2024 Playoffs: Five Difference Makers (Class 1A)
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On Wednesday evening we had eight teams from the 1A Class win their contests, punching their ticket to the Well next week. In this article we highlight five players who stood out in each of those contests. Each one of…
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Continue ReadingOn Wednesday evening we had eight teams from the 1A Class win their contests, punching their ticket to the Well next week. In this article we highlight five players who stood out in each of those contests. Each one of these players demonstrated what it means to compete hard on both sides of the court, never giving up on a possession.
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Kinzee Hinders Kinzee Hinders 6'1" | PF Newell-Fonda | 2025 State IA
Kinzee Hinders Kinzee Hinders 6'1" | PF Newell-Fonda | 2025 State IA
The Newell-Fonda Mustangs may be the #2 seed in the 1A Class when it comes to the bracket next week but I really like them to bring home the State Title this winter and a big reason for that being because of their presence in the middle, Kinzee Hinders Kinzee Hinders 6’1″ | PF Newell-Fonda | 2025 State IA . Hinders is not new to the high school basketball scene. She has been a player throughout the past few seasons who has shown her dominance every once in a while but as of late, she has been really consistent about things. In her teams 45 point win against Coon Rapids on Wednesday, Hinders led her team with 22 Points (11/22), 5 Rebounds, 3 Blocks, and 2 Steals. This was just a taste of what a player like Hinders can bring to the floor at the 1A level. With her size at 6’1, as long as she stays disciplined and balanced in her movements, she should keep things rolling the rest of the way this winter. I don’t know anyone else who can match up to her 1 on 1 in her foreseeable future. If anyone is going to stop her, they are going to have to cause some chaos or bring a double team. If not, Hinders could have another career night in the blink of an eye.
Kiera Hochstein
Kiera Hochstein
The St. Albert Saintes put on quite the performance on Wednesday night, leading up to their State appearance next week in Des Moines. In a contest that started out with the Saintes holding their opponent to only 1 point in the first quarter, it wasn’t too close of a ball game from that point on. This Saintes team is dangerous. They have a lot of weapons on the offensive side of the ball, while being stingy defensively. They are led by a group of upperclassmen, who possess a good amount of experience and composure when things tighten up. One of the Saintes best players coming off their bench this past week was Forward, Kiera Hochstein. Hochstein isn’t the tallest Forward but she works hard and has a high motor. When she is in pursuit of the basketball, there is nothing that is going to stop her from getting her hands on it. In this contest, Hochstein registered 11 Points (5/8), 3 Rebounds, and 1 Steal. This victory was a team effort in every way imaginable but it’s still good to see the upperclassmen doing their part and contributing. In Round One they will have to face off against a tough Bishop Garrigan program. I’m not sure who is going to come out on top but whoever it is, is definitely going to deserve it.
Haley Green
Haley Green
Whenever you have heard about Calamus-Wheatland throughout the past few seasons, it’s usually because of their post presence, Kahlie Hill Kahlie Hill 6’3″ | C Calamus-Wheatland | 2024 State IA but another prospect that has been stepping up during her Sophomore season is Small Forward, Haley Green. Green has been someone that her team can rely in all winter long and that was on full display on Wednesday night. Throughout the contest, she scored 10 Points (4/6) and she led her team in Rebounding with 7, all while coming off of the bench. When the final whistle sounded, the Warriors finished the game by a slim margin of just 5 points, 56-51. Green and this team have several different pieces that contribute to their success each game. If they intend to stay alive after Round One next week, everyone is going to have to understand their job to a T. The Warriors have only lost once so far this year so we know that they are aware of who they really are. If they play to their full potential, it’s going to be interesting to see how far they can take things.
Jadyn Sharer
Jadyn Sharer
The Montezuma Bravettes found themselves down 10 after the first quarter on Wednesday evening against CAM but that didn’t deter them. In quarter two they stormed back to tie it going into half-time, eventually winning it in the second half of the ball game. The Bravettes leading producer when everything was said and finished was Shooting Guard, Jadyn Sharer. Sharer finished with 20 Points on 55% shooting, including going 6/11 from behind the three point line and 2/2 from the free throw line. Along with all this scoring, she grabbed 7 Rebounds and facilitated 2 Assists. In a contest that took everything that the Bravettes had, they did a great job of weathering the storm and understanding how to crawl back from behind for a victory. This game demonstrated to myself and anyone else watching that it doesn’t matter if this team is down in the contest, they are never out of it. They have enough pieces to make big runs and to get important stops when it matters. If they can continue to do that moving forward, it’ll be a really fun State Tournament to watch.
Kamryn Kurt Kamryn Kurt 5’6″ | PG North Linn | 2024 State IA is a household name at this point for the North Linn Lynx and as of most recent, she was fantastic again in her teams Regional Championship contest. In a game where the Lynx led the entire time, Kurt was at the forefront for her squad. She led the game in Scoring. Putting up 24 Points on 10-16 shooting and she also grabbed 4 Boards, while passing out 4 Assists. In the end, North Linn won by 32, solidifying their spot as the #1 seed in the Class 1A State Playoffs next week in Des Moines. I have 2-3 teams that I’m really giving a major chance to win the 1A Title this season and the Lynx are in that consideration. Their production speaks for itself and they are stacked, personal wise, compared to most other 1A programs. I’m not sure they will get it done but if they do, it wouldn’t surprise me. As for Kurt, I don’t know where she is going to commit to or what her plan is for the rest of her basketball career but she can play and she should give it a shot at the next level.