Winter Break-Down: (4A) Teams To Know Going Forward
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In the state of Iowa there are several great teams and programs to be known, stretching over all classes throughout the entire state. Below I will be highlighting a handful of these teams and who I think everyone should know…
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Continue ReadingIn the state of Iowa there are several great teams and programs to be known, stretching over all classes throughout the entire state. Below I will be highlighting a handful of these teams and who I think everyone should know returning from winter break. From what I have seen thus far these teams all have a solid chance to make a statement once playoffs begin.
Favorite To Win It All: Cedar Rapids-Xavier
The Xavier Saints return this season as the “top dawgs” in the 4A class after winning it all last year while starting this one 9-1. The Saints this season are being led by senior forward Kyla Masen and sophomore guard Libby Fandel Libby Fandel 5'11" | SF Cedar Rapids Xavier | 2025 State IA in hopes to repeat as state champions. I really like the Saints in the spot they are in at the moment coming out of break. They have had a few bumps in the road as was expected while losing a good amount of their senior leadership from their 21′-22′ campaign but they have seemed to right the ship and are moving in an upward direction. I think that this 4A field maybe the most competitive out of all class this season with how spread out the talent is across each top program currently. Moving forward everyone will keep their eyes on the Saints as they keep on winning during the regular season and moving into the playoffs.
Libby Fandel Libby Fandel 5’11” | SF Cedar Rapids Xavier | 2025 State IA begins this season right where she left off a year ago with the Saints and it can only be described by one word, dominating. Fandel, a highly sought out recruit already, has started off her sophomore year averaging 14.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 3.1 APG for her squad. This is a good stat line taking into account that this team has a very balanced attack all the way around. They do a great job of sharing the ball and moving to get open. The offense that they have in place gives a good amount of attempts to each efficient offensive player while highlighting their mis-matches near the hoop whenever possible. I look for Fandel and company to make it back to Des Moines for a second year in a row where they will definitely be put up to their toughest test of the season thus far, facing other alike opponents but with Fandel’s skillset I anticipate that she is going to shine no matter the situation.
Next-Best: Ballard
Ballard is led by a seasoned group of veteran players who know what it takes to be successful in the post-season and they can’t wait to show everyone. This season so far Ballard is 7-1 coming out of the break with some really impressive wins including one over a very equipped Dallas Center-Grimes team which you will read about later in this article. The Bombers are going to be in a really good spot moving forward coming out of break but will face a huge test to start the new year as they will face North Polk high school, who leads their conference currently. After this contest it will become a little simpler for Ballard moving forward toward the end of their year and into the post season. It’s going to be fun to see this team succeed as its always nice to see upperclassmen putting all their hard work together and making something successful out of it.
Aaliyah Thompson has been tearing it up on the court this season and scoring the ball an extremely high rate while doing so. Thompson, a high ranking player in the class of 2024, is a versatile 6’1 combo forward who knows how to score the rock. Other than being just an absolute game changer with her length and speed, she does a good job of working the ball inside to outside and scoring in the all the ways that the defense gives her. Going into break she is averaging just above 20 PPG while shooting over 60% from behind the arc. Looking forward with her size, speed, and length I think Thompson is going to be getting a lot of interest after her team shows out during the playoffs once again this year. With her doing what she does and the other veterans around her doing their jobs, this will be a team to watch out for coming up.
Highlights
Underdog With A Chance: Dallas Center-Grimes
This team could be featured in a few places in this article in my mind but overall I think from the track record of this season so far that DCG will be the next most equipped team to come together and make a huge playoff push at the end of this year. When you look at the power rankings so far and the top teams DCG isn’t necessary at the tippy top of those but they’re in the conversation. This team is the only 4A team with 5+ wins over opponents with a +.500 overall record so far this year. Along with that, they have tallied up some big wins against 2 of the top 10 ranked teams in this class. Their last contest before break they played against the top ranked 5A Johnston Dragons and competed the whole way, falling just short in the end 58-51. I think that shows in itself that this program can compete and will be a tough one to take down this season once the playoffs tip.
Emma Miner Emma Miner 5’10” | SF Dallas Center-Grimes | 2023 State IA has put together a good start to her senior year by leading her team to a 7-2 record while averaging 16 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 3.2 APG. Miner has been flying all over the court this season, getting on the ground for any loose balls possible or flying into the stands off of tipped passes. Each and every game she is bringing the energy and senior composure that her team asks of her to be successful and so far it’s been working out. With having such a valuable team player such as Miner it is hard to stop this DGC team, they do a great job moving off of screens and cutting to the open spots on the floor. They play good defense and rebound well, led by Miner, only allowing their opponent to one shot per possession. Like I said above, it’ll be interesting to see how this team competes come playoff time but I expect them to do what they have done all year by playing efficient, fundamental and team oriented in hopes of making it all the way to the championship.
Sleeper Out Of Nowhere: Clear Creek Amana
CCA is a team that I really like in this position simply because the amount and mixture of weapons they can throw at their opponent. They are coming into break with a 6-2 overall record and are gearing to go for the second half of this season. Being led by junior forward Ava Locklear Ava Locklear 5'11" | SF Clear Creek Amana | 2024 State IA and senior shooting guard Olivia Miller, this team has all the pieces to compete against any other 4A team this year and come out on top. They have an ample amount of scoring and do a great job of sharing the ball. When you look at the overall picture of the year and what counts as a “successful season” to a team, you could say that this program has already achieved that but that won’t satisfy them in the very least. This year’s playoffs and state tournament are going to be a wild one and the Clipper will be ready to be involved.
Ava Locklear Ava Locklear 5’11” | SF Clear Creek Amana | 2024 State IA is a double double machine all while her team is having success and that’s about all their coach could ask for. Locklear, the versatile forward, is an athletic mis-match to most and has an act for finding the ball off of a missed shot for a rebound or rebound and put back. Starting out this season at 6-2 this team will look to come out of the break on a tear and move into the playoffs with some big-time momentum. When you combined the ability to score and rebounding of Ava along with the teammates that are around her, it is likely that this team will keep succeeding until the year is over. Before this season begun she was already receiving some interest for colleges in the area but after this year I’m sure that her name will be reaching further than that.