One of our top prospects in a loaded sophomore class hails from Ballard High School. Molly Ihle, our 27th ranked player in the 2021 class, is having a solid season so far this year. She’s a 5’5 point guard who has shown that she can run an offense effectively. Ihle has improved her numbers across the board this year and you have to think that she will improve even more throughout the rest of her career. She is someone that you can put on the ball in the face of pressure and trust her.
Ihle is not someone that scares you in terms of scoring, but she does have that capability. She scares you with her lock down defense and passing ability. She has the ability to rack up double digit steals each game and pressure the ball all 84 feet down the floor. In terms of basketball IQ, her game is already on another level. This season Ihle is scoring 10.5 points a game but she’s also averaging 6.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 4.1 steals a game. Her ability to impact the game in many different ways is unmatched by a lot of different guards throughout the state. In addition to those numbers, she turns the ball over 3.0 times a game as the primary ball handler.
“I think I am good at seeing the floor, playing defense and shutting down their best player,” Ihle said. “Also getting steals, rebounds, assists, and scoring the ball.”
She is able to handle pressure as the point guard and Ihle’s vision is incredible. She has great pace on her passes which allow them to find their mark consistently. Something that stands out to me is her ability to move without the ball and to get in spots to score. She has a knack for finding the soft spot in the defense and getting there to receive a pass. Her quickness with the ball is something that also stands out as she can break pressure on her own. She has the ability to change direction on a dime and switches up her speed with the ball really well.
Ihle knows that she needs to continue working on her game to reach the next level. As a shorter guard, she knows that she needs to do things to make her stand out. Running with All Iowa Attack will allow her to matchup with players around her skill level so she knows what to work on for the future. She is already working hard on her game to take it to the next level.
“Working on offense mostly,” Ihle said. “I am learning to create my own shot in the lane and on the perimeter.”
Ballard is a very young team and should be able to make some noise throughout the state the next three years with Ihle at the helm. Of the seven Ballard players who have played in each game, two are juniors, three are sophomores, and two are freshmen. This shows how young this team really is as there is just one senior listed on the roster.
One of her goals is to play college basketball. She is a high academic student who maintains a 4.0 grade point average. Ihle is someone that gives her all, both on the floor and in the classroom. With this work ethic, she is going to make a college coach very proud to have her on the roster. The sky is the limit for Ihle.
