2024 Playoff Preview – Class 3A

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. Post-Season Play. We begin a journey to see who is the best of the best throughout the state in each perspective Class. Below we dive into the 3A Class and take a closer look to see what it has to offer.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Overview:</h2>   The 3A Class is an intriguing one because of how good all of the 1 seeds are throughout each Region. If you go through and break down all the matchups happening across the state, you start to see the theme that the 1 seeds should dominate. In almost every other Class, I could see an upset or two happening before the State Tournament but I'm not so sure about this Class. If all the 1 seeds were to move onto the Elite 8 and make it to the Well, I would not be surprised in the slightest. The top of this Class is heavy with talent and that talent is going to shine through in some shape or form, more and more as we get close to the State Championship.   Top Teams & Their Impact Players:   <ul> <li>Solon (19-3): The Solon Spartans were the team out of the 3A Class that I had picked prior to this season to win it all and they still have that chance as you look at their Playoff path moving forward. A team that has the best player out of the entire 3A Class in [player_tooltip player_id='246099' first='Callie' last='Levin'] (22 PPG/ 7.5 RPG/5 APG), is going to be the favorite to win most of their games the rest of the season, no matter who they have to face. When you combined her play, with the play of their other Seniors like [player_tooltip player_id='314120' first='Hailey' last='Miller'] (14 PPG/3 RPG/2.3 APG), Mia Stahl (7 PPG/2.7 APG), and Anna Quillin (9.3 RPG) you start to see what this group can really do. If they keep their eyes on the prize, they are going to have some really good odds to bring home the 3A State Title. </li> </ul>   <ul> <li>Estherville Lincoln Central (20-2): [player_tooltip player_id='311389' first='Haylee' last='Stokes'] (24 PPG/4.3 RPG/7 APG) and Midgets High School team are both familiar with success on the high school floor over the past couple of years. Stokes has been a standout ever since she was a Freshman, putting up major stat lines each and every night, while the teammates around her have always been their to lend a helping hand in times of need. For her Junior year, both parties are doing more of the usual. Stokes is leading and everyone else is helping along whenever they can. These efforts have been vital in the success of this group as a whole, which is why they are currently sitting with a 20-2 record. I think that ELC is a good program but they are only going to go as far as Stokes can take them. That is the reality. If she has an "off" game, several others will have to step up to pick up the slack. I don't think that is going to be the case as Stokes can do it all but we will see. Anything can happen in the Playoffs and that is the reason we play the game. </li> </ul>   <ul> <li>Mount Vernon (19-3): If we were to re-rank all of teams in this Class at this point, Mount Vernon would be my #1 or #2 with how well they are playing. They move at a great pace down the floor, they have the personal to matchup with anyone else in this Class, and they have some really skilled individuals on both sides of the basketball. This Mustangs group is the most complete group across the board when taking everything into consideration in my opinion. They have players like [player_tooltip player_id='311380' first='Sydney' last='Huber'] (13 PPG/6 RPG/3 APG), [player_tooltip player_id='1005091' first='Chloe' last='Meester'] (13.5 PPG/8 RPG), Peyton Simpson (9 PPG/5 RPG/3 APG), and Country Franck (4.9 APG), who are all very skilled in their own right. If they are going to bring home some hardware, they are going to have to execute down the stretch. Like I've mentioned, other teams have star players, who can change the outcome of a game in the blink of an eye. If someone doesn't prepare properly, it could be the last of them.</li> </ul>   <ul> <li>Des Moines Christian (21-1): The Des Moines Christian Lions are the best team that I know the least about. Let me rephrase that, I know a good amount about them but I haven't seen them live too many times this season to get a feel of what they are really about as a program. I do know that they have a core group of players that put up massive numbers each night and that has been the reason that they have only lost once so far this winter, with that being to the #1 ranked team out of the 4A Class at that time in the DCG Mustangs. When you have Senior leadership, adaptable coaches, and selfless players, you can take things a long way. This group has all of that. They are led by Senior - Abby Hall (12.5 PPG/4 RPG) & Sophomore - Addyson Oetker (8 PPG/5 RPG/4 APG), who control most of their action but they also have help from others when they get double teamed and such. Like every other team I have mentioned above, it's going to take a TEAM effort to win this Class. If everyone locks in and plays as a team while the stars shine, then we will be in for quite the treat as this 3A Class begins to wind-down.</li> </ul>   Dark Horse Teams To Make A Run:   <ul> <li>Monticello (19-3): No disrespect to any other teams out there but the Monticello Panthers maybe the best ran team in the state, regardless of Class. I've had the chance of coaching against Monticello and watching them from afar for a few years now and each time, they show me how disciplined they are as a unit. They run some detailed defensive schemes and you rarely see a player out of position. Offensively, they are just as good. They understand how each other play as a team and they work to their strengths with every given opportunity. I guess what I'm saying is, this Panthers team is good. If they were to make a big run all the way to the State Tournament, it wouldn't shock me. </li> </ul>   <ul> <li>Roland Story (21-1): The Norseman of Roland-Story High School have put together a winter to remember thus far but they are not going to be satisfied until they win a few more games. Up until this point in their year, they are 21-1 in their first 22 games and I think they are going to get a few more wins under their belt before things are over with. If you dive into their past games this winter, you see that they took care of business where you would expect. In 95% of their games, they should have been favored and they demonstrated that with their convincing wins every night. I do expect this trend of winning games to continue against Clear Lake on Wednesday behind the play of their most consistent players [player_tooltip player_id='842578' first='Matilde' last='Motta'] (14 PPG/4 RPG), [player_tooltip player_id='311371' first='Claire' last='Truesdell'] (9 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='842678' first='Kamryn' last='Lande'] (5 RPG), and Kate Berggren (4 RPG/3 APG). If these four do what they do best, they will move on with a shot to continue onto the State Tournament against either Forest City or Crestwood. A matchup where I would personally favor the Norseman, no matter who their opponent is. </li> </ul>   <ul> <li>Harlen Community (18-3): If Harlan Community can get through their opponent on Wednesday evening, I like their chances to get all the way to the Well. HC is a team that is build on a presence in the middle of the lane. They understand how to play as a team, they love physicality, and they keep things simple. As long as they can start off the game by setting the tone, they should coast the rest of the ball game. Something that you have to remember is that this group will NOT blow the doors off you in a matter of three minutes. They are going to slowly and methodically go after their opponents weakness, gaining more and more of a lead as the game goes on. This has been their MO all season long and I'm sure that's not going to change at this point. Overall, they run good action and execute. If they continue hitting on those two things at a consistent rate, they are going to be real tough to stop for anyone in this 3A Class.</li> </ul>   Interesting Matchup That Could Happen (Prior to State):   <ul> <li>Benton vs Monticello (2/17/24) - The biggest and most anticipated matchup in this Class, prior to the State Tournament, would be between Benton and Monticello in the Third Round of the Playoffs, with the winner moving onto State. For this game to happen both teams would have to win one more game prior, on Wednesday night. In both of those matchups, these two teams are heavy favorites so that is what I would expect to happen. If it does, this could turn out to be one of the best games of the entire season. Both teams have the personal, discipline, knowledge of the game, and coaching staffs to go a long way. Which ever team would move on from this Region, would be considered a Top 5 team at the Well in my opinion in this Class. They won't be the best group there but they wouldn't be the worst either. We will have to reassess things when that times comes but for now, this would be the game to watch. </li> </ul>   Prediction   Throughout a Class that has so many stars, it's not crazy to think that anything can happen but the team that is going to win this Class is the one that has their star's shine, while their role players step up in the most important moments. I understand that's a pretty general things to say but it's more true with this Class than most this season. Most of these teams that have put together amazing records, have done it on the backs of one or two main players. These players are the life-force for their team/programs and there is nothing wrong with that but to win a State Championship, you need all hands on deck. You need unlikely hero's to step up and show out. You need quick adjustments by both the coaching staffs and players on the floor. You need everything to "sync up" in the correct moment. If you can do that, you can be a State Champ this winter. It's easier said then done but whoever does that will bring home the trophy and the bragging rights for the 2024 season.

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. Post-Season Play. We begin a journey to see who is the best of the best throughout the state in each perspective Class. Below we dive into the 3A Class and take a closer look to see what it has to offer.