Players to Watch: Little Hawkeye

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The next conference that we'll look at is the Little Hawkeye Conference. Last season, Dallas Center-Grimes won the conference title with a 13-1 record in conference play and made it to the 4A State Semifinals. Let's look at some of the kids who will play a prominent role this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='127617' first='Emma' last='Miner']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Dallas Center-Grimes rising senior finished her junior season with 13.9 points per game and was one of three Mustangs to shoot over 40% from the 3-point line last season. The future St. Thomas wing shot the ball well from the field and took care of the ball, accumulating less than one and a half turnovers per game last season. Miner is one of the best returners in the conference. Keep an eye and this team in the postseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Presley Blommers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season, the 5-foot-6 guard was the seventh leading scorer in the Little Hawkeye. Blommers averaged over three assists per game last season and led her offense well, despite playing on a team who went 4-10 in conference play. She forced the issue on the offensive end and showed that she isn't afraid to lead an offense. She's an excellent athlete and uses off-ball screens well, and can do multiple things off those like curl and flair. She moves her feet well, and I imagine Blommers has a high ceiling defensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='127616' first='Haidyn' last='Hull']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5-foot-9 wing out of Grinnell is a lethal shooter who always seems to find space behind the 3-point line. She shoots the 3-ball at 38% and can figure out how to find open space in halfcourt and transition offense. Hull uses the threat of her shot to open up the floor and get to the basket. The rising senior is more athletic than you'd expect, and when she gets closed out on, she does a good job beating that initial defender and creating numerical advantages.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='63023' first='Finley' last='Fitzgerald']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The rising senior at Dallas Center-Grimes was one of the three Mustangs to shoot over 40% from the 3-point line last season. She shot 40.5% last season and brings a lot to both ends of the floor. She fights on the boards and grabs an offensive rebound or two per game. Fitzgerald also has a toughness to her on the defensive end. She isn't afraid to draw a charge or dive on the floor after a loose ball. She is a winning player on a team built to make another run to the Wells Fargo Center.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->