Preseason Top Five: Class 4A

We have made it!    November is the month that action throughout the state of Iowa starts to take place for Girls High School Basketball. As a preview, in this piece we break down some of the team's that should be within the Top Five for the 4A Class moving into the Winter when taking into consideration their roster, schedule, and who they might have to play in some meaningful games in the future.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!   #5 - Central Dewitt High School   Central Dewitt High School is a big question mark for me at the #5 spot here in all honesty and that is strictly due to the fact that they lose Lauren Walker as a competitor. Walker, a current UNI WBB, put together one of the most impressive career's I have witnessed in my year's of doing this. Over four season she was an absolute nightmare for opposing team's to plan for. She single handedly won her team a lot of contests and that is something we can all respect from an outside point-of-view. Now this season we figure out how much of a factor Walker really was. The Sabers will return D2 Truman State Commit - [player_tooltip player_id='598490' first='Ava' last='Putman'] (12 PPG, 4 RPG, 4 APG) and basically everyone else on roster other than Walker so they will have good numbers. They will also have experience compared to most. Now it's really about how far Putman can carry them in the grand scheme of things. If she can take over and be an absolute beast, this group will be just fine. If not though and it all becomes a lot more intriguing. I'm not sure where they will end up but to start, Central DeWitt will take hold of the #5 spot in the 4A Class to begin the season with room to grow.   #4 - Clear Creek Amana High School   CCA should be in a prime spot to make some waves across the 4A Class this Winter throughout Iowa. This team will feature one of the best duo's that the State has to offer in ASU commit - [player_tooltip player_id='509225' first='Averie' last='Lower'] (23 PPG, 9 RPG, 3 APG, 3 SPG, 1 BPG), & Doane commit - [player_tooltip player_id='782232' first='Lena' last='Evans'] (17 PPG, 5 RPG, 3 APG, 4 SPG). These two prospects can GO. Lower has been considered one of the best shooters in the Country out of the 2026 Class for year's now and Evans is more of a versatile guard that has built onto her game tremendously over the past eight months as a handler and play-maker. When we saw this team compete last season to-go to State, they ran into a buzzsaw in Lauren Walker and Central Dewitt but that changes this Winter. CCA went 15-8 in 2024 - 2025 and they have a decently tough schedule yet again but I think they can push through to the State Tournament before you know it. Looking over their personal, their new HC, & the possibilities are endless. I'm excited to see what type of system this new staff is running. If they use their players in the correct way, they should be a group we see in Des Moines come 2026.   #3 - Norwalk High School   The loss of Bailey Birmingham would hurt any program. She was such an impact on both sides of the floor, basically being a high school cheat code over the past four years for the Warriors but now she is at the collegiate level doing her thing and her little sister [player_tooltip player_id='883552' first='Braylyn' last='Birmingham'] (20 PPG, 4 RPG, 4 APG, 3 SPG) is ready to take the reigns. Braylyn is the #2 rated 2028 prospect in Iowa and for good reason. During her Freshman season last year she made her presence known in every way imaginable. She played PG at times, bring the ball down the floor and creating for those around her. She moved off the ball to the Wing and killed her opponent with her crafty attacking ability. She even moved to the 3 in dire occasions, demonstrating her versatility at a high rate. This Winter she will be looked upon to do so much more but not everything exactly. The Warriors will also return some other pieces from year's past. Piece's like experienced Seniors in [player_tooltip player_id='1117324' first='Hannah' last='Overholser'] (8 PPG, 2 RPG, 3 APG, 2 SPG), [player_tooltip player_id='1117188' first='Pearl' last='Brown'] (4 PPG, 4 RPG, 3 APG, 2 SPG), & [player_tooltip player_id='1117190' first='Ava' last='Carlson'] (6 PPG, 6 RPG, 2 SPG). Not to mention that their underclassmen group is also flooded with talent. It seems like each Winter Norwalk plays a simple schedule for a majority of their season. If that is the case once again, they should skate through up until the Playoffs. That's when they really will be battle tested and that's where we find out how far they could eventually take things in the very end.   #2 - Dallas Center-Grimes High School   It matters when a program has been there before. An experienced coaching staff, smart players, and having the Willingness to adapt to any situation. Those three things can take you places if you play your cards right and DCG will have that opportunity over the next six months. The Mustangs are going to be in the conversation for another 4A State Title this Winter. They return all parties from last season, they have a seasoned coaching staff, and they shouldn't take too many losses during the regular season before it's Playoff time. Their four main leaders returning will be UNI commit - [player_tooltip player_id='832198' first='Macy' last='Meyer'] (15 PPG, 3 RPG, 1 APG), [player_tooltip player_id='686901' first='Tessa' last='Jones'] (8 PPG, 3 RPG, 1 APG), [player_tooltip player_id='891985' first='Ava' last='Smid'] (8 PPG, 8 RPG, 3 APG, 2 SPG), & [player_tooltip player_id='1302233' first='Leah' last='Brauch'] (9 PPG, 2 RPG, 3 APG, 2 SPG). Other than these individuals, there are 3-4 others that consistently saw the floor last Winter so I would expect the same this time around. DCG will win a lot of their games this season because of their system in place. They know how to attack their opponents in each contest and that will carry them in a lot of situations moving forward. When you pair that along with their deep roster, you start to see the possibilities that could unfold. They just need to keep their eyes on the prize, take it one game at a time, and they will be a group we continue to speak about throughout the 2025-2026 high school season.   #1 - Bishop Heelan High School   Bishop Heelan High School comes into this season as the 4A Class favorites in a lot of eyes around the state. The Crusaders went 21-3 last season while competing and they are looking to be right around the same spot this Winter. This group will return 2 of 5 starters with their big names being future P4 commit - [player_tooltip player_id='777232' first='Melina' last='Snoozy'] (19 PPG, 5 RPG, 4 APG, 2 SPG) and SDSU commit - [player_tooltip player_id='582806' first='Trishelle' last='Miller'] (14 PPG, 6 RPG, 4 APG). Along with those two they will have multiple prospects that are coming back for another go-around with more experience this time compared to year's past. They also bring in a very impressive transfer in [player_tooltip player_id='1305404' first='Ella' last='Otten'] out of South Dakota. Otten is a PG/SG with multiple D1 offers moving into her Sophomore season. She is a guard with a promising passing ability, a fundamental jump shot off the catch or dribble, along with a calculated edge when attacking the teeth of the defense. She will most likely slip into the starting PG role over the next few years but we will have to wait and see. This group should go near undefeated over the next six months prior to the State Playoffs. They will once again bring their profound zone defense to the hardwood. If that can carry them, their offense should follow and that's when things become interesting.   (Honorable Mentions: Sioux Center, Carlisle, Waverly Shell - Rock, Pella, ADM, Clinton, Central DeWitt, Xavier, Keokuk, Burlington, Gilbert)

We have made it!