Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The holiday break marks the unofficial halfway point of the season for high school girls basketball teams.

With nearly two months remaining before the start of the state tournament the most important part of the season still remains.

Before play resumes for Your Prep Sports teams in January we take a look back at the start of the season and had out some midseason hardware.

Team With the Best Resume

Solon

For the second year in a row there may not be a team in the state with a better pre-holiday resume than the Spartans.

Class 3A top-ranked Solon (9-1) has four wins over ranked teams including a pair of victories over top-five ranked opponents.

The Spartans have wins over Class 1A third-ranked Martensdale-St. Marys (7-3), Class 2A top-ranked Dike-New Hartford (8-1), 4A No. 11 Marion (8-2) and 3A No. 14 Williamsburg (5-3).

Solon also has wins over 5A City High and 3A Mid-Prairie (6-3).

The lone loss for Solon is to 4A second-ranked Clear Creek Amana.

Best Win

Clear Creek Amana over Solon

Clear Creek Amana is off to its own impressive start (more of that later) and its best win in an 8-0 pre-holiday start is against 3A top-ranked Solon.

The 58-37 win for Clear Creek Amana in Solon on December 12 is the lone loss of the season for the Spartans and one of three wins over ranked teams.

Clear Creek Amana outscored Solon 38-10 in the second half, including 24-2 in the fourth quarter, and shot 54 percent in the 21-point win.

Best Game

City High over West High

The series between cross-town rials rarely disappoints and the latest meeting between City High and West High once again lived up to the hype.

West High used a fourth-quarter surge to erase a late deficit and earn its fourth straight victory over City High 63-57 on December 22 in the first of two regular season meeting between the two teams.

Best Start

Clear Creek Amana

If Solon doesn’t own the best current resume in the area then it belongs to Clear Creek Amana which is one of 16 remaining unbeaten teams in the state.

Clear Creek Amana (8-0) is the only team in the state with wins over two currently top-ranked teams with victories over 1A No. 1 North Linn and 3A top-ranked Solon.

The Clippers also boast a 25-point win over 3A No. 10 Benton Community and wins over 5A teams West High and City High.

Best Individual Game

Grace Fincham against City High

A two-year starter and the top scorer for West High this season Fincham had the best game of her career in the final game before break.

Fincham scored a career-high 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting and grabbed six rebounds in a 63-57 win over City High that was the fourth straight victory for West High in the series.

Player That Has Put Themselves on Opponent’s Radar

Liberty High sophomore Natalie Ramsey

A bright spot for the Lightning during an injury-riddled opened month of the season Ramsey has established herself as a rising star in her first varsity season.

The 5-foot-11 Ramsey leads the Lightning in scoring and rebounding averaging 13.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game helping Liberty High to a 3-6 start.

Ramsey also averages 1.7 steals per game and is shooting 48 percent from the floor including 33 percent from the 3-point range.

Player that Has Stepped Up

Clear Creek Amana sophomore Averie Lower

Lower made an immediate impact last season averaging 11.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game during an impressive debut season.

Early this season Lower has taken her game to another level emerging as one of the top guards in Class 4A.

Lower is averaging a team-high 17.9 points per game for the unbeaten Clippers while posting career-highs of 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.

The 5-foot-11 Lower is shooting an eye-popping 63 percent from the field including an astronomical 57 percent (27-of-47) from 3-point range during her stellar start.

Player We Aren’t Talking About Enough

Regina junior Morgan Miller

Miller was an all-stater a year ago and is unquestionably the headliner for Class 2A third-ranked Regals but the start for the junior guard has still flown a bit under the radar.

The 5-foot-6 Miller is averaging 20.8 points, 5.2 steals, 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game and has been efficient shooting 58 percent from the floor including 39 percent (25-64) from 3-point range.

Biggest Individual Surprise

City High freshman Kaitlin Loria

Loria has quickly yet somewhat quietly got off to a stellar start while carving out her own role on a young and talented City High roster.

The freshman forward ranks third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding while helping the Little Hawks to a 3-6 start.

Loria is averaging 11.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 59 percent from the floor.

Mid-Season Freshman of the Year

Sasha Baldwin

It hasn’t taken long for Baldwin to make a major impact in her first varsity season.

The West High freshman has scored in double digits in six of her first nine career games and ranks second on the team in scoring while helping the Trojans to a 5-4 record.

Baldwin is averaging 12.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in her debut season while shooting 42 percent from the floor including 39 percent (20-51) from 3-point range.

Mid-Season MVP

Solon senior Callie Levin

Levin has been the catalyst on both ends of the court for top-ranked Solon this season leading the Spartans in scoring, steals, and assists and ranking second on the team in rebounds.

The Iowa recruit is averaging 20.8 points, 6.9 rebounds 6 steals and 4.8 assists per game while helping the Spartans to 9-1 start.

Levin ranks in third in 3A in points per game, leads 3A in steals and ranks seventh in assists.

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