Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The holiday break marks the unofficial halfway point of the season for girls basketball teams in Iowa.

With approximately six weeks remaining before the start of the postseason and two months away from the start of the state tournament the most important games of the season remain.

Before play resumes for area teams in January Your Prep Sports takes a look back at the first month of the season and hand out some mid-season awards.

Team With the Best Resume

West High

The Trojans are off to a 7-3 start that includes a 1-1 showing against out-of-state competition in Minnesota last month.

Off the eight games for West High against in-state opponents five have come against ranked teams and the Trojans are 3-2 in those games with wins 3A third-ranked Dubuque Wahlert, 4A No. 12 Clear Creek Amana and 5A ninth-ranked City High.

Both losses for West High are to top-10 ranked teams on the road in Cedar Falls and Waukee Northwest.

Best Win

West High over City High

Rivalry wins are always big.

Looking past the rivalry element of West High’s 63-46 victory over City High it still ranks as the best victory for an area team so far this season.

City High had won five straight before the loss at West High on December 20 and followed up the win with a resounding victory at Marion the following day.
The Little Hawks are a legit top-15 team in 5A and West High controlled the final 24 minutes of that game giving the Trojans a signature pre-break win.

Best Game

Solon over Cascade

Solon made the plays late in a 44-41 win at Class 2A No. 11 Cascade that ranks as one of the best wins of the season for area teams.

The Spartans erased a seven-point first-quarter deficit and outscored the Cougars 6-3 over the final three minutes to secure the win in a game that was tied with 2:40 remaining.

Best Start

Regina

One of only 23 remaining unbeaten teams in the state Regina has been dominant during an 8-0 start to the season that has vaulted the Regals to third in the Class 2A rankings.

Regina has won its eight games by an average of 37.8 points per game, has had only one game decided by less than 20 points and hasn’t had a game closer than nine points.

The best win for the Regals came in their opener, a 79-59 victory at 5A Cedar Rapids Kennedy (3-4).

Best Individual Game

Sasha Baldwin against City High

Baldwin has been excellent all season but may not have ever been better than she was in a 17-point win over City High.

The sophomore guard missed a triple double by a pair of assists putting up 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in the 63-46 win on December 20.

Baldwin was 8-of-15 from the floor, made 4-of-9 3-pointers and had a steal and just two turnovers in the win.

Player That Has Put Themselves on Opponent’s Scouting Report

West Branch junior Lexi Skay

Upcoming opponents scouting West Branch have almost certainly made note of Skay and her rebounding prowess.

The 5-foot-9 Skay has quickly earned a reputation as a player that must be accounted for every time a shot goes up, averaging 8.6 rebounds through eight games.

Skay averages three offensive rebounds per game and has had double digit rebounds in two of the last three games including a career-high 17 boards against West Liberty in the final game before break.

Player That Has Stepped Up

Solon senior Kobi Lietz

For Solon to reach its potential this season it needed senior guard Kobi Lietz to step up both as a leader and in her on-court production.

The lone returning starter from the Spartans state title team last season, Lietz has stepped up across the board while helping Solon to a solid 3-4 start.

Lietz is averaging 10.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.1 steals, all career highs for the three-year starter.

Perhaps most impressive about the strong start for Lietz (who has 63 career made 3-pointers) is that despite going 0-of-13 from 3-point range Lietz has still found a way to put up the best numbers of her career.

Player We Aren’t Talking About Enough

Clear Creek Amana junior Averie Lower

It seems sort of odd to see a returning all-state player the caliber of Lower land in this category but the Clippers have gone slightly under the radar due to a 3-4 start to the season.

Lower has been excellent thus far elevating her game and overall production in nearly every element through seven games.

Lower is averaging career highs in points (22.1), rebounds (8), assists (2.4), steals (3.6) and blocked shots (1.3) all while shooting 49 percent from the field including 46 percent from 3-point range and 87 percent from the free throw line.

Best Individual Surprise

Area Freshman  

City High (Eve Vitense), Solon (Beckett Kruse), Liberty High (Natalie Schechinger) and Regina (Addie McLaughlin) have all gotten impressive production from impact freshmen this season.

Kruse is averaging 7.7 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds for Solon while Vitense has been a sparkplug off the bench on both ends of the court averaging 4.2 points, 1.1 rebounds and .8 steals per game off the bench.

Schechinger has started five games for Liberty High and hasn’t played like a freshman averaging 3.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while McLaughlin (more on her later) has been among the most productive freshman in the state this season.

Mid-Season Freshman of the Year

Addie McLaughlin  

Forget freshman, McLaughlin is producing at a level that matches nearly any guard in Class 2A regardless of class.

In the first eight games of her career McLaughlin has averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 assists, 4.8 steals and 2.9 rebounds per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor including 44 percent (16-of-36) from 3-point range.

McLaughlin has been every bit as good as advertised early in her career and has a feel for the game rarely seen in a first-year player.

Mid-Season MVP

Liberty High junior Natalie Ramsey

Ramsey has built on a breakthrough sophomore season early this year while continuing to establish herself as one of the top players in the state.

The 6-foot Ramsey has been productive, averaging 23 points, 9 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 1.4 assists and .9 blocked shots per game but has also been efficient shooting 48 percent from the floor and a career-best 93 percent from the line.

Ramsey has been huge in helping the Lightning get off to a 5-2 start that includes wins over ranked teams Southeast Polk and Clear Creek Amana.

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