Fort Madison Invitational this past weekend.
Troy Hyde/PCM Explorer
PCM junior Kaliber Fry, right, finished third at 126 pounds of the Fort Madison Invitational this past weekend. He also was 2-0 for the Mustangs during a conference road triangular on Dec. 19.
PCM Explorer
Troy Hyde/PCM Explorer
PCM’s two seniors — Addison Steenhoek, front right, and Rebecca De Vries, back left — have helped the Mustangs start 5-0 in the Heart of Iowa Athletic Conference this season. The team goes into winter break 8-1 and ranked 10th in Class 3A.
PCM Explorer
Lindsay Winters
PCM senior Kaleb DeVries, top, and junior Chase Wagaman (14) go up for shots inside the lane during a game earlier this season. Wagaman had 14 points and 10 rebounds in the Mustangs’ home loss to Nevada on Dec. 20 and had 10 rebounds in the team’s win over North Mahaska on Dec. 16. PCM takes a 3-4 record into the winter break.
MONROE — The PCM boys basketball team used a big second quarter to rally from an early hole and then the Mustangs held onto the lead in the second half during a 52-48 non-conference win over North Mahaska on Dec. 16. The Warhawks led by four after one quarter, but PCM dominated the second 12-5 and both teams scored 29 points in the second half.
Steenhoek scored a career-best 12 points and added three rebounds and two assists. Wendt tallied four points and eight boards, Wagaman grabbed eight rebounds and DeVries put in six points.
Cutler VandeLune led the Mustangs with 13 points and three steals, while Alex Wendt posted another double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Gavin Van Gorp finished with 10 points and two assists, Chase Wagaman scored all eight of his points in the second half and grabbed 10 boards and Kash Fischer scored five points.
Gavin Steenhoek posted four points and two rebounds and Kaleb DeVries grabbed four boards.
PCM shot 40 percent from the floor, made 7-of-21 from 3-point range and missed eight of its 14 attempts from the free-throw line. Both teams turned the ball over 11 times and the Warhawks had a 37-31 advantage in rebounds.
Asher DeBoef led the hosts with 17 points and 15 rebounds and Adrian Smith collected 10 points and five boards.
North Mahaska (5-1) shot 34 percent from the floor, made 5-of-23 from 3 and connected on 3-of-9 from the foul line.
PCM scored its second straight win over North Mahaska.
Grand View Christian 67, PCM 32 DES MOINES — The Mustangs couldn’t overcome a slow start against Grand View Christian on Dec. 17.
The Thunder made more than half of their shots from the floor, buried 11 3s and forced 16 PCM turnovers during a 67-32 home win in Heart of Iowa Athletic Conference play.
Grand View Christian led 17-4 after one and outscored PCM 23-7 in the second. The hosts won the fourth 17-10, but the Mustangs edged the Thunder in the third.
Pete Kiernan dished out two assists and swiped two steals, Jake Winters pulled down two boards and Fischer collected two steals. The Mustangs (3-4, 2-3 in the conference) shot 33.3 percent from the floor, made 2-of-11 from 3 and missed seven of their nine attempts from the foul line.
The Thunder (6-0, 5-0) got 21 points and five assists from Jameson Scharnberg and Emiliano Barrantes added 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks.
Grand View Christian sunk 52 percent of its shots from the floor, made 11-of-25 from 3 and committed nine turnovers.
Nevada 64, PCM 42 MONROE — The Cubs had a six-point advantage from behind the 3-point line and made eight more shots from the foul line during a 6442 road win over PCM on Dec. 20.
The Mustangs trailed 15-9 after one and went into halftime down nine. PCM lost the third 16-13 before Nevada pulled away for good in the fourth.
Wagaman led the hosts with another double-double. He finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Van Gorp had nine points and three boards.
VandeLune chipped in six points, two rebounds and two assists, Wendt grabbed eight rebounds, DeVries dished out four assists and Kiernan scored six points off the bench. Winters and Joe Shaver grabbed three boards each.
PCM shot 36.2 percent from the floor, made 5-of-15 from 3 and connected on 3-of-12 from the foul line. The Mustangs committed 19 turnovers.
Nevada (7-0, 5-0) got 15 points from Drake Hinson, 14 from Gavin Egeland and 10 from John Nelson.
The Cubs, who have won 11 straight games in the series, buried 11-of-21 from the foul line.
Photos by Jamie Steenhoek
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VandeLune Wendt
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finished 7-0 and won the 157-pound bracket at the Fort Madison Invitational last weekend. He also won both of his matches against Nevada and Roland-Story at a HOIAC triangular on Dec. 19. Class 2A No. 6 Wheeler is currently 21-3 and has won 13 straight matches.
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Wheeler opened with three technical fall wins and a pin on Dec. 20 and then claimed two more technical fall victories on Dec. 21 before defeating 2A No. 10 Kael Cook of Burlington Notre Dame, 12-5, in the 157 final.
Clark’s three wins in pool matches were 19-3, 10-2 and a 57-second pin. He had a first-period pin in the quarters, won his semifinal match 4-2 and then scored a first-period fall in the 285 final.
Fry was 7-1 and finished third at 126. He won twice by pin and twice by technical fall on Dec. 20 before winning his quarterfinal match by pin in 27 seconds on Dec. 21. He lost to 3A No. 7 Mitchell
Pins of Hempstead in the semifinals before concluding the tourney with a pin and an 18-3 technical fall.
Richards was fourth and finished 4-2 at 150. He won by fall and claimed a 16-0 technical fall in pool play and then split his final four matches, winning once by fall and once by an 11-4 decision.
One of Richards’ two losses came against 2A No. 4 Dirk Boyles of Burlington Notre Dame.
McDanel was sixth at 165. He opened with a win
by fall and won another match by medical forfeit.
Two of McDanel’s four losses came against 2A No. 8 Blake Wilson of Notre Dame and 2A No. 11
Blayke Heying of Benton.
Sloan was eighth at 138 but had just one win by fall.
Brinegar was 3-3 with two pins and placed 10th at 157, Valcore won twice by fall and placed 10th at
215 and Ayden Anderson scored two wins by pin and took 12th at 175.
One of Valcore’s losses was against 2A No. 9 Stryker Lettington of EBF.
Troy Hyde/PCM Explorer
PCM senior Jeffery McDanel, top, wrestles in a home match earlier this season. McDanel finished sixth at the Fort Madison Invitational this past weekend.