Unique Battles Ahead

The end of this week brings up some interesting battles taking place across the State. There is sure to be some up's, some down's, and a whole lot of fireworks. Below we briefly touch on seven players to know about before they take the court tonight. Each individual is someone that has shown promise with their time on the Varsity floor and they are ready to continue with that work moving into 2025.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!   Rock Valley vs Sioux Center    After moving to Rock Valley in the off-season, [player_tooltip player_id='592200' first='Hudsyn' last='Ranschau'] has kicked off this Winter on fire on the offensive end of things, while also doing pretty well on the defensive side at the same time. Ranschau is a quick offensive threat, with a flawless shooting stroke when letting it go from behind the three point line. She has also been demonstrating that she is solid at getting to the hoop if she is overplayed. In this specific matchup, Hudsyn is going to be looked upon to make big plays. Sioux Center has some length so I'm interested how this is going to work out on Thursday evening.     Another force that opposing teams need to address from the Rockets line up is [player_tooltip player_id='996531' first='Miylie' last='Zomer']. Zomer is a 5'11 SF, that is leading her program in RPG with 9.7. Along with almost grabbing 10 RPG, she also is scoring just over 14 PPG on 50% from two point range and 40% from three point land. As you can tell, this is a player that is vital to her team's success down the line. When Zomer plays well, everyone plays well and that is going to be a key in the future if they want to make a run at the State Title.     The force for Sioux Center, that is going to be tasked with stopping Zomer from Rock Valley is 6'0 PF - [player_tooltip player_id='1131461' first='Margo' last='Schuiteman']. Schuiteman is someone with toughness, size, wherewithal, and a willingness to get physical with those around her. In Sioux Center's system, they have a lot of length around the court at all times and Schuiteman is that anchor in the middle that everyone can rely on in bigger moments. If she can hold her ground and make Zomer really work for it, it's going to help them out in a big way throughout this contest.    Iowa City High vs Cedar Falls    Between City High and Cedar Falls, there are going to be quite a few collegiate level prospects out on the floor. For Cedar Falls, a prospect who could really change this game is 6'1 PF - [player_tooltip player_id='592192' first='Grace' last='Hannam']. Not only is Hannam tall, she has superior athletic ability to most her age. She is great at using her body to stick between the hoop and force some altered shots. This ability stands out because Cedar Falls also has some noteworthy guard play. If they get into a position come Playoff time where they are at home and it's "their" night, who knows how far they could take this season but they have to play one game at a time. If they lock in there, they might suprise a few programs down the line.     [player_tooltip player_id='311373' first='August' last='Palmer'] of Iowa City High is going to be a killer at the next level because of her tenacious attitude, smooth skill set, and her ability to lead her team by example on or off of the basketball. City High really goes as far as Palmer takes them in a sense, so her having a good contest in this one is important. She is going to be matched up against a D1 Drake commit, so it's going to be fun to see how they choose to defend each other. Both players are pretty automatic in what they do so it will all come down to who can execute at a higher rate than the other.    Pleasant Valley vs Bettendorf    Coming into the season my challenge for [player_tooltip player_id='617226' first='Quinn' last='Vice'] was to demonstrate that she can dominate inside the lane and then she can work her way, outside to the perimeter. Well to start off 2025 on a positive note, she is averaging nearly a double-double in points and rebounds with 17.5 PPG / 7.5 RPG. Vice's height is what should separate the Spartans from the Bulldogs in this contest. If they use that natural advantage and play their stout defense per usual, it could be a slippery game for Bettendorf but we will just have to wait and see.     Bettendorf is a program that has some stars. They have D1 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='612984' first='Alyvia' last='McCorkle'] running a lot of their PG action, they have ESPNW rated [player_tooltip player_id='643486' first='Jhaliana' last='Guy'] playing a mix of the PG and SG spot, with DMACC commit [player_tooltip player_id='842677' first='Alivia' last='Carr'] in the middle of the lane to eat up space. Other than those three, someone else that has put together a very promising season is Sophomore SG - [player_tooltip player_id='834858' first='Addison' last='Woelfel']. Woelfel is someone that leading this team in APG, while being an accurate shooter when it's rotated to her on the outside. There is never a moment where I have seen Woelfel get pressured into a bad choice and making a quick decision. Every time she is calm with the basketball and that speaks to her preparation. The stars are going to shine in this ball game for both parties. So the next question is going to be, who else can step up? For the Bulldogs, it could be Woelfel. She just needs to continue with her process and the rest could be history.

The end of this week brings up some interesting battles taking place across the State. There is sure to be some up's, some down's, and a whole lot of fireworks. Below we briefly touch on seven players to know about before they take the court tonight. Each individual is someone that has shown promise with their time on the Varsity floor and they are ready to continue with that work moving into 2025.