Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

A player as versatile as Tatum Koenig creates an interesting question for a coach.

What is it that Koenig does as a basketball player that is most important for the team?

Was it her scoring? Her defense? Her rebounding or assists?

For West Branch coach Jarod Tylee that question is actually fairly easy.

It’s none of those things.   

“I think the most important thing when I sit back and think about it is she has just been the role model of what we want for kids in our program,” Tylee said of Koenig. “She is an incredible teammate, she puts the time and the work in and she is a good student. She is the perfect example of the people you want in your program.”

That versatility made Koenig one of the best players in program history and on Tuesday it made her an all-state pick.

Koenig was named to the Class 2A first team when the newly formed Iowa Print Sports Writers Association released its inaugural all-state teams.

The 5-foot-7 senior joined Regina junior Alex Wiese on the Class 2A first team while junior Regina senior guard Mary Crompton was a third-team pick.

Koenig ranked 15th in the state in scoring at 21.2 points per game and closed her career the all-time leading scorer in West Branch history.

“From the point scoring side of it you knew going into every game that the other team is gearing their entire defense to stop her and she still averages over 21 points per game,” Tylee said. “I think she only had one game in single digits the entire season.”

It was her versatility that made Koenig one of the best players in 2A.

The Bradley recruit ranked second on the team in rebounding (5) and led West Branch (17-7) in assists (5.3) and steals (3.7).

“I think the two most impressive stats to me were her assists and her steals,” Tylee said. “She led the conference in both during the regular season and it just shows the trust that she had in her teammates that didn’t have the same experience as her.”

Wiese earned first-team honors for the first time in her career following a junior season in which she averaged a double-double with 15.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.

She helped lead Regina to a 21-5 record, a 10th straight conference title and a fourth consecutive state tournament appearance.

“The number one thing that really makes her stand apart is her leadership,” Regina coach Jeff Wallace said. “She is a fantastic leader and a team-first girl.”

The 6-foot junior shot a team-high 58 percent from the field and shot 70 percent from the free throw line on a team-high 97 attempts.

Wiese set a Regina single-game record with 25 rebounds in a win over West Branch and had 14 double-doubles in 23 games this season.

“She just continues to get more physical with her play and is an elite rebounder,” Wallace said. “She really tried to expand her offensive game in the post. I think that was evident because she got more attention this year even more than she did last year from opposing defenses.”

Crompton missed the first nine games of the season but returned in January to lead Regina in scoring at 18.4 points per game.

An Illinois State signee, Crompton closes her career as the all-time leading scorer at Regina with 1,490 points.

“She is going to go down as one of the great shooters to ever play at Regina and maybe the greatest but she has really expanded her overall game,” Wallace said. “She is able to drive the ball and you saw that in the state tournament game. She really expanded her game.

Crompton shot 44 percent from 3-point range and 88 percent from the free throw line this season.

The 5-foot-8 guard had at least 15 points in each of her final seven games including a team-high 20 in a state quarterfinal loss to Grundy Center.

“She had a tough season physically but she really tried to rally us together,” Wallace said. “She wasn’t 100 percent a majority of the time this year but she did a great job of piecing together a solid season for us.”

Clear Creek Amana sophomore Karsyn Stratton was a third-team pick in Class 4A to earn all-state honors for the first time.

Stratton ranked second in 4A in scoring at 21.9 points per game and led Clear Creek Amana in rebounding (7.5) and blocked shots and was second in assists (1.9) and steals (1.6).

2018 Iowa Print Sports Writers Association All-State Teams

Class 5A

First Team – Ashley Joens, Sr., City High; Grace Berg, Sr., Indianola; Caitlin Clark, Soph., West Des Moines Dowling; Logan Cook, Sr., West High; Zoe Young, Jr., West Des Moines Valley; Maggie McGraw, Jr., Indianola; Emerson Green, Soph., Cedar Falls; Ellie Spelhaug, Sr., Pleasant Valley.

Second Team – Maya McDermott, Soph., Johnston; Grace Larkins, Fr., Southeast Polk; Rachael Saunders, Sr., West High; Anna Brown, Jr., Waukee; Rose Nkumu, Soph., City High; Hailey Dolphin, Sr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Kamryn Finley, Sr., Cedar Falls; Chloe Olson, Sr., Ankeny Centennial.

Third Team – Kiana Barney, Sr., Cedar Falls; Cynthia Wolf, Sr., Cedar Falls; Josie Filer, Jr. West Des Moines Dowling; Aubrey Joens, Soph., City High; Sidney McCrea, Soph., Cedar Rapids Prairie; Jenna Johnson, Sr., Johnston; Kira Arthofer, Sr., Pleasant Valley; Cailyn Morgan, Jr., West High.

Class 4A

First Team – Megan Meyer, Jr., Mason City; Chloe Rice, Sr., Marion; Kayba Laube, Soph., Marion; Sienna Durr, Sr., Grinnell; Maegan Holt, Sr., Lewis Central; Madison Dreckman, Jr., LeMars; Allie Wooldridge, Sr., Center Point-Urbana; Amber Nicole Buch, Sr., Fairfield.

Second Team – Grace Boffeli, Soph., North Scott; Caitlynn Daniels, Soph., Cedar Rapids Xavier; Caitlynne Shadle, Sr., Boone; Kameron Moore, Sr., Grinnell; Jenna Borchers, Sr., Dallas Center-Grimes; Keeley Petzenhauser, Sr., Spencer; Katelyn Stanley, Soph., Sioux City Heelan; Abby Wisecup, Jr., Sergeant Bluff-Luton.

Third Team – Emily Holtenhaus, Jr., Pella; Katie Keitges, Soph., Knoxville; Megan Witte, Soph., Lewis Central; Adrianna Katcher, Soph., Center Point-Urbana; Karsyn Stratton, Soph., Clear Creek Amana; Mia Laube, Sr., Boone; Claire Sandvig, Sr., Boone; Michaela Davis, Sr., Keokuk.

Class 3A

First Team – Lexi Toering, Sr., Sioux Center; Isabelle Gradwell, Sr., West Marshall; Shannon Pisney, Sr., Crestwood, Sharon Goodman, Soph., Crestwood; Jessica Musgrave, Jr., South Tama; Lexy Koudelka, Sr., Nevada; Ivy Swarthout, Sr., Chariton; Maddie Jones, Jr., South Central Calhoun.

Second Team – Paityn Hagberg, Sr., Cherokee; Jordan Van Maanen, Sr., Sioux Center; Logan Hughes, Jr., Shenandoah; Lauren Ries, Sr., Monticello; Makenzie Northup, Jr., Central Lee; Maggie Phipps, Fr., North Polk; Taylor Houska, Jr., East Sac County; Ellie Friesen, Sr., Crestwood.

Third Team – Jenna Clark, Sr., Roland-Story; Taylor McDonald, Sr., Monticello; Hannah Anderson, Sr., Forest City; Addie Rath, Sr., Mid-Prairie; Kassidy Pingel, Jr., Cherokee; Regan Freland, Soph., PCM; Sara Faber, Soph., Clear Lake; Carlye Brown, Sr., Davenport Assumption.

Class 2A

First Team – Ashtyn Veerbeek, Sr., Western Christian; Alex Wiese, Jr., Iowa City Regina; Sam Wall, Jr., Maquoketa Valley; Tatum Koenig, Sr., West Branch; Taryn Scheurmann, Soph., Van Buren; Ashley Tull, Sr., North Linn; Kayla Chapman, Jr., Treynor; Nicole McDermott, Soph., Cascade.

Second Team – Kaylee Parks, Sr., Central Springs; Hailey Wallis, Jr., Grundy Center; Madelyn Deitchler, Sr., Treynor; Bailey Beckman, Jr., Panorama; Chloe Lofstrom, Soph., North Union; Maya Johnson, Jr., Mediapolis; Ellie Foster, Soph., Dike-New Hartford; Maci Gambell, Sr., Pekin.

Third Team – Mackenzie Rogers, Sr., Mediapolis; Grace Flanagan, Soph., North Linn; Mary Crompton, Sr., Iowa City Regina; Autum Barthelman, Sr., Sigourney; Dani Boettscher, Sr., Sioux Central; Sam Stewart, Soph., Mount Ayr; Kia Rasmussen, Sr., IKM-Manning; Konnor Sudmann, Jr., Treynor.

Class 1A

First Team – Mikayla Nachazel, Sr., Springville; Rylee Menster, Sr., Springville; Jenna Boelter, Sr., Algona Garrigan; Olivia Larsen, Jr., Newell-Fonda; Alli Masters, Jr., Central Decatur; Sophia Peppers, Sr., Exira-EHK; Emilee Danner, Sr., Ar-We-Va; Addison Hirschman, Sr., Kingsley-Pierson.

Second Team – Mandy Willems, Sr., AGWSR; Rachael Leerar, Fr., West Hancock; Aubrie Fisher, Jr., AGWSR; Kassidi Steel, Soph., North Mahaska; Lexee Hartsock, Sr., Winfield-Mount Union; Carah Drees, Jr., Westwood; Emma Atwood, Jr., Central Decatur; Peyton Olson, Sr., Mason City Newman.

Third Team – Shateah Wetering, Soph., Montezuma; Amanda Chizek, Soph., West Hancock; Carson Fisk, Jr., Lynnville-Sully; Acey Jellison, Jr., Seymour; Kealy Nelson, Sr., Exira-EHK; Blaire Steenhoek, Jr., Southeast Warren; Katie Sobotka, Sr., Diagonal; Ashley Schwartzhoff, Sr., Kee.