2025 State Tournament Report: Day 3 Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Today was Day 3 of the Iowa State Girls High School Basketball Tournament. Throughout the day I saw several interesting prospects play their hearts out and leave it all on the hardwood. While this was happening I was taking some quick notes about what I was seeing, live-in-action. Below I highlight nine individuals and briefly describe what I saw out on the floor in their specific contests. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='311391' first='Morgan' last='Miller'] - 2025 - PG - Regina Catholic</strong> <strong>High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>"[player_tooltip player_id='311391' first='Morgan' last='Miller'] hit a few momentum changing three pointers in her contest today. It's not the only thing she did as she demonstrated that she can take anyone in her way off the handle, always finishing in a simple way after beating her opponent to the rim as well. She is also smart enough to know when to pass and rotate the ball one more time so that others around her can eat as well. If Regina wins the 2A title this Winter, a main reason for that will be Miller</em>."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Addie McLaughlin - 2028 - PG - Regina Catholic High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>"A next level talent if I've ever seen one out of the 2028 Class. A leader by example, a three level offensive threat at all moments, a quick thinking adjustor, and a hell of a passer. These are just a few things to describe how McLaughlin plays the game of basketball. Today she had a great showing. Scoring, assisting in the half court and full courts, and defending on the top of her team's zone at times. If we didn't expect this type of performance out of McLaughlin, it would be more impressive but the reality is that we know what she can do and what she brings to the floor."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1190190' first='Karlyn' last='Kovarna'] - 2026 - SF/CF - Hinton High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>"When Hinton needed a bucket in the second half, [player_tooltip player_id='1190190' first='Karlyn' last='Kovarna'] was there to make it happen. Both times Kovarna scored off of the dribble on the left side of the basket, off of a take from the elbow where she originally caught it. When Kovarna went up for those shot attempts, I was unsure if they would be good but she got both to fall and that was a huge factor in their overall success in the contest."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://www.gobound.com/ia/ighsau/girlsbasketball/2024-25/rockvalley/v/athletes/h202411250258477030f9f079a0f9f41">[player_tooltip player_id='1207372' first='Brynlie' last='Zomer']</a> - 2025 - G - Rock Valley High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>"To have a balanced team and to get to this point takes a certain type of roster. A roster with guards and posts galore. Rock Valley has that. At the Guard position, they are stacked with talent. Someone that was underrated this season for them though was [player_tooltip player_id='1207372' first='Brynlie' last='Zomer']. Zomer is a lengthy guard, that seems to compete off of the ball more than anything else. When the game was dwindling down today, Zomer hit a big three on the wing off a catch to keep them in it. This wasn't the only thing she did well throughout the game but it was the most impactful for the moment in my opinion."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='901710' first='Avah' last='Underwood'] - 2026 - F - St. Albert High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>"Length. Strength. And a whole lot of it. Those are two words to describe [player_tooltip player_id='901710' first='Avah' last='Underwood'] as a prospect. Underwood is the force in the middle for the Saintes and she helped them close out the game today with some strong takes to the bucket. In the second half, Underwood recorded a steal down the floor for an AND1 layup over someone that couldn't match her size. This was a major momentum settler as Dunkerton was creeping back into the game. Underwood actually showed up multiple times when she was needed at the rim. She received the ball with her back to the basket and went to work. The rest is history and the Saintes are moving on."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='789125' first='Ava' last='Fuelling'] - 2027 - SG - Dunkerton High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>"Much respect to [player_tooltip player_id='789125' first='Ava' last='Fuelling'] and the performance she put on today. Fuelling is a SG with a quick trigger and some deadly aim from distance. She can also put the ball on the floor and get to some other spots if she is overplayed but when she comes down the court, she is mainly looking for an open spot on the outside for a look from deep and there is nothing wrong with that because she makes it a good amount of the time. Today she was really letting it fly off the catch but that's what was needed. She caught it, let it fly, and sometimes it went it. When the Raiders were starting their comeback attempt, the three ball was a major factor and that's because Feulling was hitting all sort of shots."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='595155' first='Hailey' last='Kipp'] - 2026 - F - Dunkerton High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>"Dunkerton made a respectable effort in their State matchup with the #1 seed in the 1A Class this afternoon. Someone for the Raiders that kept them in it in the long run was their Forward, [player_tooltip player_id='595155' first='Hailey' last='Kipp']. Kipp possesses size, muscle mass to pair with it, some agile movement, and a pretty diverse skill set to pair. In her contest she started off by working the painted area on both blocks. Her team fed her early and often underneath, trying to get her going. To follow as the game went on, Kipp came out and expanded her range. She hit a few jumpers from three point land, displaying that she can do some impressive things when confident."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='832216' first='Kylee' last='Pexa'] - 2027 - PG - Dunkerton High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>"This is someone that would be considered a natural in the terms of running her team's offense as a stable PG. Pexa is always looking for her post player in the middle of the lane. If not, she is looking to make a play while attacking off the bounce or she is looking to pass out to the perimeter for an open shooter. She also has the ability to shoot it herself at times when she has space and time. What really stands out about her though is the passing ability and how crafty she can be with it. She gets really creative and it's noticeable."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ellie Sievers - 2028 - PG/SG - Newell Fonda High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>"Sievers oozes talent in all facets of the game. She is a quick thinking guard, that has a lot of natural instincts on both sides of the ball. Offensively, she can get to the hoop at Will against any defender but she also isn't afraid to hit a jumper from anywhere as well. Defensively, she gets a ton of steals and tips in the full court with her team's press as she flies around looking to make a play. We have known about Ellie for a while now but it's nice to see her thrive out on the State floor in front of a bigger audience."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->