Week 1 Recap: Top Performing Players
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While looking back at week 1 of the season this article will highlight elite players that preformed well and at the same time, led their team to victory. Here are some of those players: Callie Levin IA #2 PG #1…
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Continue ReadingWhile looking back at week 1 of the season this article will highlight elite players that preformed well and at the same time, led their team to victory. Here are some of those players:
Callie Levin Callie Levin 5’10” | PG Solon | 2024 State IA and the Solon Spartans picked up right where they left off, starting their 22′-23′ season with a record of 2-0 with two convincing wins against Nodaway Valley and Martensdale-St.Mary’s. Both wins come behind the suburb performance of Levin. The Iowa women’s basketball commit showed how dominate she was in week 1, scoring over 17 points in each contest while recording 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists for her squad. She put up these numbers while also shooting over 50% from the field. As the season goes on it’ll test this Solon girls team as they come into the first Sunday of the regular season with the #1 overall team ranking in the state according to a handful of different sources. If Levin can keep up her production and everyone else travels well on the road for away games, then I would be surprised if we didn’t see the Spartans listed up at the top going into the state tournament at the 3A level this season.
Highlights
Mya Crawford Mya Crawford 5’7″ | SG Ankeny Centennial | 2025 State IA and Ankeny Centennial may have a player listed in this article every week for how well they are playing to start this season. The Jaguars have pumped out three quick and efficient wins over their competition, their last victim being Iowa City-Liberty High School, in which they won by 11 points. Crawford has been starting this season as a sophomore and has been lighting it up from all three scoring levels on the floor. She comes into this year as a top ranking player in the 2025 class. Her natural skillset and patient play style makes it look easy for her when she is moving up and down the floor. She possesses every tool to have a breakout season for her sophomore year. Ankeny Centennial will stay as the top team in my opinion in the state throughout all classes until they are beaten or really shown a tough challenge. With the type of roster they have, accompanied with a very good coaching staff and system, this should led the Jaguars right into the state playoffs. Before that happens they will have to face some tough challenges this season against some other Iowa high school powerhouses on the girls side such as Johnston High School, Ankeny High School, and a few select others.
Molly Joyce Molly Joyce 5’7″ | PG Bishop Garrigan | 2023 State IA and Bishop Garrigan come off of a season with a state championship in their possession at the 1A level and they aren’t planning on giving it back this year. Joyce and her squad took their talents to another state for their first tournament of the year, trying to get a feel for their team as they play some opponents they wouldn’t usually face. Something in their first two games that “jumped off the paper” to me was the attention that Audi Crooks Audi Crooks 6’3″ | C Bishop Garrigan | 2023 State #42 Nation IA in the middle requires for teams to compete with the Golden Bears, making Audi’s teammates a vital part to this season and their success, one of these players being Joyce. The Truman State women’s basketball commit and true point guard did well during their two first away games, splitting the pair. When the ball was moved to the middle in their offense, Crooks would be double teamed or even triple teamed, forcing her into a pass. When possible, if Joyce caught wide open for three she would knock it down, if her defender was lazy and not paying attention she would cut for an easy layup, and if possible she would pass to Crooks for an easy look under the basket. I am curious as to how far this group will go this year now that teams have somewhat seen how to beat the Golden Bears after their state run a season ago. If other teams can execute and rebound, this is going to be a really fun year to watch that 1A varsity level of ball as it may end up being the most competitive out of any class in the state.
Highlights
Divine Bourrage Divine Bourrage 6’0″ | CG Davenport North | 2025 State IA and Davenport North high school started of this season with a big win at Cedar Rapids-Washington, 75-19. Led by the star duo of Bourrage and Journey Houston Journey Houston 5’11” | CG Davenport North | 2025 State IA for the Wildcats, they will look to compete all the way into the playoffs this season, hopefully ending it with a shot at state. Bourrage dominated in their first win putting up 19 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and grabbing 6 steals. She is a diverse shooting guard with a high motor and good hands, as she gets older she is expanding her game and bringing in more and more attention to herself and her teammates around her. In a program that competes night in and out, it’ll be exciting to see the growth of Divine by the end of her high school career. Working on her game in the offseason to expand it past the three point arc at a more consistent rate seems to be working as in the first game this year she went 3/4 from behind the arc. If she can keep this up and become a knockdown, consistent type shooter, she will have several looks from mid-major to higher D1 colleges as her high school career progresses.