1A Playoffs: Round One Heros

Thursday night kicked off Playoff action throughout the state of Iowa. The 1A Class started things off on Thursday evening with some exciting games taking places across the state. Usually when you have these first round games, most of them are won by a decent margin of victory but last night there were more than a few narrow W's when the final buzzers sounded. In this piece we highlight some of the heros of round one for their program. Each player listed is someone that was vital in their team's victory last night in one way or another.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    When [player_tooltip player_id='1191800' first='Samantha' last='Springer'] woke up on Thursday morning, she didn't imagine being the hero of her Madrid team's HUGE win later that night but that's what happened. Madrid went on the road to Orient-Macksburg to compete against the Bulldogs in their first round matchup. As the game tipped off and proceeded on, it was a respectable battle between both sides. When we pulled up to the fourth quarter, Madrid was down 2 points and looking to keep it interesting. The quarter had its moments for both teams. With about 5 seconds left in game, Orient had a three point shot attempt blocked from the corner. Off of that blocked shot, Springer caught the tip, dribbled it twice up the floor, letting it go before the far-side three point line. The next thing you know, that shot is swishing into the net for a Madrid W at the buzzer. They might still have a far way to go but this is a type of win you'll remember for the rest of your life if you are apart of the Tigers team/fan base.     The Panthers are moving on from their Round One matchup and looking to make some more waves these next few days. In their contest yesterday, the Panthers recorded a 14 point win being led by the efforts of [player_tooltip player_id='1191802' first='Emma' last='Dye'] at the Forward spot. Dye, a 5'10 SF, did what she could near and far from the hoop offensively, while being a stopper on the defensive side of the ball as well. In reality, their defense in quarters 1 and 3 is what really helped them secure this victory. They held the Cougars to 12 points within those two periods combined while scoring 35 themselves. If they want to win some more games, these are the types of efforts they will continue to need as a unit.     Whenever we have spoken about the success of George-Little Rock High School the past 2.5 years, we have spoken about their C/PF - [player_tooltip player_id='595156' first='Lindsey' last='Haken'] and how much she produces on both sides of the ball. Last night the Mustangs moved to 15-8 with a 25 point victory and Haken just so happened to shined in the outing. She finished things off as the team leader in PPG, RPG, and APG. She specifically had 22 points (7-14), 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. The story of this one was Haken in the middle. That's really all there is to it. There wasn't anyone that could handle the size of Haken individually, not even accounting for some of the other skilled players on the Mustangs team. No matter what happens moving forward, this is someone this is going to produce for her team when she is out on the floor. That's been proven and I do not see that changing anytime soon.     The CAM Cougars put together a team effort in their win on Thursday night at home against Griswold. Their leader and star on the offensive end was once again, SG - [player_tooltip player_id='1191813' first='Maddie' last='Richter']. Richter is a SG, that understands how to play efficient ball for her position. In this one she led her group in scoring while shooting the ball at over a 50% rate from the field. Like I said, this one was a group effort in every definition of the phrase but Richter has always been pretty solid from a recruiting prospect. She does a lot of good things on and off the ball and that is something everyone can respect from an outside view. As of late, I've really noticing that she can produce at a thorough rate without having the ball in her hands for a majority of a possession and that can go a long way.     [player_tooltip player_id='1091292' first='Kamryn' last='Fink'] jumped onto the high school basketball scene at the start of the season with her big numbers and impactful play at the varsity level for her Highland Huskies program. Since then, Fink has seemingly kept things going, making big differences for her team each night they compete. Last night Highland got a big first round victory, 48-29 over Wapello. Fink accounted for 25 of her teams 48 points, almost outscoring the opposing team by herself when the final buzzer sounded. Fink is a swift player, that understands how to break down her matchup. If this group wants to keep winning, this is someone that has to keep producing. I think it's also important to note that out of their teams 48 total points scored in this one, three of their players accounted for 47 of those 48. If they want to make a deep run these next few weeks, others will have to step up as well.     Hillcrest squeaked by New London High School by 3 on Thursday with a star studded performance by their 2026 SG - [player_tooltip player_id='1191954' first='Claire' last='Withrow']. Withrow scored a game-high 30 points, while the rest of the team recorded 14 as a whole. She accounted for more than 2/3rd's of the Ravens scoring and that is noteworthy in whichever way you want to phrase it. Withrow just had one of those contests that she is going to remember forever. This was definitely her performance of the year, with hopefully more to come.

Thursday night kicked off Playoff action throughout the state of Iowa. The 1A Class started things off on Thursday evening with some exciting games taking places across the state. Usually when you have these first round games, most of them are won by a decent margin of victory but last night there were more than a few narrow W's when the final buzzers sounded. In this piece we highlight some of the heros of round one for their program. Each player listed is someone that was vital in their team's victory last night in one way or another.