Preseason Top Five: Class 5A

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 5A 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 - CR Prairie High School   CR Prairie put together a memorable season Winter with their new coaching staff and the personal on roster. This Winter this group will return a few from year's past but not everyone so there will be opportunities for others to step up. Their "three-headed dragon" that most opposing team's will have to focus on are PG & UNI commit - [player_tooltip player_id='502096' first='KeaOnna' last='Worley'] (13 PPG, 5 RPG, 5 APG, 3 SPG), SG & UNI commit - [player_tooltip player_id='502095' first='Emily' last='Larsen'] (16 PPG, 5 RPG, 1 APG, 2 SPG), & SF/Colorado College commit - [player_tooltip player_id='502092' first='Brynlie' last='Hadenfeldt'] (11 PPG, 7 RPG, 3 APG, 2 SPG). These three made easy work of a lot of team's last season and they will be looked upon once again to do the same this Winter over the next six months. Another thing that will carry this group is their coaching. The coaching staff knows what's up, they adapt in real time, they make smart adjustments, and they always come prepared. The mixture of these players and this type of coaching is going to help CR Prairie go a lot of places over the next few months. If they play their cards right, we should see them back in Des Moines at the State Tournament at the start of 2026.   #4 - IC Liberty High School   IC Liberty for me is somewhat a question mark but they are coming off of a State run last season and they are returning most of their starting lineup so they should win a majority of their games with a chance to make it back to the Des Moines before this season comes to an end. Something that isn't a question for me is the production they will receive from their Upperclassmen. They will return South Dakota commit - [player_tooltip player_id='837358' first='Natalie' last='Ramsey'] (22 PPG, 10 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG, 2 BPG), who will be a monster for them on both offense and defense with her mixture of length, athletic ability, and aggressive demeanor. They return sharpshooting SG - [player_tooltip player_id='502097' first='Kennedy' last='Goodheart'] (5 PPG, 2 RPG, 1 APG). Along with returning talented ball handlers like [player_tooltip player_id='880907' first='Natalie' last='Schechinger'] (3 PPG, 4 RPG, 3 APG, 1 SPG) & [player_tooltip player_id='1201885' first='Ava' last='Casey'] (6 PPG, 2 RPG, 5 APG). With all of these players they should be a good spot overall but we will see. Last season they have some up and down moments, putting it all together right before they made the State Tournament. If they want another shot at returning with some forceful momentum in the near future, they are going to have to lock in a little bit sooner this time around.   #3 - Dowling Catholic High School   Now that Ava Zediker is in college and off of the roster at DC, they will need to find her replacement. If the Maroon's can do that, they should be a really good shape this Winter. Please don't get it twisted. No one can replace Zediker and what she brought to the floor. Looking back she is in consideration for being the second-best PG in school history and that says a lot comparatively. With Zediker now gone, the Muller sisters will be looked at to be their dominant play-makers. [player_tooltip player_id='582813' first='Ellie' last='Muller'] (16 PPG, 12 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG, 4 BPG), the 6'3 Mizzou WBB commit, is going to be a force to deal with in the middle on both ends in the categories of scoring, rebounding, and defending the paint. While her sister, Katie (9 PPG, 5 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG, 1 BPG), is a talented SG with several P4 offers at this point because of her mature of skill and size at 6'2. If both of these hoopers play to their full potential and they have other guards step up to help facilitate, they should be a tough group to stop. It's also important to note that this is another team with seasoned coaching. They make smart game-plans and those game-plans help them defeat a lot of opponents. Something that should continue some more over the next few months but for now they will hold onto the #3 spot in this Top Five.   #2 - Waukee Northwest High School   Waukee NW High School is my pick to win the 5A Class this season, eventually dethroning the Johnston Dragons by the end of the year. Waukee NW was a team that gave Johnston a run for their money last Winter and they will return all of their previous talent. They will have the size advantage against most opponents they will face this Winter with [player_tooltip player_id='686893' first='Cassidy' last='Danburg'] (6 PPG, 6 RPG, 1 APG) in middle at 6'2/6'3 & [player_tooltip player_id='880911' first='Victoria' last='Burpo'] (2 PPG, 2 RPG, 1 APG) at 6'0/6'1. They will have one of the best overall PG's that the state has to offer in [player_tooltip player_id='777233' first='Romey' last='Croatt'] (14 PG, 5 RPG, 3 APG, 2 SPG) and they will have a handful of other guards that can step up to produce in the blink of an eye. Prospects like [player_tooltip player_id='935274' first='Vana' last='Bilic'] (12 PPG, 3 RPG, 3 APG, 1 SPG), Sadie McCan (9 PPG, 4 RPG, 1 APG, 1 SPG), & [player_tooltip player_id='686894' first='Leah' last='Janulewicz'] (6 PPG, 3 RPG, 2 APG , 2 SPG), along with a few others honestly. With all of this talent on roster, the foundation they put into place last Winter, & some solid instruction - this all leads to a chance at a 5A State Title. It won't be easy but it will be very do-able and that's all that matters.   #1 - Johnston High School   I hope everyone last year learned their lesson about counting out the Johnston Dragons. Prior to last year's season tipping off, I couldn't tell you how many times I heard that it was over for the Dragons and that their would be a new big dawg on top of the 5A Class by the time we got to the State Tournament. Well they proved everyone wrong and went undefeated once again with their dynamite lineup. That's why they are starting this Winter at the very top of this Class to kick things off. I will admit that this season for this group will be a lot tougher than the past because of who they will have on roster and who will need to step up. This group will be led by their guard-play throughout this upcoming Winter. They will return Norte Dame WBB commit - [player_tooltip player_id='557354' first='Jenica' last='Lewis'] (18 PPG, 4 RPG, 4 APG, 4 SPG), who will be their X factor and best overall prospect. They will return future D1 commit - [player_tooltip player_id='880913' first='Kelli' last='Kalb'] (9 PPG, 5 RPG, 1 APG, 1 SPG). Along with a handful of other guards like D2 commit - Jaliyah Kinnetz (8 PPG, 3 RPG, 2 APG, 2 SPG), [player_tooltip player_id='644557' first='Ari' last='Phillips'] (9 PPG, 5 RPG, 3 APG, 2 SPG0, & [player_tooltip player_id='644558' first='Daya' last='Phillips'] (3 PPG, 5 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG). As you can tell this is a group with a lot of talent across the board still. They also have some impactful Forward play in [player_tooltip player_id='766304' first='Paige' last='Andernacht'] (4 PPG, 3 RPG) so as long as this group can build off of what as been put in year's past, who knows how far they will take things but to start off they will hold onto the #1 position moving into week #1 of regular season play.   (Honorable Mentions: Cedar Falls, IC West, CR Washington, Ankeny, Waukee, IC City High, Bettendorf, Ankeny Centennial)

We have made it!