Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The Your Prep Sports area girls basketball teams honors five of the top area players for their performance this season.

The 2020 edition of the Your Prep Sports area team features all-state and all-conference selections, Division I recruits, state tournament qualifiers, school record holders and 1000-point scorers.

There are four repeat selections on this year’s team including the first ever three-time member of the Your Prep Sports area team in Clear Creek Amana senior Karsyn Stratton.

City High senior Aubrey Joens is the captain of the Your Prep Sports area squad for the second consecutive season after ranking in the top four in scoring in Class 5A for the second straight season.

Aubrey Joens (Captain)

5-10, Sr., City High

Already considered one of the top players in the state Joens put the finishing touches on a stellar prep career with a standout senior season.

Joens ranked in the top four in scoring in Class 5A for the second year in a row, averaging 20.2 points per game while scoring 500 points for the second consecutive season.

The 5-foot-10 Joens finished her career with 1,569 points and 471 rebounds after scoring 1,011 points and grabbing 293 rebounds over the past two seasons while earning first-team all-state honors from the Iowa Girls Coaches Association and Iowa Print Sports Writers Association both seasons.

Joens shot 47 percent from the field including 38 percent from 3-point range and 83 percent from the free throw line and ranked in the top 10 in 5A in both made 3-pointers (59) and free throws (87).

An Iowa State recruit, Joens ranked third on the team with 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game and was second on the team with 3 steals per game helping City High to a 23-2 record and a spot in the 5A state semifinals.

Joens scored in double figures 23 times this season and in 44 of her final 47 prep games, putting up more than 20 points 15 times as a senior including a pair of games with more than 30 points.

In the final two games of her career Joens averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds in a pair of games at the state tournament.

Rose Nkumu

5-9, Sr., City High

One of the best playmakers in the state Nkumu concluded a brilliant prep career with a resume that stacks up with the best in City High history.

A four-year starter at point guard, Nkumu scored 1,313 career points and leaves City High as the program’s career leader in both assists (381) and steals (329).

Nkumu had her best season as a senior averaging 14.2 points on 53 percent field goal shooting while leading Class 5A with 5.6 assists per game and ranking second in 5A with 4 steals per contest.

A Marquette recruit, Nkumu led the state with a 5-to-1 assist to turnover ratio and her 28 turnovers were 11 fewer than any other player in 5A with more than 90 assists.  

No other player in the state with more than 75 assists had fewer turnovers than Nkumu who had seven games with seven or more assists.

A second team all-state pick by Iowa Print Sports Writers Association for the third year in a row Nkumu scored double figures in 22 of 25 games and had single-game season highs of 26 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and eight steals.

Karsyn Stratton

5-8, Sr., Clear Creek Amana

A four-time all-state pick Stratton lands on the Your Prep Sports area team for the third straight season after capping a stellar career with an impressive senior season.

Stratton ranked fifth in Class 4A in scoring with 20.7 points per game, her third consecutive season as a top-five scorer in 4A.

The all-time leading scorer in Clear Creek Amana history with 1,679 points, Stratton was as efficient and as consistent as ever during her final season.

Stratton shot a career-best 54 percent from the field and 67 percent from the free throw line while scoring in double figures 23 times including 15 games with 20 or more points.

A Kirkwood recruit, Stratton averaged 5.4 rebounds per game and led the Clippers with 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals per contest while helping Clear Creek Amana to its most successful season in program history.

Stratton was a first-team all-state pick by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association after leading the Clippers to a school-record 19 wins and their first ever trip to the state tournament.

The 5-foot-8 Stratton averaged 24.5 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in a pair of regional wins.

Sasha Koenig

5-5, Jr., West Branch

The only newcomer to this year’s Your Prep Sports area team Koenig becomes the second member of her family to be selected to the team joining older sister Tatum who was a member of the first two YPS teams.

Koenig established herself as one of the state’s top playmaking point guards this season averaging a team-high 15.2 points per game while ranking third in Class 2A with 5.7 assists per contest.

A Bradley recruit, Koenig is one of the top all-around point guards in the state averaging 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game while helping West Branch to a 21-4 record, a River Valley Conference South Division title and its first state tournament berth since 2016.

Koenig scored in double figures 19 times this season while earning first-team all-state honors for the first time from both the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association and Iowa Girls Coaches Association.

Audrey Koch

5-10, Jr., West High

Koch solidified her status as one of the top players in the state by following up a breakthrough sophomore season with an even more impressive junior campaign.

A versatile threat that can score from all three levels, Koch ranked eighth in 5A in scoring averaging a career-best 18.5 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range.

Where Koch excelled the most was getting to the free throw line, ranking second in 5A in free throw attempts (139) and third in makes (113) while shooting 81 percent from the line.

A Class 5A second-team all-state pick by both the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association and Iowa Girls Coaches Association, Koch scored in double figures 22 times this season including 10 games with 20 or more points.

The 5-foot-10 Koch added 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game to help West High to a 14-10 record and a spot in a 5A regional final.

Koch was at her best in the postseason averaging 17 points and eight rebounds in three regional contests.

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