Tournament Preview: Class 1A, Region 1
Mason Asher
With the 1A tournament set to get underway on Thursday, February 7, we are going to be breaking down each region with in depth analysis. We will cover who you should watch for, the teams that could come out of nowhere, and of course, the bracket buster candidate. We will also list five players from each class that you need to keep an eye on throughout the bracket as they can really change the game in a hurry. The complete Region 1 bracket is posted below.
The Teams West Hancock (20-0) Kingsley-Pierson (19-1) MMCRU (15-4) Gehlen Catholic (13-6) Akron-Westfield (12-8) Grawttinger-Terril (12-8) Storm Lake St. Mary's (6-11) Harris-Lake Park (7-13) Clay Central-Everly (6-14) West Bend-Mallard (4-13) George-Little Rock (3-16) Remsen St. Mary's (2-16) Trinity Christian, Hull (1-16) The Favorites West Hancock They have to be one of the obvious favorites in the region. West Hancock has an easy road to the final as they only have one team above .500 on their side of the bracket. They are 20-0 for a reason and only one of their wins have been within single digits, a 56-52 win back on December 4th. They are a young team and were in this position last year, look for them to cruise to the region finals before being tested. Their defense is elite giving up just 35.6 points a game. Rachel Leerar, a sophomore, is a difference maker for this team as she is scoring 22.1 points a game. Kingsley-Pierson Sitting at 19-1 on the year, Kingsley-Pierson has had a good year thus far. They only have one loss which came way back in early December to a solid West Monona squad. They have been gaining wins of all types as they have been blowing the doors off of teams, but also winning the games that have came down to crunch time. This is a team who is young, but experienced. Kingsley-Pierson is a very balanced squad as their top three scorers are between 15.8 and 12.4 points a game. They bring the highest scoring total into the bracket as they score 65.2 points a game. The Sleepers MMCRU MMCRU has been playing as well as anyone for a roster composed of nine freshmen and just one senior. Their freshman trio of Taylor Harpenau, Ellie Hilbrands, and Emily Dreckman have combined for 41.4 points this season. Hailbrands is unique as she's a 6' post who is shooting over 60 percent on the season. This is a team that has nothing to lose, because they are going to be dang good for the next four years. Watch out for MMCRU to play spoiler. Gehlen Catholic This is one of the few older teams in the bracket. They have a seven man junior class and just four underclassmen on the roster. They are balanced but led by junior Addison Weber who scores 14.4 points a game. This is a team that has experience and for that reason I think could blow up this whole region. They get the bye and likely waiting for them will be MMCRU after they get past Trinity Christian. That MMCRU vs. Gehlen Catholic matchup on February 12th, provided it happens, will be the matchup of the region. The Outside Shot Akron-Westfield After getting off to a slow start to the year, Akron-Westfield has really kicked it into high gear over the past month. Sitting at 5-7 on January 10th, they have rattled off seven wins in their last eight games and look like they are going to be a tough out in the region. They are led by senior Brooke Koele at 11.2 points per game and are just such a balanced team scoring the ball. They might be one of the hottest teams in the bracket and a probable matchup with Kingsley-Pierson in the second round will be hotly contested. Who to Watch 2019 Lizzie Lenhart (Storm Lake St. Mary's) Madison Brevik (Harris Lake-Park) Toni Alesch (Graettinger-Terril) Madison Goodwin (Kingsley-Pierson) Brooke Koele (Akron-Westfield) 2020 Madison Hough (Graettinger-Terril) Jayde Barto (Kingsley-Pierson) Addison Weber (Gehlen Catholic) Amanda Chizek (West Hancock) Sydney Livermore (Gehlen Catholic) 2021 Rachel Leerar (West Hancock) Delaney Iseminger (Kingsley-Pierson) Sydney Schroeder (Remsen St. Mary's) Mackensie Post (George-Little Rock) Rachel Fehr (West Bend-Mallard) 2022 Taylor Harpenau (MMCRU) Ellie Hilbrands (MMCRU) Emily Dreckman (MMCRU) Danika Demers (Storm Lake St. Mary's) Natalie Nielsen (Akron-Westfield)
The Teams West Hancock (20-0) Kingsley-Pierson (19-1) MMCRU (15-4) Gehlen Catholic (13-6) Akron-Westfield (12-8) Grawttinger-Terril (12-8) Storm Lake St. Mary's (6-11) Harris-Lake Park (7-13) Clay Central-Everly (6-14) West Bend-Mallard (4-13) George-Little Rock (3-16) Remsen St. Mary's (2-16) Trinity Christian, Hull (1-16) The Favorites West Hancock They have to be one of the obvious favorites in the region. West Hancock has an easy road to the final as they only have one team above .500 on their side of the bracket. They are 20-0 for a reason and only one of their wins have been within single digits, a 56-52 win back on December 4th. They are a young team and were in this position last year, look for them to cruise to the region finals before being tested. Their defense is elite giving up just 35.6 points a game. Rachel Leerar, a sophomore, is a difference maker for this team as she is scoring 22.1 points a game. Kingsley-Pierson Sitting at 19-1 on the year, Kingsley-Pierson has had a good year thus far. They only have one loss which came way back in early December to a solid West Monona squad. They have been gaining wins of all types as they have been blowing the doors off of teams, but also winning the games that have came down to crunch time. This is a team who is young, but experienced. Kingsley-Pierson is a very balanced squad as their top three scorers are between 15.8 and 12.4 points a game. They bring the highest scoring total into the bracket as they score 65.2 points a game. The Sleepers MMCRU MMCRU has been playing as well as anyone for a roster composed of nine freshmen and just one senior. Their freshman trio of Taylor Harpenau, Ellie Hilbrands, and Emily Dreckman have combined for 41.4 points this season. Hailbrands is unique as she's a 6' post who is shooting over 60 percent on the season. This is a team that has nothing to lose, because they are going to be dang good for the next four years. Watch out for MMCRU to play spoiler. Gehlen Catholic This is one of the few older teams in the bracket. They have a seven man junior class and just four underclassmen on the roster. They are balanced but led by junior Addison Weber who scores 14.4 points a game. This is a team that has experience and for that reason I think could blow up this whole region. They get the bye and likely waiting for them will be MMCRU after they get past Trinity Christian. That MMCRU vs. Gehlen Catholic matchup on February 12th, provided it happens, will be the matchup of the region. The Outside Shot Akron-Westfield After getting off to a slow start to the year, Akron-Westfield has really kicked it into high gear over the past month. Sitting at 5-7 on January 10th, they have rattled off seven wins in their last eight games and look like they are going to be a tough out in the region. They are led by senior Brooke Koele at 11.2 points per game and are just such a balanced team scoring the ball. They might be one of the hottest teams in the bracket and a probable matchup with Kingsley-Pierson in the second round will be hotly contested. Who to Watch 2019 Lizzie Lenhart (Storm Lake St. Mary's) Madison Brevik (Harris Lake-Park) Toni Alesch (Graettinger-Terril) Madison Goodwin (Kingsley-Pierson) Brooke Koele (Akron-Westfield) 2020 Madison Hough (Graettinger-Terril) Jayde Barto (Kingsley-Pierson) Addison Weber (Gehlen Catholic) Amanda Chizek (West Hancock) Sydney Livermore (Gehlen Catholic) 2021 Rachel Leerar (West Hancock) Delaney Iseminger (Kingsley-Pierson) Sydney Schroeder (Remsen St. Mary's) Mackensie Post (George-Little Rock) Rachel Fehr (West Bend-Mallard) 2022 Taylor Harpenau (MMCRU) Ellie Hilbrands (MMCRU) Emily Dreckman (MMCRU) Danika Demers (Storm Lake St. Mary's) Natalie Nielsen (Akron-Westfield)
