Tuesday Night Lites: Matchup’s To See
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Tuesday night has over 50 different games planning on being played across the state, in this article I’ll be highlighting some of the best matchup’s that you can expect to see. (#13) Roland-Story VS (#11) South Hamilton In a matchup…
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Continue ReadingTuesday night has over 50 different games planning on being played across the state, in this article I’ll be highlighting some of the best matchup’s that you can expect to see.
(#13) Roland-Story VS (#11) South Hamilton
In a matchup that places two top 15 ranked teams against each other we have Roland-Story VS South Hamilton in a make up game from mid-December that must be played because of conference implications. This game is an interesting one on paper when you look over both teams records and stats but it may not play out that way. With two solid teams that can both do some good things I think that South Hamilton is undervalued in their class and should be ranked much higher. They play quick and efficiently while rebounding the ball well. They have a win over West Marshall high school, who at the time was ranked #2 in their class and they also score the ball at a high rate, averaging 57.2 PPG thus far this season. On the other side of it, Roland-Story is a capable team with good veteran leadership and the ability to beat anyone on any given night. Currently they are on a three game losing streak and will hope tonight that they can right the ship and come out on top, which is always a possibility.
Claire Truesdell Claire Truesdell 5'8" | SF Roland-Story | 2025 State IA
Claire Truesdell Claire Truesdell 5'8" | SF Roland-Story | 2025 State IA
Claire Truesdell Claire Truesdell 5’8″ | SF Roland-Story | 2025 State IA has had an impressive start to her Sophomore season for the Norsemen as she has led her squad to a 6-4 start while averaging 10.5 PPG and 4.8 RPG. Truesdell has been a good contributor for this program this season and I expect it to continue throughout the rest of her career for the Norsemen. For her size at the guard position of 5’7 she does a great job of rebounding the ball and pushing it forward down the floor. While not running the point guard spot necessarily for her team, she has the ability to handle and create for others just as much as she can score it. This is a young team with some good talent that if they can figure some little things out, could be really scary in the future. For the rest of the season and years to come.
On the other side of things for the South Hamilton Hawks you have Hallee Feaker Hallee Feaker 5’9″ | PG South Hamilton | 2023 State IA . Feaker, who has been all over the floor this season is putting together a season to remember for her senior year. She is averaging just over 20 PPG and 8 RPG for her squad all while being a menace on defense by racking up 24 steals throughout only 10 games thus far, making for an average of 2.4 SPG. The best thing that can be said of Feaker’s game is that she is an all around complete basketball player. She does things the correct way, works hard, and is rewarded a majority of the time because of it. With her scoring talent mixed with her defensive pressure and teammates around her, this is a team that can shine once the playoffs start and really make a big splash, maybe even shocking a few teams on the way to a trip to Des Moines.
(#5) Ankeny Centennial VS (#8) Dowling Catholic
Ankeny Centennial travels to Dowling Catholic in a top 10 matchup of the 5A class tonight and let me promise you something, this game is going to be a good one. Both of these teams and programs have had much success this season and both also contain a handful of high-level college athletes. Ankeny Centennial is coming into this one after winning 4 of their last 5 games. In these fives games, four opponents were ranked within the top 7 of the 5A class according to the rankings, while the other game being a win vs the #12 team in the state, so to say this squad has played against good competition this season and won would be an understatement. When you look at Dowling’s side of this, this is a high octane team that pushes the ball behind their D1-bound point guard in Ava Zediker Ava Zediker 5'10" | PG Dowling Catholic | 2025 State IA . Behind her they make great choices that usually lead to open looks on the floor. This one will be a good one as it’s really going to be a toss up with Dowling being the home team. I think in the end Ankeny will keep it together and come out on top but they may need some extra time to do so.
There are so many players in which I could highlight from both these teams but I think one of the most complete players is Jaeden Pratt Jaeden Pratt 5’10” | CG Ankeny Centennial | 2025 State IA . Pratt is a shooting guard who rebounds the ball at a high rate and can really score it. She does a great job of being a complete player but racking up some big numbers not only in points and rebounds but in steals, assists, and other hustle stats like that. This centennial team is TOUGH and when it comes to the playoffs, if they can get to Des Moines, they will have a good chance to win it all. They have played most of the top ranked teams this season and have came out on top of most. They have a plethora of offensive ability and are hard nose defenders that rebound well. Pratt, who is a high ranking player in her own right, will look to continue on the pace she has been on all season thus far and propel her team to victory when it’s said and done. In this contest tonight and every contest throughout the rest of the season.
Ava Zediker Ava Zediker 5’10” | PG Dowling Catholic | 2025 State IA . One of the best true point guards in the state and showing it off this season. Plain and simple, that’s what it is. Zediker has done a good job of unloading her full arsenal onto other teams so far this year thus far and she is going to have to do the same this evening to end up on top. I think that looking forward, in any real game situation, Ava could have a career night and will her team to victory. There aren’t many players out there that I would feel comfortable saying that about but in this case, it fits. It’ll be interesting to see if some other key players for this DC team will step up and compete tonight. If they do, it could be a big season win for the Maroons as the move forward toward the playoffs. It’s always interesting to watch a master at work and in this case, in this game, watching Zediker at the point will give you those same types of feelings.
(#11) Ankeny VS (#1) Johnston
It comes as no shock that a matchup between the best two players in the 2026 class, whom are both ranked state and nation-wide, would fit into one of the best games and matchup’s of the evening. In this one you have Ankeny ranked at #11 in the class going into the Johnston Dragons house for a big game, that will shed some light on how good these young players really are. Johnston is the favorite in this one and for good reason, coming off of a state championship a year ago while starting this year undefeated, the Dragons haven’t missed a beat during this 22′-23′ season thus far. Matching up across from them will be Jayla Williams Jayla Williams 5'10" | CG Ankeny | 2026 State IA and the Ankeny Hawks. The Hawks have had a good season that isn’t reflected in their record. They do a good job of moving without the ball and forcing their opponents to make a decision on defense, leading themselves to an open look in the end. Behind Williams and the scoring of sophomore Savannah Gage Savannah Gage 5'10" | SG Ankeny | 2025 State IA , this team could go places and upset some good teams in the future, so you better watch out for them but in this one tonight I have the Dragons ending up on top.
What more can you say about Jayla Williams Jayla Williams 5’10” | CG Ankeny | 2026 State IA that hasn’t already been said. Williams, a highly recruited forward with one of the highest ceilings in the state and possibly the nation, has been doing her thing this year and leading her Hawks team to an overall 6-5 record, which doesn’t seem that great but they have picked up some great wins so far along with learning a lot of lessons to help them in later contests in the future on the way. Prior to this season, Williams was able to take some visits to some high level programs such as Iowa, Marquette, Drake, Michigan, and many more. Showing off just how high her interest level is already for someone in the 2026 class. It’s just a matter of time for the forward, who could end up as the #1 player in the state at any time, to receive more and more visits/offers. Currently, she is ranked #2 behind Johnston point guard Jenica Lewis Jenica Lewis 5’10” | PG Johnston | 2026 State IA in the 2026 class but will keep competing for that top spot.
Molly Noelck Molly Noelck 5’9″ | PG Johnston | 2023 State IA , like other players on this Johnston team may not get shouted out the most in the public media but they simply that get the job done and get it done efficiently. Noelck, another great guard for the Dragons, has been having a good senior year along with the rest of her squad. In her last contest, she recorded 12 points on some really efficient shooting, going 5/7 from the field and 2/4 from behind the arc. We always touch on how good this Dragons team is and how well they play together. I think this season, with them being the favorite to win it all again, a lot of these players are going to be getting some college looks that they have been working towards for a long time, including Noelck. As the season comes to an end and playoffs begin I hope to see her continue her efficient play and really be a solid piece for this team on the way to the state championship for a second season in a row.