Players to Watch: North Iowa Cedar-Central

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season, Dike-New Hartford went undefeated in the North Iowa Cedar-Central Conference, with an 8-0 record. The Wolves also went on to win the 2A state title last season. This season, they get some of their best players to attempt to run it back. Let's meet some of the players in this talented conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='314094' first='Payton' last='Petersen']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season, Peterson led the North Iowa Cedar-Central conference in scoring, recording 18 points per contest. The rising sophomore was the key figure in the Wolves' run to a 2A state title. Although Petersen is an undersized forward at 5-foot-10, she dominates around the basket. Petersen grabs more than four offensive rebounds per game and finishes in traffic around the basket. The rising junior creates extra possessions and easy baskets on her own by playing as hard as she can.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='160555' first='Grace' last='Hennessy']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The rising senior from Denver is an excellent shooter. When she finds space to get her shot off, I believe every shot she takes will wind up in the basket. However, shooting isn't the only thing the Cyclone does well for her team. Hennessy manages to contribute to the game on the boards, grabbing over four rebounds per game, and creating for others, dishing out over two assists per game. On the defensive end, Hennessy also earns over two steals per game. She shot 31% from the 3-point line last season, but she is a much better shooter than that number suggests.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='788532' first='Addie' last='Rhoades']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The then-freshman scored in volume for the Pirates last season, scoring 13.8 points per game. She carried the load offensively for her team last season and excelled in multiple facets for her team last season. She has an intriguing jumper that I don't think is reflected in the percentages she shot in her freshman season. Rhoades has a quick release and is stable when she takes her shot. Rhoades also nearly averaged a double-double as a freshman, so I expect her to continue producing at this level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ellen Waller</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The rising senior had a solid junior season and put up numbers that reflect her value to Aplington-Parkersburg. The 5-foot-5 guard created for her teammates well and shot the ball at a high level for the Falcons. She also got to the basket a respectable amount and earned a few shots from the free-throw line a handful of times per game. When Waller has the ball in her hands, good things happen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->