By Ryan Murken 
Your Prep Sports 

Game of the Week 
5A No. 3 West High (7-1) vs. 4A No. 1 Pella (6-0) 

A year ago West High defeated the eventual 4A champion Mason City on Rivalry Saturday at the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids. 

This season the Women of Troy will face last year’s 4A runner-up Pella, a team that many expect to be this year’s 4A champ. 

Pella has opened the season 6-0, winning its games by an average of 19.8 points. 

Three players are averaging more than 10 points per game in a balanced Pella attack led by 5-foot-11 senior Kiara Bradley at 12.2. 

The only loss for West High is a one-point, overtime loss to City High. 

Logan Cook leads West High with 18.4 points per game while Rachael Saunders is averaging 10 points per game. 

What to Watch 

Class 2A second-ranked City High doesn’t exactly ease into the new year. 

The Little Hawks face a pair of ranked teams in the first week of 2017 sandwiched around a home Mississippi Valley Conference contest with Waterloo West. 

City High joins top-ranked Indianola as the only remained unbeaten teams in 5A and will put its perfect record on the line against No. 13 Pleasant Valley on Tuesday. 

The Little Hawks travel to 4A third-ranked Keokuk on Saturday. 

Keep An Eye On 

Tatum Koenig will try to pick up where she left off in 2017 after a red-hot finish to 2016. 

The West Branch junior was a steal away from a triple double in her final performance of 2016 and averaged 20.5 points, nine rebounds seven steals and four assists in her final two games before the holiday break. 

Koenig is averaging 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.8 steals per game this season for West Branch (6-4). 

Rankings Update 

City High was second and West High was No. 3 in the final Class 5A rankings of 2016 released by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union on December 22. 

Indianola remained atop the 5A rankings as the top five in 5A went unchanged. 

Regina held the top spot in the 2A rankings in front of No. 2 Treynor and third-ranked Western Christian. 

Other top-ranked teams include Springville (1A), Pocahontas Area (3A) and Pella (4A). 

The Schedule 
Monday Jan. 2 
Mount Pleasant (3-4) at Solon (2-6) 

Tuesday Jan. 3 
5A No. 13 Pleasant Valley (7-1) at 5A No. 2 City High (8-0) 
Solon (2-6) at Williamsburg (3-7) 
2A No. 1 Regina (8-0) at Tipton (2-6) 
Maquoketa (4-4) at Clear Creek Amana (4-4) 
West Branch (6-4) at Durant (2-8) 

Friday Jan. 6 
Dubuque Wahlert (2-8) at 5A No. 3 West High (7-1) 
Waterloo West (4-4) at 5A No. 2 City High (8-0) 
West Delaware (3-5) at Solon (2-6) 
Regina (8-0) at 2A No. 15 Bellevue (7-2) 
Williamsburg (3-7) at Clear Creek Amana (4-4) 
Northeast (4-6) at West Branch (6-4) 

Saturday Jan. 7 
5A No. 3 West High (7-1) vs. 4A No. 1 Pella (6-0) at US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids 
5A No. 2 City High (8-0) at 4A No. 3 Keokuk (3-3)