Class 2A – Region 5: 2023’s to Watch

As we look for other ways to cover prospects we thought it would be beneficial to cover players in a way that allows us to cover those we don’t write much about. We will be using the region’s from last season as they were constructed. Obviously, these regions will change into next season but for these stories it was the easiest way to divide players and teams as equally as possible. We will be writing a series of three stories for each region in the state and the categories are as follows: 2023’s to put on Your Radar, 2022’s who can Breakout, and 2021’s Who Should be Valued by Colleges. We will continue to go through each region and aim to hit as many players as we can that we haven’t talked about previously. Here are five 2023’s who need to be on your radar. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63024" first="Grace" last="Gaarde"] - Iowa City Regina</strong> This past season ended in a tough loss to Cascade, but the future remains bright for Iowa City Regina thanks to freshman [player_tooltip player_id="63024" first="Grace" last="Gaarde"]. A handful of talented seniors depart, but Gaarde showed she is ready to fill an even bigger role in the future. This past year, Gaarde scored 127 points with 47 assists, 45 rebounds and 40 steals. She also made 27 three-pointers, which ranked second on the Regals. <strong>Alyssa Lux - Cascade</strong> Battling over the next three years with Iowa City Regina’s [player_tooltip player_id="63024" first="Grace" last="Gaarde"] will be Cascade newcomer Alyssa Lux. Lux helped get the Cougars to the state semifinals, and will be counted on to help replace the production of [player_tooltip player_id="134340" first="Nicole" last="McDermott"] and other seniors. She saw action in all 27 games as a ninth-grader, scoring 117 total points with 33 rebounds, 22 steals and 20 assists. Lux made 16 three-pointers, shooting 32 percent from long-range. <strong>Sierra Mohs - Postville</strong> Postville struggled at times this past winter, but with a wealth of underclassmen in the starting lineup, the future is bright. Freshman Sierra Mohs started 19 games on the hardwood, scoring 117 points. She also added 41 rebounds, 22 steals and 12 assists, and could see quite the uptick in her overall production with improvement in her shooting percentages. <strong>Ka’Lynn DeShaw - Bellevue</strong> Bellevue won 13 games before falling to Iowa City Regina in the postseason. A handful of seniors depart, and while there is a large group of juniors, the Comets are sure to be looking at Ka’Lynn DeShaw for even more in 2020-21. DeShaw scored 30 points, but flexed her strength on the glass with 66 rebounds. She also added 13 steals in 18 games played. <strong>Kalesia DeShaw - Bellevue</strong> A second piece of that freshman class for Bellevue is Kalesia DeShaw. In 19 games, DeShaw recorded 22 points and 23 rebounds, signaling herself as a freshman with a bright future. The Comets won 13 games last year and earned a third place division finish in the River Valley Conference.