Playoffs - Class 3A: Region 5-8 Preview

<p>As we get closer to spring and into the month of February it means one thing and one thing only for Iowa women's high school basketball and that is the start of post-season play on the way to crowning a state champion. (Records in this article reflect date when article was published)</p>   <h2 class="has-large-font-size">Region 5</h2>   <p>Abby Hall, [player_tooltip player_id='160564' first='Maren' last='Miller'] and [player_tooltip player_id='160560' first='Kaitlyn' last='Mumm'] have led Des Moines Christian to one of the best starts in recent school history at an impressive 17-3 throughout their first 20 games this season, earning them the #1 seed and top spot of region 5. Following closely behind with the #2 seed in this region is the Atlantic Trojans. The Trojans are 16-5 behind the leadership of [player_tooltip player_id='592191' first='Paytn' last='Harter'], Jada Jensen and Aubrey Guyer. </p>   <h2>Teams & Their Leaders: </h2>   <p>Des Moines Christian Lions (17-3) - Abby Hall (12.5 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='160564' first='Maren' last='Miller'] (12.5 PPG, 8.8 RPG), [player_tooltip player_id='160560' first='Kaitlyn' last='Mumm'] (11.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.6 APG)</p>   <p>Van Meter Bulldogs (6-14) - [player_tooltip player_id='842569' first='Finley' last='Netten'] (11.4 PPG, 2.4 APG), [player_tooltip player_id='842626' first='Teya' last='Speltz'] (7.5 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.2 APG), Molly Birks (5.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG)</p>   <p>Clarke Indians (13-6) - Alissa Henry (16.7 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 2.1 APG), Madisyn McCoy (8.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.1 APG)</p>   <p>Sheandoah Fillies (10-11) - Lynne Green (16 PPG, 11.6 RPG), Chloe Denton (9.2 PPG), Caroline Rogers (4.2 PPG, 2.8 APG)</p>   <p>Atlantic Trojans (16-4) - [player_tooltip player_id='592191' first='Paytn' last='Harter'] (14.6 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 2.3 APG), Jada Jensen (10.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.7 APG), Aubrey Guyer (8.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG)</p>   <p>Clarinda Cardinals (8-12) - Addison Wagnor (10.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG), Taylor Cole (7.1 PPG, 3.2 APG)</p>   <p>Harlen Community Cyclones (12-6) - [player_tooltip player_id='693821' first='Aubrey' last='Schwieso'] (15.3 PPG, 4.4 APG), [player_tooltip player_id='793115' first='Erica' last='Rust'] (13.4 PPG, 9.9 RPG), Hannah Sonderman (7.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG)</p>   <p>Red Oak Tigers (1-19) - Lainey DeVries (5.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG), Merced Ramirez (4.3 PPG, 2.2 APG), Emily Sebeniecher (3.4 PPG, 1 APG)</p>   <h2 class="has-medium-font-size">Prediction</h2>   <p>The #1 seed might not always get the advantage of a bye in the first round when it comes to tournament play in high school ball but they do still receive the advantage of an "easier path" to the region finals. In this case it is not different. The Lions are a good enough squad to dominate on their way to the region final. On the bottom side of the bracket it gets more challenging as the competition level between these teams is a bit tighter. Atlantic is the favor to come out from their side but they are going to have to get through Harlen Community. A team that has a .750 record this season and have a diverse offense with a multiple scoring threats. I'm going to give the advantage to Atlantic to move forward to the final but it's going to be a close matchup. This will favor Des Moines Christian as they should be more well rested with more time to prepare against their opponent. Give me Des Moines Christian to advance. </p>   <h2 class="has-large-font-size">Region 6</h2>   <p>The #1 and #2 seeds in region 6 were a toss up. A 50/50. A virtual coin flip as there are 3 top teams in this region. Receiving the #1 seed is the Sioux Center Warriors who come into this post-season at 14-4, being led by Willow Bleeker and [player_tooltip player_id='1131461' first='Margo' last='Schuiteman']. The #2 seed is the Unity Christian Knights who are 14-5 overall being led by [player_tooltip player_id='127626' first='Gracie' last='Schoonhoven']. Lastly, a team that could have gotten either of these seeds but was pushed to #3 is the West Lyon Wildcats, coming in with a record of 14-5 behind leaders Emily TeeWee and Gianna Klarenbeek. </p>   <h2>Teams & Their Leaders: </h2>   <p>Sioux Center Warriors (14-4) - Willow Bleeker (12.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.1 APG), [player_tooltip player_id='1131461' first='Margo' last='Schuiteman'] (8.3 PPG), Tatum Schmalbeck (7.8 PPG, 2 APG)</p>   <p>Sheldon Orabs (3-17) - Claire Johnson (15.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.6 APG), Katelyn Grady (6.9 PPG, 2.6 APG)</p>   <p>Spirit Lake Indians (9-10) - [player_tooltip player_id='560334' first='Claire' last='Turner'] (10.9 PPG, 3.2 APG), Taylor Schnedier (10.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 3 APG), Fran Travis (10.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG)</p>   <p>Rock Valley Rockets (8-10) - [player_tooltip player_id='996531' first='Miylie' last='Zomer'] (13.2 PPG, 9.3 RPG), [player_tooltip player_id='1207372' first='Brynlie' last='Zomer'] (4.4 RPG, 2.3 APG), Kavri Van Kekerix (12.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.2 APG)</p>   <p>Unity Christian Knights (14-5) - [player_tooltip player_id='127626' first='Gracie' last='Schoonhoven'] (23.1 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 5.4 APG), Cassady Dekkers (10.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG), Jaelye Woudsta (6.8 PPG) </p>   <p>Okoboji Pioneers (9-12) - Ava Packenbush (10.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 3.7 APG), [player_tooltip player_id='63015' first='Carly' last='Carstens'] (10.5 PPG, 2 APG), Lynnae Abrahamson (8.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG)</p>   <p>West Lyon Wildcats (14-5) - Emily TeeWee (16.7 PPG, 9.8 RPG), Gianna Klarenbeek (15.7 PPG, 2.4 APG)</p>   <p>MOC-Floyd Valley Dutchmen (7-12) - Madison Pottebaum (11.1 PPG, 4 RPG, 3.5 APG), Amanda Hulstein (9.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG), [player_tooltip player_id='561147' first='Adyson' last='Jeltema'] (9.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.1 APG)</p>   <h2 class="has-medium-font-size">Prediction</h2>   <p>I like an "upset" here. Unity Christian is one of the top 3 teams in this region and they hold the best player throughout. I think that is going to be enough to get them past West Lyon on the bottom of the bracket and to the region final. There I think they will face off VS the Sioux Center Warriors, who thus far, have been very good in their own right this season. They have a diverse scoring attack between their top three players while also being stout defenders. I think in the end the Knights are going to be too much for anyone else around this region. Gracie is/has been the real deal in her high school career and I expect her to carry the team the same way in this one. UC Knights win Region 6 and advance. </p>   <h2 class="has-large-font-size">Region 7</h2>   <p>The #1 seed, the Osage Green Devils have looked really nice this season up until now, putting together a 19-1 season and winning a lot of their games convincingly while doing it. The #2 seed in this region belongs to the Wahlert Catholic Golden Eagles. The Eagles are 14-6 being led by [player_tooltip player_id='482237' first='Claire' last='Lueken'] and Emma Donovan. They will have a tougher challenge as the very capable Monticello Panthers will stand in their path on the way to the region finals. </p>   <h2 class="has-medium-font-size">Teams & Their Leaders: </h2>   <p>Osage Green Devils (19-1) - [player_tooltip player_id='595168' first='Claudia' last='Aschenbrenner'] (13.9 PPG, 8.1 RPG), Samantha Brandau (9.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.1 APG)</p>   <p>Hampton-Dumont-CAL Bulldogs (4-16) - [player_tooltip player_id='671462' first='Jordan' last='Valley'] (11.2 PPG, 1.9 APG), [player_tooltip player_id='671463' first='Brooklyn' last='Valley'] (8.5 PPG, 1.5 APG), Lily Hambly (5.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG)</p>   <p>North Fayette Valley Tigers (12-7) - Kasydi Meyer (10.6 PPG, 9 RPG), Makenna Grove (9.5 PPG, 2.4 APG)</p>   <p>Waukon Indians (11-8) - [player_tooltip player_id='988388' first='Keira' last='McCormick'] (12.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG), Emma Palmer (12.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG)</p>   <p>Wahlert Catholic Golden Eagles (14-6) - [player_tooltip player_id='482237' first='Claire' last='Lueken'] (14 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.6 APG), Emma Donovan (11.6 PPG, 9.5 RPG), Nora King (3.9 RPG, 4.5 APG)</p>   <p>Crestwood Cadets (7-13) - Olivia Ollendick (10.2 PPG, 1.8 APG), [player_tooltip player_id='429312' first='Britain' last='Ferrie'] (8.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.7 APG)</p>   <p>Monticello Panthers (16-5) - [player_tooltip player_id='311367' first='Jayden' last='Kuper'] (18.4 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 2.5 APG), [player_tooltip player_id='609545' first='Kennedy' last='Hermsen'] (11.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG), Brea Stahlberg (8.9 PPG, 7 RPG)</p>   <p>New Hampton Chickasaws (9-10) - [player_tooltip player_id='63061' first='Carlee' last='Rochford'] (24.6 PPG, 3.8 APG), Taylor Reis (5.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.7 APG), Molly Wegner (8.2 PPG)</p>   <h2 class="has-medium-font-size">Prediction</h2>   <p>Back 2 Back. This is another region where I think it's capable for an "underdog" being crowned as the winner. On the top side of the bracket I anticipate the Green Devils to do their usual work and make it to the championship game of region 7. On the flip side you have two teams that are going to fight it out again in another competitive battle between the Golden Eagles and the Monticello Panthers. Taking a glance at both teams seasons up to this point and you can tell that this game is going to come down to one major thing; the three ball. The Panthers will win the rebounding battle and the Eagles the assist-to-turnover game but can they knock down some shots. If the Eagles can be consistent and hit some three's throughout the course of this game then it's going to favor them, if not then the Panthers are going to dominate near the paint and the game in general. I'm going to give the advantage to the home team in Wahlert Catholic here. They share the ball more and have a less amount of total turnovers this year. Leaving us with the Green Devils of Osage VS the Golden Eagles in the region final. Give me the upset and the Eagles for this reason alone, their season's competition level. The Eagles have had a tougher schedule and came out successful against a good amount. I think that their past losses will serve as lessons and motivation for future games, much like this one. </p>   <h2 class="has-large-font-size">Region 8</h2>   <p>In the last region of the 3A class we have a good amount of talent across the board. The #1 seed is the Grinnell Tigers, who sit at 14-5 going into Monday evenings game against West Fork, one of the few teams they have previously lost to. With that being said they are a dynamic team who know how to win in big games. Following behind them with the 2nd seed in region 8 is Vinton-Shellsberg. The Vikings are 13-7 with some solid games played this season. It'll be interesting to see what they can do with the spot they are in. </p>   <h2 class="has-medium-font-size">Teams & Their Leaders: </h2>   <p>Grinnell Tigers (14-5) - Bailey Stovers (12 PPG, 9.3 RPG), Haidyn Hall (11.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG), Leah Harris (9.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.1 APG)</p>   <p>Albia Blue Demons (8-12) - Sophie Waber (11.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.9 APG), Lillian DeMoss (9.7 PPG), Avery Major (5.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG)</p>   <p>Chariton Chargers (12-8) - [player_tooltip player_id='502238' first='Mckenzie' last='Snook'] (17.6 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 3 APG), Tatyana Allen-Winston (8.9 PPG, 7.7 RPG) </p>   <p>Centerville Big Reds (10-10) - [player_tooltip player_id='160566' first='Rachel' last='George'] (18.5 PPG, 2.4 APG), [player_tooltip player_id='582829' first='Adriana' last='Howard'] (11.6 PPG, 10.5 RPG), Rhegan McDanolds (6.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.1 APG)</p>   <p>Vinton-Shellsberg Vikings (13-7) - Alyssa Griffith (12 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2 APG), Abby Davis (10.3 PPG, 2.8 APG), Ashlie Meyer (4.8 RPG, 1.7 APG) </p>   <p>South Tama Trojans (1-19) - Zeara Kapayou (5.7 PPG), Arro Lyons (4.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG), Kayla Heck (4.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG) </p>   <p>Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks (15-6) - Amara Jones (10.7 PPG, 4.6 APG), Landry Pacha (11.1 PPG, 7.8 RPG), Nora Pennington (8.7 PPG)</p>   <p>PCM Mustangs (10-10) - [player_tooltip player_id='582810' first='Tori' last='Lindsay'] (12 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 3.6 APG), Addison Steenhoek (11.4 PPG, 2.3 APG) </p>   <h2 class="has-medium-font-size">Prediction</h2>   <p>Seeds 1-4 in this bracket all have a chance to move on out of region 8 but it's going to take a lot of work. The top 2 seeds I have moving on in their first games, along with Mid-Prairie and Chariton. In round 2 I have the diverse offensive attack of Grinnell moving past the Chargers. On the bottom side of the bracket I have Vinton-Shellsberg. They are going to have better in game experience then Mid-Prairie has had up until this point and I think that will play a big factor. Along with home court advantage. In the final I have the #1 seed staying true to their ranking and moving past everyone in region 8. They will have too much fire power to be stopped in the long run. </p>

As we get closer to spring and into the month of February it means one thing and one thing only for Iowa women's high school basketball and that is the start of post-season play on the way to crowning a state champion. (Records in this article reflect date when article was published)