Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

WEST BRANCH – The West Branch girls basketball program has been a model of consistency under head coach Jarod Tylee.

Over the past decade West Branch has been a perennial state tournament contender winning at least 14 games in nine consecutive seasons while averaging nearly 17 wins a season and reaching the state tournament twice.

Even with that level of sustained success the first thought of West Branch as a state title contender for many basketball followers around the state came last month when the Bears appeared atop the Class 2A preseason rankings released by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

Senior guard Taya Young didn’t need preseason rankings to know West Branch was bound for special season this winter.

“Honestly you could see it before the season when we had so many girls show up to early morning conditioning,” Young said. “We had girls showing up at 6 a.m. to go on a run and when that started I knew we were going to have a special team.”

For Young’s classmate and partner in the backcourt Sasha Koenig the vision of West Branch hosting a state title trophy goes back even further.

All the way back to last February when the Bears clinched its first trip to state since 2016 with a 20-point regional final win over Van Buren.

“It started with the game to make it to state,” Koenig said. “I think that was our best game of the season, we had so many different girls step up. From there on out we had a different drive that every girl on the team, every girl on the bench is capable of more and we have a coach that will get the best out of every girl. We have so many different girls doing so much that it’s exciting.”

The mission for Young, Koenig and West Branch this season is to turn that vision into a reality.

Fueled by the disappointment of a loss to Osage in the Class 2A quarterfinals a year ago and motivated by the target that comes with a preseason number one ranking West Branch is poised to make this season one to remember.

“Our kids were fully expecting to make more of a run when we got to the state tournament last year but they also know that we aren’t the same team as we were last year,” Tylee said. “We are built a little differently and they still carry that chip and they know that we are going to get everybody’s best shot and we have to ready to compete every single night out.”

One of the biggest reasons expectations inside and outside the program are at an all-time high is the return of a talented senior-laden backcourt led by Koenig, Young and Rylan Druecker.

The senior guard trio combined to account for more than 32 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 8 steals per game last season.

“We all know each other’s style of play,” Koenig said. “I know which girl is breaking off for a fast break or I know who is a shooter and it’s nice to know where girls are going to be when I drive.”

Koenig is the engine that drives West Branch.

The senior point guard is one of the top playmakers in the state.

Last season Koenig averaged 15.2 points and ranked eighth in the state with 5.7 assists per game.

With Young and Druecker the Bears have players that not only complement the play of Koenig but push the Bradley recruit to be better.

“We just like to make each other better,” Young said. “I think the chemistry is really good. We all get along really well and we know each other’s styles. We have different styles and it works with us.”

Druecker averaged 9 points per game last season and Young 8 points and 2.8 steals. Both senior guards along with 6-foot-2 junior post player Delaynie Luneckas should see their numbers soar this season.

“I think it’s their experience that is the biggest thing we have, they have been through most of those moments and they have played a lot of basketball,” Tylee said. “We have two kids that have started games for four years and another kid that has started games for three years. Those are all experienced guard players so that’s definitely going to help us when we get into tough situations.”

Ever since West Branch led a halftime lead slip away in a 50-43 loss to eventual 2A runner-up Osage at the state tournament last season the internal expectation has been a return trip to state.

Even with the preseason hype of a number one ranking that loss at the state tournament from a year ago, in which West Branch led by double digits in the first half, is enough to keep the Bears grounded.

“We definitely have a chip on our shoulder,” Young said. “It was nice to get the feeling of going to state and playing a game their finally but we are definitely looking to go even further this year.”

West Branch had never started a season ranked number one until this year when the initial IGHSAU rankings had the Bears in front of Maquoketa Valley, Denver, South Central Calhoun and defending champion North Linn in its November 19 preseason edition.

That same night Tylee addressed the number one ranking with his team.

“He told us that we have to prove it,” Koenig said. “I think he did a good job of explaining that we have a target on our back and we are going to get everyone’s best shot. At the same time they are going to get the best of us every time so it’s perfect.”

Tylee was quick to point out state championships aren’t awarded in November but said he did make sure his team appreciated what a number one ranking means for the program.

A program that Tylee has helped to built into a state title contender.

“I’m not going to just push it to the side because it is cool and our kids deserve it and they deserve to enjoy it,” Tylee said. “I am no history buff by any means but I would venture to guess it has to be one of the only times not just the West Branch basketball program but an athletic program has ever been ranked number one outside of our football team. Maybe a few here and there but it hasn’t happened very often but it is pretty cool.”

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