State Tournament Game Report: North Polk VS Sioux Center

North Polk and Sioux Center gave us one of the best games of the tournament so far with a back and forth battle. With 30 seconds left it was still anyone's game but when the final horn sounded, the North Polk Comets came out victorious after free throws and some stout full court defense.   Below we discuss a mix of players between both squads. These players did well in their own right today, fighting through adversity and challenges every step of the way.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>19 Pts (7-22), 11 Rebs, 3 Assists, 1 Steal, 2 Blocks, 2 T.O.'s</li> </ul>   It was a slow start but by the fourth quarter, it was safe to say that [player_tooltip player_id='777226' first='Maryn' last='Franken'] was the real deal and someone that could be a very intriguing prospect over this Spring/Summer AAU season. Franken, a 6'0 CG, played all positions offensively today, making easy work of the defense. At times she brought up the ball and received a screen at the top of the key, which usually finishing the play with a mid-lane floater as she moved downhill. She was playing the off-guard and hitting jumpers from deep off the catch. Then when she had a mismatch in physical size, she would get a touch near the block for a tough finish through contact. Not to mention that she held her own on defense and basically guarded every position throughout the contest. Just demonstrating her versatility as a whole.     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>6 Pts (3-7), 10 Rebs, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, 9 Blocks, 1 T.O.</li> </ul>   [player_tooltip player_id='311356' first='Rebecca' last='Aagard'] was the X-Factor in this one because of her ability to defend the paint and near the hoop. Aagard also scored with her minimal opportunities but where she stood out was when she was blocking the rim. She finished setting a State Tournament record with 9 blocks, getting stop after stop against anyone daring enough to take it to the rim. You'd think after awhile that people would switch some things up after this happens but not today. Aagard was a constant annoyance in the middle and that helped this team bring home the W in the end.     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>12 Pts (5-9), 1 Reb, 1 Assist, 1 Block, 2 T.O.'s</li> </ul>   The Comet's depth is what stands out about this varsity program as a whole. They have a ton of weapons at basically every position on the floor. An underclassman that really stepped up tonight was [player_tooltip player_id='655384' first='Campbell' last='Schulz']. As you can tell from the stat line above, this is someone that was a difference maker from start to finish. Most all of her action came while she was curling to the hoop. That or she would take her defender off of the dribble and get all the way to the basket for a simple finish. There is a lot to like about Schulz as a prospect. She checks a lot of boxes in the terms of playing the game the right way and that always seems to translate to the next level.     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>9 Pts (3-6), 1 T.O.</li> </ul>   [player_tooltip player_id='1209839' first='Amirah' last='Bleeker'] might only be a player out of the 2028 Class but she showed today in front of the state that she is going to be someone to know over the next three years at the varsity level. Bleeker hit multiple shots in this contest, helping her team in some big moments in both halves. In the first she was hitting three pointers off the catch after the ball touched the post and then in the second half she hit a nice floater on the baseline to tie the ball game with a few minutes left in the fourth. Sioux Center is going to be back again this next season. They return a lot of skilled prospects and their top dawgs should come back hungrier than ever. Including Bleeker.     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>12 Pts (4-13), 10 Rebs, 5 Assists, 1 T.O.</li> </ul>   When you think about this North Polk Comets team, you think about their starting PG and future UNI Panther, [player_tooltip player_id='311383' first='Abby' last='Tuttle']. Tuttle is the one who most commonly brings up the ball and runs this teams primary action. What I saw out of Tuttle today was impressive. She might not of shot it super well but she made shots when it mattered, she demonstrated some crazy good footwork in the post, and she finished with a 5-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. All these things together combined for an impressive performance. What I also noticed about Tuttle today is how much she communicates with those around her. It may seem like a small thing but those small things lead up to big ones in the very end. If this group wants to continue this run and finish things out, Tuttle is going to have to continue to lead by example. A task that is definitely achievable over these next few days.     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>7 Pts (3-10), 11 Rebs, 1 Block, 1 T.O.</li> </ul>   The "third head" of this Warriors team's "three headed monster" is [player_tooltip player_id='1131461' first='Margo' last='Schuiteman'] at the PF position. Schuiteman was a constant all night long near the rim and even outside around the perimeter at times. For her size, she moves really well and is pretty agile in everything she does. Offensively, she worked in the post against anyone and everyone. She also displayed her 15FT pull up from the middle of the lane a time or two. Defensively, she rebounded well, especially on defense where she recorded 10 boards by herself. This wasn't the end result that the Warriors were hoping for but it was a respectable effort all the way until the final buzzer by Schuiteman & company.     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>13 Pts (5-10), 4 Rebs, 1 Assist</li> </ul>   Another extremely promising 2027 prospect, that showed out at a high rate in this battle was [player_tooltip player_id='777231' first='Fayth' last='Sullivan'] of North Polk. Sullivan isn't afraid to let it fly from anywhere on the court within reason. It doesn't matter if it's off of a set piece or from their natural motion offense. If there is space in front of her, then it could be going up. As a team the Comets shot the ball terribly from three point land, going 4-23 but Sullivan did what she could to save the day, going 50% on 3-6 shooting from behind the arc. This was a saving grace and a boost this team really needed to pull off this victory. They won by a very narrow margin so every bucket mattered when it really boils down to it.     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>2 Pts (1-7), 1 Assist, 2 Steals</li> </ul>   With under thirty seconds left in the game, the Warriors were down 2 with the ball. They run a set and before it can even get started, [player_tooltip player_id='311384' first='Jada' last='Podey'] pops out from her defensive wing position to record a steal going the other way. She follows that up by securing a big rebound in the final seconds, stopping the Warriors from having another clean attempt at a game-tying shot. This win was certainly a team effort with several different players stepping up but the individual that kept having the ball in her hands in the end was Podey. I'm hoping next round she can come back and continue to compete with confidence, letting her defense do the talking once again.

North Polk and Sioux Center gave us one of the best games of the tournament so far with a back and forth battle. With 30 seconds left it was still anyone's game but when the final horn sounded, the North Polk Comets came out victorious after free throws and some stout full court defense.