Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The boys basketball season in Iowa came to a close last week with state championship trophies handed out in all four classes on Friday.

With the season now in the rearview mirror we take a moment to look back at some of the best performances, players, coaches and moments from another outstanding season in the Your Prep Sports area.

Best individual performance: Pete Moe against Linn-Mar. The West High big man made a habit of stuffing the stat sheet in his two seasons in Iowa City but Moe was at his best against the Lions pouring in 33 points on 11-of-20 shooting, grabbing 15 rebounds and handing out five assists.

Best individual performance part 2: Carter Leick against Tipton. The Regina senior came up huge in a 51-48 win over the Tigers posting an 18-point, 17-rebound double-double and grabbing two steals and adding an assist.

Best team performance: West Branch at Solon. The final offensive numbers aren’t exactly a thing of beauty (47% shooting, 8 assists, 9 turnovers) and a 43-32 final score hardly screams performance of the season but from an execution of the game plan standpoint West Branch was nearly flawless from start to finish on both ends of the court in a win over a Class 3A substate finalist.

Comeback player of the year: West High senior Christian Barnes. The senior point guard returned from an injury that sidelined him until January to average 8.3 points and a team-high 3.9 assists per game for the Trojans.

Coach of the year: Brandon Clubb at Clear Creek Amana. The Clippers graduated four senior starters from last year’s squad and returned just 28 percent of its scoring production from a year ago but still went 16-8, finished runner-up in the WAMAC West Division and reached the Class 3A substate final.

Best comeback: West High against City High. The Trojans trailed their cross-town rival 34-22 at halftime, by as many as 14 in the third quarter and were down five with under four minutes to play before scoring the final six points in a 68-62 win.

Best game: Liberty High at West High. From a large and vocal crowd that created an excellent environment to a second-half rally, late-game drama and strong individual efforts this game between cross-town rivals had it all. Liberty High rallied from an early deficit and held on late for a 58-55 road win.

Best buzzer beater: Luke Ramsey against Cedar Rapids Jefferson. The NBA-range, top of the key three from Ramsey that just beat the horn did more than give Liberty High a 61-60 win over the J-Hawks it snapped a four-game losing skid for the Lightning and reversed the course of a few early-season near misses.

Best individual play: Ramsey against Linn-Mar. Right back to Ramsey who pulled off perhaps the play of the year to beat Linn-Mar. The junior guard intercepted a pass and raced into the front court where he banked in a game-winning 35-footer to give the Lightning a 50-47 win over the Lions.

Breakthrough performer: Liberty High junior Da’Shon Fisher. A seldom used backup as a sophomore Fisher absolutely exploded onto the scene as a junior emerging as one of the top players in the Mississippi Valley Conference while averaging 17.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

Emerging star: West Branch sophomore Holden Arnaman. On his way to becoming one of the best lead guards around the 6-foot-1 Arnaman made a big jump as a sophomore leading the Bears in both scoring (15.7) and assists (5.4) to go with 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.

Most improved: City High junior Shamar Benton. After seeing limited playing time as a sophomore last season Benton blossomed in an extended role this season ranking second on the team with 11.4 points and adding 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

Most versatile: City High senior Jamari Newson. On both ends of the floor, in the half court or transition, in the paint or on the perimeter there simply isn’t a lot that Newson can’t do. The senior guard led City High in scoring (13.8), rebounds (6.5), assists (3.9) and steals (2.6) for the second year in a row.

Unsung hero: Solon senior Jacob Timmons. As with any unsung hero the stats don’t pop out for Timmons who averaged 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. However, the senior forward did all the things that win basketball games which is a big reason the Spartans won six of their final nine games and returned to the substate finals for the second consecutive season.

Hardest worker: West Branch sophomore Reese Trepanier. There are bigger, faster and more skilled post players out their than Trepanier but good luck finding one that works harder than the 6-foot West Branch forward. Trepanier averaged 7.3 points and 6 rebounds per game and led the Bears with 1.7 steals per contest.

Best under the radar player: West Branch senior Brady Knoop. Overshadowed a bit by his sophomore backcourt mate Arnaman, Knoop quietly had a stellar senior season averaging 10.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 39 percent from three-point range.

Defensive player of the year: Solon senior Kinnick Pusteoska. On a team built around defense the 6-foot-5 Pusteoska was one of the cornerstones with his ability to neutralize opposing post players. Pusteoska led the Spartans in rebounds (6.9) and was second on the team in both steals and blocked shots.

Newcomer of the year: West High sophomore Jacob Koch. In his first varsity season Koch provided an immediate boost to the West High backcourt averaging 8.6 points and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 40 percent from three-point range while leading the Trojans with 42 made triples.

Newcomer of the year part 2: Solon sophomore Jake Benzing. After being inserted into the varsity lineup in the middle of the season Benzing had an instant impact leading the Spartans in scoring at 9.7 points per game to go with 3.1 rebounds while shooting a team-best 83 percent from the free throw line.

Bench player of the year: Clear Creek Amana senior Gage Freeman. Freeman spent some time in the starting lineup this season but was instant energy and production when he came off the bench averaging 5.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals.

Freshman of the year: It didn’t take long for Jack McCaffery to make an impact as the talented West High freshman forward scored 19 points on 6-of-6 shooting in his varsity debut. That performance was just the start for the 6-foot-8 McCaffery who averaged 9.9 points, 5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a freshman.

Most valuable player: West High senior Pete Moe. For the second consecutive season Moe was an absolute force on both ends of the court averaging 21.2 points, 9.1 rebounds 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1 blocked shot per game while shooting 61 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line.

Most valuable player part 2: Clear Creek Amana senior Ben Swails. No player in the area meant more to the success of their team than Swails who led the Clippers with 17.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. In his first season as a starter Swails shot 52 percent from the floor, including 42 percent from 3-point range and averaged 1.6 steals and 1.5 assists per game.

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