Conference Preview: Bluegrass
Next in our season preview articles, we will be touching on each conference in the state. These will include last year’s standings, this year’s projected standings, team breakdown, preseason player of the year, and first and second teams. These articles will be the next 43 in the series of 70 season previews which will take us right into my preseason polls. Tomorrow, I will have the CIML-Central conference preview.
2018-19 Standings
Seymour (10-0)
Lamoni (9-1)
Murray (8-2)
Diagonal (7-2)
Moulton-Udell (5-4)
Ankeny Christian (5-5)
Melcher-Dallas (3-7)
Twin Cedars (3-7)
Moravia (2-8)
Mormon Trail (2-8)
Orient-Macksburg (0-10)
Projected 2019-20 Standings
Lamoni
Moravia
Moulton-Udell
Twin Cedars
Melcher-Dallas
Orient-Macksburg
Seymour
Mormon Trail
Diagonal
Murray
Ankeny Christian
To be honest, I only feel confident with my top pick of Lamoni. I think they bring enough firepower to contend this year and the other teams in the top four will drop off considerably, based on what they have coming back from last year. Spots 2-10 are wide open and I don’t think that I would be surprised at any result this year. Seymour, Murray, and Diagonal all lose so much talent that I feel most comfortable picking them in the latter half of the conference, but as usual, you never know what will happen. The bottom half of the conference dropped off from where they were last year as there were a ton of excellent seniors from this group.
Team Breakdowns
Lamoni: They bring back their top four scorers and a ton of returning experience. They will be one of the most experienced teams in the state this season. Sophomore Abby Martin looks to lead the charge but seniors Leslie Guyer and Maddy Maedel will further their scoring this season.
Moravia: Moravia is bringing back four juniors who were their top four in scoring last year as Kim Chandanais, Gracie Hoffman, Anaya Keith, and Isabel Hanes all return. They have a really nice core to build around. Senior Emilee Howard will be back, too. She averaged 5.3 points a game last year.
Moulton-Udell: Senior Chelsey Boettcher returns as the leading scorer from a year ago and she is looking to have a big year. They will likely go as far as Boettcher and the Probasco‘s (Abbie and Malorie) take them. After a 5-4 conference slate last year, I expect a big jump.
Twin Cedars: Twin Cedars brings back two of the top rebounders in the conference with Brooke Roby and Haley Hoch. These two sophomores are going to be two of the best players in this conference for a while. For them to reach their ceiling, others will need to step up this season and provide scoring.
Melcher-Dallas: Like Moravia, Melcher-Dallas brings back a ton of juniors but did lose a double-digit scorer from a year ago. They will need to replace that scoring and junior Kacey Enfield seems like the best bet to do so. Junior Kynser Reed is among one of the best in the conference.
Orient-Macksburg: A year ago, this was a team that didn’t win a game. This year I think they’ll be able to win a couple. Senior Kaela Eslinger scored 14.9 points a game and she’s going to be counted on even more this year. Look for seniors Hailey Johnson and Cortney Gross to have career years.
Seymour: After losing their top five scorers last season along with their seventh leading scorer, this is going to be a down year for Seymour. Thayda Houser, a senior, will really have to step up if they want to contend with the top half of the conference. I think they might have lost too much talent to contend again.
Mormon Trail: Last season Mormon Trail had three players they could count on each night. This year, they have two of them coming back. Their season will hinge on if someone can step up and score 8-9 points a game. Look for junior Charlee Wilson or senior Sterling Gardner to shoulder some scoring this year.
Diagonal: Diagonal loses so much talent from this past year. Of their nine varsity players a year ago, four of them are now gone. Senior Erin Sobotka is back though and they are really going to have to rely on others to step up. Besides Sobotka you only get 2.5 points per game combined returning. It might be a long year for Diagonal.
Murray: Murray is in the same boat as Diagonal. They had 10 players see varsity action and their top five scorers all have graduated. Junior Kinzee Eggers is going to be a key player this year for Murray as the leading returning scorer. They’ll need to find depth to be successful this season.
Ankeny Christian: This was a group that went 5-5 last year in conference but lose their top two scorers as well as a trio of other seniors. Maddie Albrecht, a junior, is poised to lead this team. It is a solid junior group that might be looking toward next year to compete for a conference crown.
All-Bluegrass First Team
Chelsey Boettcher (Moulton-Udell, 5’9 PF, 2020)
Boettcher is going to be the leader of this Moulton-Udell team this year. She played in 18 games last year and scored 13.0 points a game. Look for her to have a big year leading her team.
Erin Sobotka (Diagonal, 5’8 SF, 2020)
Diagonal is going to need some really solid play out of Sobotka this year if they want to claw up to the top of the conference. She will have the ball in her hands a ton and be a really good leader this season.
Haley Hoch (Twin Cedars, 5’9 SF, 2022)
Hoch is one of the best rebounders statewide. For Twin Cedars to reach their ceiling she is going to have to increase her 12.4 rebounds a game and push up her scoring load. I see no reason she can’t average a double-double.
Kynser Reed (Melcher-Dallas, 5’5 SG, 2021)
Reed is a small guard who really likes to score it at the rim best. Last season she only attempted six 3-pointers and will need to make a better effort this year to make opponents respect her shooting ability. High ceiling for Melcher-Dallas if she is in a groove.
Kaela Eslinger (Orient-Macksburg, 5’2 PG, 2020)
Eslinger might be the shortest player on this list but she can certainly score it. A terror on both ends of the floor, Eslinger is going to really need to clean up her ball control to be successful. I think she has a breakout season.
All-Bluegrass Second Team
Brooke Roby (Twin Cedars, 5’8 SF, 2022)
Roby was Twin Cedars leading scorer a year ago and as a freshman had a stellar campaign. She will have learned from her mistakes last season and should be able to make a huge impact this year.
Kim Chandanais (Moravia, 5’5 PG, 2021)
There are a ton of players for Moravia that are solid. They have four players who lead the team and Chandanais is at the top. She can score it, pass it, and defend. She only played in 12 games last year so I am betting on a great season for her.
Leslie Guyer (Lamoni, 5’10 PF, 2020)
Guyer does it all for Lamoni. She is a very physical player who gets to the basket and has quick hands-on defense. Guyer is the presence in the middle and she is going to really show the conference what she can do this year.
Skylar Watsabaugh (Mormon Trail, 5’9 SF, 2021)
Watsabaugh, besides having an awesome last name, is a pretty good basketball player. She can get up and down the floor, rebound, and score in the paint. She is a good shot blocker with instincts as well.
Thayda Houser (Seymour, 5’7 PF, 2020)
The top player back from a very good Seymour team last year is Houser. She is looking to lead the team back to a championship and will really have to carry the load. She has the IQ to do it and her team will be relying on her this season.
Preseason Player of the Year
Abby Martin (Lamoni, 5’5 PG, 2022)
Martin led the conference last year in scoring, and I think that she’ll be able to do it again. Leading the conference in scoring doesn’t anoint someone as preseason POTY, however. Martin is the fuel behind the Lamoni offense and is a really solid defender as well. She had 84 steals last season and I think you’ll see her hit the triple digits in the steal column this year.
Five Questions For The Year
Will Abby Martin be able to lead Lamoni to the top?
After losing so much talent, how far will Seymour fall in the conference?
Will Moravia make a push for that top spot?
How will the rebounding duo at Twin Cedars change offensive gameplans?
Who do you think will win the conference? Let me know on Twitter!