Friday Night Lights - Major Matchups Of The Evening

Friday night is filled up with top-notch matchups across the State at every difference Class-level. In this piece we talk about a few of those matchups, their top players, and what might happen once the contest has tipped off.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!   Cedar Falls (3-1) @ IC West High (4-1)   The Cedar Falls Tigers are on the road on Friday night to take on Iowa City West High in a battle of two top-15 ranked teams. The Tigers will look to their star and main producer in Drake WBB commit - [player_tooltip player_id='582805' first='Karis' last='Finley']. Finley is one of the most underrated prospects that the state has to offer for a Division-1 prospect. She moves effortlessly with the ball in her possession, she is very clean with all of her skill moves, and she makes everyone else around her better. As a team this group is taught how to fly around and leave it all on the court. They play suffocating defense and they are really good at understanding their assignments. For the Trojans side they are going to bring skilled guard play to the hardwood in the forms of Grace Finchamp, Addy Nuemiller, & [player_tooltip player_id='833955' first='Sasha' last='Baldwin']. These three combined have been tough for most opposing teams to deal with this season and the same could be true this evening. It all depends on how they play off each other. In recent outings, Finchamp has shown out as their top producer so we will have to see if that continues.   Valley (3-1) @ Dowling Catholic (6-0)   The Valley Tigers have been maybe the biggest surprise out of the 5A Class this Winter as a program so far. Everyone thought that the Tigers could win some games over the next few months but they have started off this Winter with a bang. They have demonstrated that on any given night, they can come out and win, no matter the team placed in front of them. Which makes this contest tonight an intriguing one. The Tigers are led by 2027 SG - [player_tooltip player_id='677842' first='Tylee' last='Weite']. Weite is their knock-down shooter and main producer offensively over their first four games averaging just under 16 PPG on 45% from the field. They also have difference-makers like [player_tooltip player_id='912093' first='Avery' last='Moon'] and Jenna Fuller at the guard positions, who can play and control the tempo of the contest. For DC, this group is headlined by the Muller sisters. [player_tooltip player_id='582813' first='Ellie' last='Muller'] in the middle as a PF and [player_tooltip player_id='777225' first='Katie' last='Muller'] on the outside as a SG. Both of these players are future P4 committed athletes so containing them can be difficult. Especially when they are playing to their full potential. Ellie has already had a contest this Winter with over 10 Blocks in regulation and Katie as been lighting up the nights from DEEP on a consistent basis. Combined that with their young talent out of the 2029 Class + their basic game strategy and you get a group that could win the 5A Class this season if they play their cards right. I'm not sure how this will play out but it could turn out to be the best contest of the night.   Waukee (1-3) @ Ankeny (4-1)   Don't let Waukee's record fool you. They have had some tough games to start their season and they have been missing a handful of players for all sorts of various reasons. I'm not sure who is going to return to the lineup tonight but their schedule doesn't get any easier as they go on the road to Ankeny to face off with the Hawks. The Hawks are led by Creighton WBB commit - [player_tooltip player_id='342205' first='Jayla' last='Williams']. Williams has been putting on for her program so far this Winter. She has kept her team up or close within contests when battling, doing everything she can on both ends. Williams offensive production is noteworthy as she is the state's best on-ball defender for a Guard. She is known for steals, deflections, and being one of the first on the floor for her program and the teammates around her. Which becomes contagious to everyone else. Waukee will have a younger group out there competing that is really skilled. They are just continuing to put stuff together as they gain experience and I think that's what this game will come down to - experience. If the Hawks can get out and run while taking care of the ball, they should come out victorious but if Waukee can muck-up things from the start, they could have a shot to pull the upset. Either way it should be a heavy-weight battle.   Johnston (5-0) @ Waukee NW (3-2)   Is Johnston about to prove everyone wrong again and win another 5A State Title? It's a possibility. Prior to this season I was someone who said that Waukee NW would take over their thrown but from the looks of it, that might not be happening anytime soon. The Dragons return basically everyone from last season except their motor in the middle - Amani Jenkins. They have handled their matchups with ease so far this season so now it's all about seeing who could give them a challenge. They still possess star hoopers like [player_tooltip player_id='557354' first='Jenica' last='Lewis'], [player_tooltip player_id='880913' first='Kelli' last='Kalb'], Ari & Ady Phillips, and Paige Andernecht. All of these prospects know what they are doing out there. They play their game and they see positive results because of it. The Wolves are in a weird place. They don't lose anyone from last Winter and they look completely different as a team. That seems to somewhat be on the players but more-so the coaching staff at times. If the Wolves come in with a better overall strategy than game's past, this could be an exciting one but if not, the Dragons could run them out of the gym in reality. It all depends if NW can execute.

Friday night is filled up with top-notch matchups across the State at every difference Class-level. In this piece we talk about a few of those matchups, their top players, and what might happen once the contest has tipped off.