Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The Matchups

No. 1 Johnston (23-0) vs. No. 9 West Des Moines Dowling (18-6)

The first one two all-CIML matchups in the 5A quarterfinals these two conference rivals will meet for the third time in the past 30 days in the only regular season rematch in the 5A opening round.

Johnston won the first two meetings by 16 and 32 points on its way to an unbeaten regular season.

The Dragons are seeking a third consecutive appearance in the 5A title game in their eighth straight trip to the state tournament.

Johnson has won four straight state quarterfinals and hasn’t lost to a team other than Waukee since falling to Dowling on January 24 of 2020.

Johnston has six players averaging 6.5 points per game or more with seniors Jada Gyamfi (14.3) and Anna Gossling (11.7) leading the way.

Dowling is making its second consecutive state tournament appearance and eighth trip to Wells Fargo Arena in the past 10 seasons.

The Maroons opened the season 13-1 before going 3-5 in its final eight regular season games including a three-game losing skid to close the regular season.

Dowling rebounded with back-to-back regional wins including a 50-29 win over No. 15 Waukee Northwest in the regional final game.

Three of the top six scorers for Dowling are freshman including top scorer Ava Zediker who is averaging 13 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

No. 4 Pleasant Valley (21-2) vs. No. 5 City High (19-4)

After having a string of four consecutive state tournament appearances snapped last season City High is returning to Wells Fargo Arena for the fifth time in six seasons.

City High is 3-0 against teams in the 5A tournament field posting a pair of wins over Waterloo West and a win over West Des Moines Valley.

The Little Hawks are led by one of the top scoring duos in the state in senior Eviyon Richardson and junior Kelsey Joens who combine to average 36.8 points per game.

Joes is averaging a team-high 21.5 points while Richardson is averaging 15.3 points and leads the Little Hawks with 7.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

Senior Andie Westlake has emerged as a solid third scoring option averaging a career-high 11.5 points per game to go with 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

Pleasant Valley is seeking the first state tournament win in program history in its fourth trip to the state tournament.

The Spartans returned to the state tournament for the first time since 2010 with a 71-66 win over No. 12 Cedar Rapids Washington in the regional final.

Junior Halle Vice is the lone double-digit scorer for the Spartans at 20.7 points per game and is coming off a 30-point, nine-rebound effort in the regional final.

Pleasant Valley brings a 12-game winning streak into Monday’s quarterfinal and hasn’t lost to an in-state team since a December 7 setback at North Scott.

No. 2 Des Moines Roosevelt (20-2) vs. No. 7 West Des Moines Valley (18-5)

A couple of CIML teams each with a history of state tournament success meet in the 5A opening round.

Des Moines Roosevelt is appearing at the state tournament for the first time since making the final of five consecutive appearances in 2008.

The Roughriders reached a pair of championship games during that five-year stretch winning a title in 2006.

Roosevelt opened the season 1-2 with consecutive loss to 5A qualifiers Johnston and West Des Moines Dowling but hasn’t lost since, rattling off 19 consecutive wins.

With four players averaging better than nine points per game Roosevelt is among the most balanced offensive teams in the 5A field.

Junior Arianna Jackson leads the Roughriders with 14.1 points per game while seniors Amaya Davison (12.4) and Trinity Cheatom (10.7) are both scoring in double figures.

West Des Moines Valley returned to the state tournament for the first time since winning the 2019 title with a 50-30 win over eighth-ranked West High in the regional final.

Four of the five losses for the Tigers this season have come to 5A qualifiers including two to top-ranked Johnston and one to City High.

Valley has won five straight since a 49-42 loss at City High on January 29 winning games in that stretch by an average of 34 points.

Senior Meredith Rieker leads four Valley players averaging better than seven points per game with 12.8 while sophomore Elise Jaeger is averaging 12.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

No. 3 Ankeny Centennial (20-3) vs. No. 6 Waterloo West (21-2)

A contrast in styles in this 5A quarterfinal as one of the top scoring teams in 5A in Waterloo West meets one of the best defensive squads in Ankeny Centennial.

Waterloo West is ranked second in 5A in scoring at 65 points per game while Ankeny Centennial leads 5A in points allowed giving up just 28 points per contest.

Ankeny Centennial returns to the state tournament for the second year in a row after reaching the semifinals last season.

The Jaguars have allowed more than 40 points just five times this season and haven’t give up more than 51 in a game.

Waterloo West returns to the state tournament for the third consecutive season and enters riding a six-game winning streak.

The WaHawks have scored 60 or more points in all but four games this season and hasn’t scored less than 46 in a game all season.

Both losses this year for Waterloo West came to 5A qualifier City High and the WaHawks returned to state with a 75-52 win over Southeast Polk in the regional final.

Waterloo West is led by junior standouts Halli Poock and Sahara Williams who combine to average 43.4 points per game.

Poock leads the team with 23.7 points per game while Williams averages 19.7 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game.

The Players

City High: Kelsey Joens, 5-10, Jr. – Iowa State commit ranks third in 5A in scoring at 21.5 points per game to go with 6.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

Johnston: Jada Gyamfi, 6-2, Sr. – Iowa recruit leads a balance Johnston team with 14.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 58 percent from the field.

West Des Moines Dowling: Emma Gipple, 5-11, Sr. – The top rebounder in 5A with 12.6 per game Gipple also averages 9.6 points, 2.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 1 block per game.

Pleasant Valley: Halle Vice, 6-1, Jr. – Vice makes it all go for the Spartans averaging 20.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 1.7 assists per game.

Des Moines Roosevelt: Arianna Jackson, 5-9, Jr. – Iowa State commit leads the Roughriders in scoring (14.1), rebounds (5.7) and steals (2.4) while shooting better than 40 percent from three-point range.

West Des Moines Valley: Elise Jaeger, 6-1, Soph. – The versatile Jaeger does a little bit of everything for the Tigers averaging 12.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

Ankeny Centennial: Cleao Murry, 5-8, Sr. – Senior guard leads the Jaguars in scoring with 14.3 points per game and has made a team-high 38 three-pointers while shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc.

Waterloo West: Halli Poock, 5-6, Jr. – One of the top playmakers in the state Poock ranks second in 5A in scoring (23.7) and steals (4.5) and first in assists (5.6).

The Storylines

The Favorite

The defending 5A runner-up Dragons have established themselves as the clear front runner with a dominant run through the regular season.

Johnston has eight wins against state tournament qualifiers, including six over teams in the 5A field and enters the state tournament as one of only two unbeaten teams in any class.

The Dragons have won games by a 5A-best 33.5 points per game this season and have had just one game decided by single digits this season

The Underdog

With all eight qualifiers ranked in the top 10 in the final regular season rankings their hasn’t been a true underdog emerge in the 5A postseason.

By the nature of seeding the underdog role will be assumed by West Des Moines Dowling who will face top-ranked Johnston for the third time since January 30 in the quarterfinals.

Johnston won the first two games by 16 and 32 points so the Maroons will be seen as sizeable underdogs on Monday, a familiar situation for a team that faced eventual champion Waukee in the opening round a year ago.

The Darkhorse

Since climbing to second in the 5A rankings earlier this season City High has gone mostly under the radar.

The Little Hawks dropped back-to-back games twice this season but have also shown the ability to pull off big wins with a pair of victories over Waterloo West as well as wins over West Des Moines Valley, West High and Waukee Northwest.

City High has the talent to hang with any team in the state and if the Little Hawks are locked in on both ends can have an extended stay in Des Moines.

The Focus

Can anyone stop Johnston?

So far the answer to that question has been a resounding no as the Dragons have gone mostly unchallenged in 23 consecutive wins.

A third meeting with West Des Moines Dowling and a possible semifinal matchup with City High could pose threats to Johnston which hasn’t had a game decided by less than 16 points since December.

The Numbers 

Five Fast Facts

*– The top four scoring teams in 5A are all in the state tournament field with Johnson (70), Waterloo West (65), City High (63.3) and Des Moines Roosevelt (62.2) all average more than 62 points per game.

*– Four of the top five defensive teams in 5A are in the field with Ankeny Centennial (28), Des Moines Roosevelt (32), Pleasant Valley (35.7) and Johnston (36.5) all holding teams below 37 points per game.

*– Three of the seven players at state tournament this week average more than 20 points per game are in the 5A field. Halli Poock of Waterloo West (23.7), Kelsey Joens of City High (21.5) and Halle Vice of Pleasant Valley (20.7).

*– Half of the 5A field has won a state title in the last eight years with Johnston, West Des Moines Valley, Ankeny Centennial and West Des Moines Dowling all winning championships since 2014.

*– Three teams in the 5A field enter with winning streaks that have reached double digit games. Johnston (23 in a row), Des Moines Roosevelt (19 in a row) and Pleasant Valley (12 in a row).

The Schedule

Monday’s Quarterfinals

Johnston (23-0) vs. West Des Moines Dowling (18-6), 10 a.m.

Pleasant Valley (21-2) vs. Cit High (19-4), 11:45 a.m.

Des Moines Roosevelt (20-2) vs. West Des Moines Valley (18-5), 1:30 p.m.

Ankeny Centennial (20-3) vs. Waterloo West (21-2), 3:15 p.m.

Thursday’s Semifinals

Johnston/West Des Moines Dowling winner vs. City High/Pleasant Valley winner 10 a.m.

Des Moines Roosevelt/West Des Moines Valley winner vs. Ankeny Centennial/Waterloo West Winner, 11:45 a.m.

Friday’s Championship

Semifinal winners, 6 p.m.

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