Intriguing Prospects: Southeast Polk 71 vs Marshalltown 10
Pleasant Hill — We knew No. 4 Southeast Polk was going to be good, but they were downright overwhelmingly good in this one. The No. 4 team in Class 4A improved to 9-1 in emphatic fashion, racing out to a…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingPleasant Hill — We knew No. 4 Southeast Polk was going to be good, but they were downright overwhelmingly good in this one.
The No. 4 team in Class 4A improved to 9-1 in emphatic fashion, racing out to a 24-0 lead against Marshalltown (2-9), and ultimately coming away with a 61-point triumph.
The duo of sophomore Grace Larkins and senior Maggie McGraw was as good as advertised, they combined to score 45 points in the win. But the Rams have much more than just the talented duo.
Marhsalltown was led by Gabby Himes’ four points. The Bobcats’ leading scorer this season, Erica Johnson, was held to just a single point as a result of the Rams’ swarming defense.
Team Scoring
Marshalltown — 2 4 0 4 — 10
SE Polk — 27 19 10 15 — 71
Individual Scoring
Marshalltown: Gabbie Himes 4, Briana Medina 2, Alyvia Chadderdon 2, Erica Johnson 1, Priscila Vergara 1.
SE Polk: Grace Larkins 25, Maggie McGraw 20, Sami Albertson 10, Jesse Stuart 6, Grace Rosenboom 3, Rylie Kruse 3, Kadence Williams 2, Jayce Elliott 2.
The Prospects
Grace Larkins, 5’10 G, 2021 (SEP)
The first thing that we noticed was how strikingly lengthy she was, and when we saw the rangy guard in action, particularly defensively, it was clear how much of a problem that length can be for opponents. Larkins led the way with 25 points, and could have scored a lot more. She was blanketing her opponent on the defense end, and used her athleticism and length to come away with a whole slew of steals. Offensively, she was tremendous around the rim, and showed off her prowess from from deep with a 3-ball in third quarter. She’s 50 percent from 3 this a season (9-18).
Maggie McGraw, 5’11 G/F, 2019 (SEP)
The future Iowa State wing is Iowa’s 2nd-ranked 2019, and showed why in this one. She scored all of her buckets from around the rim or at the free-throw line, but is certainly a more than capable outside shooter. She’s got the size and athleticism to guard all five positions at the high school level, and offensively, her skill-set is diverse enough to play anywhere on the floor. What a weapon for the Rams have with McGraw.
Sami Albertson, 5’7 G, 2019 (SEP)
She was harassing her opponent defensively and must have had four or five steals in the first quarter alone. She’s a fast and athletic guard who has a good feel for the game. She seemed to be involved in every play, and more often than not, was making a positive impact.
Jesse Stuart, 5’10 SG, 2020 (SEP)
Another lengthy wing for the Rams, and another player who taker her defensive responsibilities very seriously. There’s a theme here, the Rams can D up with the best of them. Stuart has a nice fluid stroke from deep, she canned two 3-balls in this one.
Grace Rosenboom, 5’7 G, 2021 (SEP)
Here’s player for SE Polk who hasn’t gotten a lot of run this season, but had an opportunity to play late this blowout win, and certainly made the most of it. She immediately made an impact when she she came away with a steal and bucket, and was aggressive while attacking the glass. She’s a pass-first guard, who could make major contributions over the next two plus years for the Rams.
Rylie Kruse, 5’10 G/F, 2021 (SEP)
She’s a stretch-four type player for the Rams and although she only put in one field goal, it was a good-looking 3-ball that she rained in; nobody on SE Polk has connected on more 3s than Kruse this season. She was also doing a nice job of crashing the glass tonight, and even took a big spill while hustling to get an offensive board.
Gabby Himes, 5’8 F, 2020 (Mtown)
There wasn’t a lot of positives to draw from Marshalltown’s performance tonight, but Himes did a couple of nice things. She scored the first bucket for the Bobcats, what a relief that was. And she showed some nice awareness and some hoops IQ, she passed the ball well at times as a result.