The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
DES MOINES — After a two-year absence, a local big-school presence has returned to the girls’ state basketball tournament.
Action begins at the 104th tournament at 10 a.m. Monday at Wells Fargo Arena; top-ranked Johnston puts its 49-game winning streak on the line against tournament newcomer Iowa City Liberty in a Class 5A quarterfinal.
Liberty and Cedar Rapids Prairie will carry the Metro/Iowa City 5A torch, while Cedar Rapids Xavier (4A) has qualified for the 16th time.
Sentiment will be on the Saints’ side. Win or lose, this week marks the end of Tom Lilly’s coaching career after 40 seasons.
Eleven area teams have advanced — three in Class 1A, two in each of the other four classes. That includes Mount Vernon, the top-ranked team in 3A. It also includes North Linn, the reigning 1A champion.
Like Liberty, 4A qualifier Maquoketa is making its state debut.
Three classes (4A, 3A and 2A) are guaranteed a new champion with the regional elimination of Clear Creek Amana, Solon and Dike-New Hartford.
The following are thumbnails on each of the five classes:
THE SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals
Monday, 10 a.m. — No. 1 Johnston (23-0) vs. No. 10 Iowa City Liberty (17-6)
Monday, 11:45 a.m. — No. 4 Ankeny Centennial (16-7) vs. No. 5 Pleasant Valley (19-4)
Monday, 1:30 p.m. — No. 2 West Des Moines Dowling (20-3) vs. No. 7 Davenport North (19-4)
Monday, 3:15 p.m. — No. 3 Waukee Northwest (18-4) vs. No. 6 Cedar Rapids Prairie (20-4)
Semifinals
Thursday, 10 a.m. — Top bracket
Thursday, 11:45 a.m. — Bottom bracket
Championship
Friday, 6 p.m. — Semifinal winners
THE FAVORITE
Johnston has become the big fish in the big pond. The Dragons are riding a 49-game winning streak and have reached the 5A title game each of the last five years, claiming crowns in 2020, 2022 and 2024. Their record in the last 10 years is 226-21. This year’s team is loaded with talent, led by junior Jenica Lewis and senior Amani Jenkins, a Virginia Tech signee. Despite the overall strength of the Central Iowa Metro League (home of the top four 5A teams), the Dragons have played a single-digit game only three times.
THE LOCALS
Cedar Rapids Prairie has qualified for the fifth time, and its first since 2020. The arrival of coach Bruce Dall helped boost the Hawks toward Des Moines; this is his 13th state appearance, and he has five titles to his credit (one at Ackley AGWSR, four at Dike-New Hartford). Prairie was the champion of the MVC Valley Division and advanced with a 61-40 victory over No. 12 Iowa City West. Three players — junior Emily Larsen, senior Asia Beale and sophomore KeaOnna Worley — earned first-team all-division honors.
Iowa City Liberty advanced for the first time in the school’s eight-year history. The Lightning shook off two straight regular-season-ending losses to beat West Des Moines Valley and No. 11 Iowa City High by 17-point margins in regional play. Coach Jaime (Printy) Brandt starred at Linn-Mar (she graduated in 2009) and the University of Iowa, and now coaches a budding star in junior Natalie Ramsey (22.8 points, 10.5 rebounds per game), a South Dakota commit who exploded for 40 points in the regional-final win.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Journey Houston, 5-11, sr., Davenport North — University of Iowa signee averages 20.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 4.0 steals per game. Shoots 58.8 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from 3-point range and 73.0 percent from the line.
Jenica Lewis, 5-10, jr., Johnston — No. 15 2016 recruit (ESPN) averages 18.8 points and 3.2 assists per game, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.68-to-1. Shoots 47.0 percent from the field, 36.1 percent from 3-point range and 88.5 percent from the line.
Ava Zediker, 5-10, sr., West Des Moines Dowling — Creighton University signee averages 18.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Shoots 50.6 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from 3-point range and 77.9 percent from the line.
LINDER’S PREDICTIONS
Quarterfinals
Johnston 65, Iowa City Liberty 42
Ankeny Centennial 49, Pleasant Valley 45
West Des Moines Dowling 61, Davenport North 45
Waukee Northwest 55, Cedar Rapids Prairie 52
Semifinals
Johnston 56, Ankeny Centennial 44
West Des Moines Dowling 56, Waukee Northwest 47
Championship
West Des Moines Dowling 55, Johnston 53
THE SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, 11:45 a.m. — No. 1 Sioux City Heelan (21-2) vs. No. 8 Cedar Rapids Xavier (19-4)
Tuesday, 1:30 p.m. — No. 4 Norwalk (22-1) vs. No. 5 Central DeWitt (20-4)
Tuesday, 3:15 p.m. — No. 2 North Polk (22-2) vs. No. 7 Sioux Center (21-2)
Tuesday, 5 p.m. — No. 3 Maquoketa (21-2) vs. No. 6 Dallas Center-Grimes (19-4)
Semifinals
Thursday, 5 p.m. — Top bracket
Thursday, 6:45 p.m. — Bottom bracket
Championship
Saturday, 2:30 p.m. — Semifinal winners
THE FAVORITE
In a stacked field like this, it’s difficult to pinpoint a clear-cut front-runner, but Sioux City Heelan is ranked No. 1, so we’ll go with the Crusaders, a state semifinalist last year. Heelan has won three state championships, most recently in 2020. Three players — senior Abby Lee, junior Trishelle Miller and sophomore Melina Snoozy — average better than 14 points per game and the Crusaders score at a 69.7-point clip. Heelan’s two losses came to 5A state qualifiers Cedar Rapids Prairie and West Des Moines Dowling.
THE LOCALS
It’s the last run at Cedar Rapids Xavier for Coach Tom Lilly, who has been in the business 40 years and has led the Saints to five state titles. Champions of the MVC Mississippi Division, the Saints are surging, winning 11 straight games. They avenged a regular-season loss to Waverly-Shell Rock in the regional finals, 67-50. Kansas recruit Libby Fandel (25.7 points, 9.7 rebounds per game) is the Saints’ undisputed go-to, while juniors Madden Wilson and Jaselle Lang have been dynamite lately. This is not your typical 8-seed.
Tournament rookie Maquoketa is in the midst of its best days in program history, and the peak might be yet to come for the River Valley Conference North Division champion. All five starters are juniors, led by guard Cora Widel (14.4 ppg) and post Aubrey Kroymann (13.2 ppg), both of whom stand 6-foot-1. The Cardinals’ two losses came against 5A competition — Iowa City Liberty and Iowa City High — by a combined five points. Their defensive average of 36.8 points per game leads the 4A state field.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Braylyn Birmingham, 5-10, fr., Norwalk — Averages 20.7 points and 4.3 assists per game. Shoots 53.0 percent from the field, 41.0 percent from 3-point range and 79.2 percent from the line.
Libby Fandel, 6-0, sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier — University of Kansas signee averages 25.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.9 steals per game. Shoots 48.9 percent from the field, 42.7 percent from 3-point range and 83.3 percent from the line. MVC Mississippi Division player of the year has scored 1,901 career points, second-most in Metro history.
Lauren Walker, 5-8, sr., Central DeWitt — A recruit of Lewis University, she averages 24.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Shoots 56.4 percent from the field, 47.7 percent from 3-point range and 82.8 percent from the line.
LINDER’S PREDICTIONS
Quarterfinals
Cedar Rapids Xavier 54, Sioux City Heelan 53
Norwalk 55, Central DeWitt 50
North Polk 54, Sioux Center 46
Maquoketa 44, Dallas Center-Grimes 42
Semifinals
Norwalk 53, Cedar Rapids Xavier 50
North Polk 54, Maquoketa 45
Championship
North Polk 52, Norwalk 51
THE SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals
Monday, 5 p.m. — No. 1 Mount Vernon (23-1) vs. West Marshall (19-5)
Monday, 6:45 p.m. — No. 5 Cherokee (21-3) vs. No. 6 Estherville-Lincoln Central (20-3)
Monday, 8:30 p.m. — No. 2 Dubuque Wahlert (19-4) vs. No. 12 Spirit Lake (17-7)
Tuesday, 10 a.m. — No. 3 Williamsburg (23-2) vs. No. 9 Des Moines Christian (21-3)
Semifinals
Thursday, 1:30 p.m. — Top bracket
Thursday, 3:15 p.m. — Bottom bracket
Championship
Friday, 8 p.m. — Semifinal winners
THE FAVORITE
If you’re an aficionado of the BC Moore computer, you’ll consider Mount Vernon the best bet of any team, in any class, to hoist hardware at the end of the week. A semifinalist last year, Mount Vernon is on a 22-game winning streak since a November loss to 5A qualifier Cedar Rapids Prairie, and is dominant on both ends of the floor. The Mustangs’ 66.2-point scoring average leads 3A, and they allow 37.0 points per game. You can make a solid case that all five starters belong on an all-state team.
OTHER LOCALS
Welcome back, Williamsburg. The Raiders are in the state field for the first time in 11 years, and the fourth time overall. They are coached by Stephanie (Rich) Dacey, a former Miss Iowa Basketball (2001) and a three-time state champion as a player. In her three seasons as coach, the Raiders have gone from 5-17 to 14-9 to 23-2. Dacey’s niece, senior Carly Rich leads the squad at 12.7 points per contest. Rich is one of several key players who have been on the Raiders’ 2023 and 2024 state softball championship teams.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Claire Lueken, 5-11, sr., Dubuque Wahlert — A recruit of Maryville University in St. Louis and the MVC Valley Division player of the year. Averages 20.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Shoots 48.5 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from 3-point range and 82.4 percent from the line.
Chloe Meester, 6-2, sr., Mount Vernon — Signed with the University of Louisville for volleyball, and the 2024 state volleyball player of the year. Averages 14.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Shoots 62.2 percent from the field, 67.6 percent from the line.
Haylee Stokes, 5-6, sr., Estherville-Lincoln Central — Bound for Minnesota State University. Averages 23.9 points, 6.1 assists and 5.0 steals per game. Shoots 41.6 percent from the field, 32.1 percent from 3-point range and 86.6 percent from the line.
LINDER’S PREDICTIONS
Quarterfinals
Mount Vernon 60, West Marshall 37
Estherville-Lincoln Central 46, Cherokee 42
Dubuque Wahlert 55, Spirit Lake 45
Williamsburg 46, Des Moines Christian 45
Semifinals
Mount Vernon 53, Estherville-Lincoln Central 44
Dubuque Wahlert 49, Williamsburg 43
Championship
Mount Vernon 55, Dubuque Wahlert 47
THE SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, 6:45 p.m. — No. 1 Eddyville EBF (24-0) vs. No. 10 Treynor (21-3)
Tuesday, 8:30 p.m. — No. 4 North Mahaska (22-2) vs. No. 5 Central Lyon (19-4)
Wednesday, 10 a.m. — No. 2 Iowa City Regina (23-1) vs. No. 8 Maquoketa Valley (23-2)
Wednesday, 11:45 a.m. — No. 3 Hinton (23-0) vs. No. 6 Rock Valley (20-3)
Semifinals
Friday, 10 a.m. — Top bracket
Friday, 11:45 a.m. — Bottom bracket
Championship
Saturday, 4:45 p.m. — Semifinal winners
THE FAVORITE
The state’s 2A strength lies in northwest Iowa, so naturally the top-ranked team lies in the southeast quadrant. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont has qualified for the third straight year, and is looking for its first win at Wells Fargo. The Rockets fell to Sioux Central in the first round last year, 52-48. Four starters are back, led by the Shafer twins — Molly and Kate, who led the Rockets to the 2A state finals in volleyball. Only three teams have stayed within double-digits of EBF, nobody since Jan. 6. The Rockets allow only 32.0 points per game.
THE LOCALS
Two area teams square off in the first round:
Iowa City Regina has qualified for the eighth time in the last 13 years. The Regals advanced to the semifinals twice in that span, in 2016 and 2017. Coach Mary Rogers won her 100th game earlier this season, and her squad is potent offensively. Led by senior Morgan Miller (20.3 ppg), the Regals average 69.6 points per game, most in 2A. They whipped Danville, 73-22, in the regional final for their 14th consecutive win; their lone loss came to 3A top-ranked Mount Vernon. Champion of the River Valley Conference South Division.
Maquoketa Valley is back for the first time since advancing to the 2A final in 2021. The Tri-Rivers Conference West Division co-champion split games with league rival North Linn, a 1A qualifier. The Wildcats will be a challenge for Regina’s scorers; they allow 32.1 points per game (second-best in 2A), including 29.3 ppg in the postseason. Senior Bianka Ronnebaum and freshman Audra Burbridge both score more than 12 points per game. Maquoketa Valley advanced with a 54-36 regional-final win over No. 7 Denver.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sydney Doeschot, 5-7, jr., Hinton — Averages 20.0 points, 5.8 assists and 4.3 steals per game. Shoots 50.9 percent from the field, 33.7 percent from 3-point range and 80.4 percent from the line.
Morgan Miller, 5-6, sr., Iowa City Regina — Truman State University recruit averages 20.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 4.5 steals per game. Shoots 56.6 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from 3-point range and 80.3 percent from the line.
Molly Shafer, 6-0, sr., Eddyville EBF — Bound for UNI (along with twin Kate Shafer) for volleyball. Averages 22.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.2 steals per game. Shoots 65.0 percent from the field, 77.8 percent from the line.
LINDER’S PREDICTIONS
Quarterfinals
Eddyville EBF 51, Treynor 44
Central Lyon 53, North Mahaska 45
Iowa City Regina 50, Maquoketa Valley 47
Hinton 52, Rock Valley 51
Semifinals
Central Lyon 53, Eddyville EBF 51
Iowa City Regina 54, Hinton 50
Championship
Iowa City Regina 55, Central Lyon 54
THE SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, 1:30 p.m. — No. 1 Council Bluffs St. Albert (22-1) vs. Dunkerton (17-7)
Wednesday, 3:15 p.m. — No. 4 Algona Garrigan (22-3) vs. No. 6 Montezuma (19-5)
Wednesday, 5 p.m. — No. 2 North Linn (23-1) vs. No. 8 Gladbrook-Reinbeck (21-3)
Wednesday, 6:45 p.m. — No. 3 Newell-Fonda (20-4) vs. No. 7 Springville (20-4)
Semifinals
Friday, 1:30 p.m. — Top bracket
Friday, 3:15 p.m. — Bottom bracket
Championship
Saturday, 7 p.m. — Semifinal winners
THE FAVORITE
The top four teams in 1A appear to be virtually dead-even. Top-ranked Council Bluffs St. Albert advanced for the second straight year despite a some nervous moments in its regional final. The Saintes ultimately held off Oakland Riverside, 47-40. Two starters are back from last year’s semifinal team, including junior Avah Underwood (14.0 points, 10.3 rebounds per game). Six other players are good for at least 5 points per game. The Saintes’ lone loss was a 48-47 setback to Carroll on Jan. 25.
THE LOCALS
Just another year of excellence for North Linn. The Lynx have qualified for the seventh year in a row, the 10th in the last 12 seasons. Even more impressive is their 15-year streak of 20 wins or more. Coach Brian Wheatley has piloted the program to a 420-91 mark in 21 seasons, with state titles in 2020 (2A) and 2024 (1A). Co-champion of the Tri-Rivers Conference West Division, North Linn heads to Des Moines with a 16-game winning streak, and scores at a 65.3-point rate. Senior guard Molly Boge leads at 19.9 ppg.
Once 0-3, Montezuma steeled itself against a tough non-conference slate and marched back to state for the sixth time in Coach Janel Burgess’ eight-year tenure. The Bravettes shared the SICL West Division title with 2A qualifier North Mahaska, and are 15-0 against 1A competition. Montezuma digs the long ball, shooting 28.3 of them per game, making 9.3. The Cook girls (Ellen is a senior, Vivian a sophomore) are a combined 151 of 456 from distance. Ellen leads the team in scoring (14.6 ppg), assists and steals.
After a three-year absence, Springville is back at state, and the Orioles are gathering steam. In their current nine-game win streak, they are scoring at a 69.4-point rate and allowing 30.2 points per contest. All four of their losses (two to North Linn, two to Maquoketa Valley) came against fellow Tri-Rivers state qualifiers. This marks the Orioles’ 10th state trip, all since 2008, four of which resulted in championships. Junior Rowan Jacobi has blossomed into a star, averaging 23.1 points and 13.3 rebounds per game.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Molly Boge, 5-8, sr., North Linn — Averages 19.9 points, 6.1 assists and 5.1 steals per game. Shoot 45.9 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from 3-point range and 74.6 percent from the line.
Kinzee Hinders, 6-1, sr., Newell-Fonda — Averages 19.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.9 steals per game. Shoots 64.0 percent from the field, 58.2 percent from the line.
Rowan Jacobi, 6-2, jr., Springville — Committed to the University of South Dakota. Averages 23.1 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. Shoots 55.5 percent from the field, 32.2 percent from 3-point range and 71.0 percent from the line.
LINDER’S PREDICTIONS
Quarterfinals
Council Bluffs St. Albert 55, Dunkerton 39
Algona Garrigan 51, Montezuma 42
North Linn 50, Gladbrook-Reinbeck 44
Newell-Fonda 53, Springville 46
Semifinals
Algona Garrigan 51, Council Bluffs St. Albert 49
Newell-Fonda 54, North Linn 52
Championship
Algona Garrigan 55, Newell-Fonda 53
Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com
