Regional Play: Quick Notes

Over the past two/three weeks we have seen noteworthy play out of a number of individuals at the Varsity level during the Playoffs. In this article, in short-hand, we touch on a handful of prospects that jumped off the screen while we have been watching from afar.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!   Chloe Peters - 2029 -  Glidden-Ralston High School   "Peters competes more-so as a CG and she understands that she has to be aggressive on the offensive side of the ball. She isn't necessarily a 1 or a 2 right now but more-so in-between. Peters stands at around 5'5 so she has to be more crafty than most because she isn't the tallest. In college she would need to play the 1 for her size, depending on where she might end up. As a defender, she is very good at getting her hands on the basketball. She knows where the opposition is going to put the ball when trying to score it and because of that, she gets her hands to that location for a block, tip, or deflection. She might only be a Freshman but I've been impressed with what I've seen out of Peters so far for the competition level."   [player_tooltip player_id='595155' first='Hailey' last='Kipp'] - 2026 - Dunkerton High School   "You have to respect when a prospect loves the physicality in between the blocks. It shows that the player is ready to work and sacrifice anything they have too, so that they can help out the team. [player_tooltip player_id='595155' first='Hailey' last='Kipp'] of Dunkerton embodies that. She loves being a bruiser down below, while still being someone that is agile enough to move around the outside at a quick pace. Kipp thrives when she is thrown the ball with her back to the basket and she loves to defend as well. Two things coaches love to see from an outside POV."   [player_tooltip player_id='766457' first='Rylie' last='Fugate'] - 2027 - Martensdale - St.Marys   "Fugate has better than average coordination. She understands what her position is and more importantly, what her role is on her current team. She knows her role is to be their main scoring threat, while also pitching in here and there in others parts of the game. She does an adequate job of defending her position and she demonstrates good hand-eye coordination within her balance. All in all, Fugate could play at the next level in some facet. She just needs to find out which in her off-season and the rest will be history."   [player_tooltip player_id='595151' first='Rowan' last='Jacobi'] - 2026 - Springville High School   "43 & 10. That's the stat line I just watched [player_tooltip player_id='595151' first='Rowan' last='Jacobi'] recored against North Cedar in their 95-30 win. I don't know what's more impressive, the numbers or the fact that it came 21/26 shooting from the field. This is what happens when you have an uber athletic talent at 6'2+ competing against 1A competition. There was no one that could stop Jacobi in this specific battle and I'm sure we will see some more situations like that as we continue to move towards DSM and the State Tournament. In reality, she is just too much to handle at times. Offensively, if you throw someone smaller on her, which is usually the case, it's going to be EASY work over the top. If you try to put someone bigger in front of her, she will blow right by them with her athleticism and finishing ability. Defensively, you have to worry about her, even if she isn't your main defender because she will be lurking around for blocks when you attack in the middle of the lane. If you don't account for her. It's usually a block party for the South Dakota WBB Commit."   [player_tooltip player_id='641977' first='Grace' last='Fincham'] - 2026 - Iowa City West High   "Grace has been the motor, heart, and brains of this West High team for year's now. This Winter she solidified herself as their #1 option for the Trojans, giving them a #1 seed for the 5A Class moving into the Post season. West goes far if Fincham plays her game and if everyone else plays off of her ability to drive, shoot, and create. She isn't the team's leading PG so I don't expect her to start running her team's systems necessarily but I do expect all of their action to go through her, if that makes sense. That's been the case during the regular season and the start of these Playoffs so now it's just finding out how far she can take things."   Jenna Subbert - 2029 - Glidden-Ralston High School   "Glidden-Ralston is intriguing because they are putting together nice outings while most of their main producers are underclassmen at this point. Another name from this group to know is Jenna Subbert. The thing about Subbert is that she shows up everywhere on the stat sheet for a Freshman. She can score it at a thorough rate, she rebounds, she can defend, and she is a smart teammate on the floor in general as a competitor. She seems to understand situations really well and she knows how to adapt pretty quickly when things tighten up. This pair of Subbert, Peters, and Company is a group to keep an eye on moving forward for GR. They got some good stuff cooking and it should only get better with time."   Liv Klootwyk - 2029 - Pleasantville High School   "Pleasantville has shocked their Regional, winning their first two games against two sound programs in Cardinal (8-14) and then Mount Ayr (20-2). A reason for this success was their team play as a whole. They just had more weapons across the board then both of these other programs and those weapons showed up big time. The most impactful weapon being Freshman - Liv Klootwyk. Overall, she has been playing well as her team's starting SG as of late. This is the first time I've been able to sit down to watch Klootwyk but I understand why she has success with her group. She doesn't try to force unneeded action, she is smart when she has to make decisions, she can score it a steady rate, she can make an open layup, and she isn't a slouch on defense. It might not be her best thing on the floor but she isn't a liability compared to some others we have seen at this age. There is something to build on her if she keeps working in her off-season."   Kenzley Bruck - 2027 - Harlan Community High School   "Bruck is an underrated prospect as a 6'2 Center out of the 20278 Class, accounting for all things considered. She has good size, she carries that size well down the floor, she understands to do her work early on in a possession, and she is always a threat when she is near the basket on both sides of the ball. She is still raw in her overall ability but she knows her role. She plays the enforcer within her Harlan program and we saw that on full display against Denison-Schleswig on Wednesday evening as she recorded a double-double, along with 5 blocks in their victory."

Over the past two/three weeks we have seen noteworthy play out of a number of individuals at the Varsity level during the Playoffs. In this article, in short-hand, we touch on a handful of prospects that jumped off the screen while we have been watching from afar.