Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The first look at the postseason paths for girls basketball teams came last week with the release of the regional pairings for Classes 1A, 2A and 3A.

On Wednesday the two largest classes in the state saw their road to the state tournament.

Class 4A and 5A regional brackets were released on Wednesday set the stage for the postseason to get underway this week with every team battling for a spot at the state tournament set to run from February 27 to March 4 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Here is a quick look at the postseason paths for the four Your Prep Sports area teams in Class 5A and 4A.

A Potential Test for Liberty High

The Liberty High program has grown by leaps and bounds over the past several years under head coach Jamie Brandt.

After winning 20 games in the first four seasons combined the Lightning have 25 wins over the past two seasons, setting single game school records for wins each of the past two seasons.

“Our growth the last couple of years has been really fun and it’s really special to be able to be part of this team,” senior guard Avery Gaudet said. “It’s kind of incredible how far we’ve come.”

Liberty High has come a long way over the last two seasons but it will be a matter of how far the Lightning have come in the past two months that will determine if they reach new heights this season.

No. 10 Liberty High (13-6) opens Class 5A, Region 7 play at home on February 18 against Ottumwa (12-7).

Awaiting in the regional title game is likely a trip to seventh-ranked Southeast Polk (13-6) which will host the winner of Cedar Rapids Jefferson (8-13) and Cedar Rapids Washington (1-19) in the other semifinal.

A rematch with the Rams would be a test of how much growth the Lightning have made in a few months.

Southeast Polk won at Liberty High 54-35 on November 28 holding the Lightning to 15 second-half points and 23 percent shooting in the game while amassing a 44-25 rebounding edge.

Over the last month Liberty High has played as well as any team in 5A.

Liberty High has won 4 in a row and six of seven and has four wins over ranked teams in that stretch.

“We have improved so much on defense,” Liberty High senior Jasmine Barney said. “I think we’ve taken the time to work on our one-on-one defense and we are really playing good defense right now.”

Two wins are all that stand in the way of Liberty High and the first state tournament appearance in program history.

“It would be awesome,” Barney said. “This is my senior year and I want to go out by going to state.”

West High Goes West

It hasn’t been uncommon in recent years for eastern Iowa teams to be paired with teams from the central part of the state.

In fact West High has faced a Des Moines area opponent in a regional final in three of the past four seasons and five times since 2015.

Joining Sioux City teams in a regional is new territory for an Iowa City program, at least in recent history.

That is the case for No. 13 West High (14-6) which landed in a Class 5A, Region 4 bracket that also features Sioux City North (4-17) and Sioux City West (8-12).

Before anyone begins picking apart the potential travel keep in mind an Iowa City to Sioux City trek is unlikely in this bracket.

The winner of the opening-round game between Sioux City North and Sioux City West would travel to fourth-ranked West Des Moines Dowling (15-4) for a semifinal while West High hosts Des Moines Roosevelt (14-7) in the semifinals.

This draw is a challenge for West High starting on February 18 against a Des Moines Roosevelt team that has won five in a row.

A trip to Dowling for the potential regional title game would mark the second year in a row West High went to West Des Moines for a regional championship after falling at 50-30 at West Des Moines Valley last season.

An Opening-round Rematch for City High

City High (5-13) will get a rematch with Muscatine in its postseason opener.

The Little Hawks will face Muscatine (4-15) in a Class 5A, Region 5 opening-round contest at City High on February 16 at 7 p.m.

City High defeated the Muskies 66-30 back on December 10 in a game in which Augie Palmer and Emmy McComas combined for 46 points.

A second win this season over Muscatine would set up a semifinal matchup with fifth-ranked Davenport North (18-2).

The only losses for Davenport North this season are setbacks by two and nine points to top-ranked an unbeaten Pleasant Valley.

No. 12 Ankeny (11-9) is the second seed in Region 5 and hosts Waukee Northwest (7-11) in a semifinals.

Clear Creek Amana Can Host It’s Way to State

Clear Creek Amana has never celebrated a regional title win on its home floor.

When the Clippers secured the first state tournament berth in program history in 2020 they did so with an upset at Marion.

If Clear Creek Amana takes care of business this season it could host a regional final and potentially celebrate a trip to state in its own gym.

Seventh-ranked Clear Creek Amana (15-4) is the top seed in Class 4A, Region 7 and will host the winner of Fort Madison (13-6) and Mount Pleasant (11-11) in a regional semifinal on February 18.

If Clear Creek Amana is the highest seed to advance to the regional title game it would host.

No. 11 North Scott (11-9) is the second seed meaning as long as Clear Creek Amana takes care of business in a regular season finale with Marion and its regional semifinal the Clippers should play a home game for a spot at state.

That is no small detail for Clear Creek Amana which lost a regional final at Central DeWitt last season.

North Scott would certainly be a formidable foe if it can advance past the winner of Keokuk (15-5) and Burlington (4-13).

The Lancers have won four of their last five with a win over No. 10 Central DeWitt in that stretch.

Clear Creek Amana defeated North Scott 46-39 in a regional semifinal last season.

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