Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

In the days leading up to the girls state basketball tournament several City High players explained the only way to be prepared for the bright lights of Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines and the state tournament is having played at the state tournament before.

City High junior Ella Cook had the previous state tournament experience that her teammates described as vital in overcoming the emotion that comes with competing on the state’s biggest stage.

However, Cook also had the additional benefit of state experience in two other sports.

Cook was a starter on the City High softball team that reached the state tournament the past two seasons and also owns a medal from the state track and field meet.  

“This was something where being a multi-sport athlete helps me because I’ve been to state in two other sports and I think that experience really helped me be calm and collected here,” Cook said after an opening round win over Cedar Rapids Prairie. “I didn’t get too nervous.”

Cook played in four state tournament games in her first two seasons and was a starter in a quarterfinal loss to West Des Moines Valley last season.

That basketball experience along with trips to the state track meet and state softball tournament helped Cook play the best basketball of her career at the right time.

Cook averaged 12 points and seven rebounds per game in a pair of state tournament games earlier this month helping City High reach the 5A semifinals for the second time in three seasons.  

“Having those experiences helps,” Cook said. “It shows that I can handle it and I can come up big for my team. It helps my confidence.”

In her first four state tournament appearances Cook scored 16 combined points and grabbed nine rebounds.

She nearly surpassed those totals in an opening round win over Cedar Rapids Prairie this season scoring 13 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

“She showed that she has been here for three years,” City High coach Bill McTaggart said. “She really did a nice job on the board and had some nice put backs. She was excellent.”

Cook made five of six field goals in the win over Prairie and went 3-of-4 at the free throw adding a steal, a block and an assist in the Little Hawks’ 59-40 win.

“She was huge giving us another scoring option like that,” City High senior Aubrey Joens said of Cook. “They have to come out and guard her and she was huge on the boards, she got a lot of offensive rebounds and that was big.

Cook added 10 points and five rebounds in a semifinal loss to Johnston.

The 5-foot-11 finished the season averaging 5.8 points and 1.8 steals per game while leading the Little Hawks with 6.4 rebounds per contest.

“It may be getting rebounds and put backs or getting rebounds and creating shots for other players so it depends on how the game is going,” Cook said of role on the team. “Crashing the boards is always a big thing for me.”

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