Iowa girls’ state basketball 2026: A closer look at Monday’s games

DES MOINES — Capsules for Monday’s games involving area teams at the Iowa high school girls' state basketball tournament at Casey’s Center.

Class 5A quarterfinals

No. 5 CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTON (18-4) vs. No. 5 ANKENY (15-8)

Time: 11:45 a.m.

Top players: Sira Doumbia (6-2, jr.) leads a balanced Washington attack at 15.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Samantha Becker (5-8, sr.) and Lily Belle Barker (5-7, sr.) add 14.7 and 10.1 ppg, respectively. Ankeny’s Jayla Williams (5-9, sr.) is the school’s all-time leader in points, rebounds and steals. The Creighton University signee averages 21.0 points per game. Aliyana Aguirre (6-0, fr.) adds 10 ppg.

Coaches: Washington’s Chris James has compiled a 118-100 record in 10 seasons. This is his first state-tournament team. Nate Tobey is 38-31 in three seasons at Ankeny, 63-52 in five seasons overall

Tournament history: Washington has making its 13th appearance, its first since 2013. The Warriors claimed titles in 1988 and 1995 under James’ father, Paul. This is Ankeny’s 27th appearance, its first since 2013 (Centennial has qualified eight times since then). The Hawks have won nine championships, including four straight from 2002 through 2005.

No. 7 IOWA CITY WEST (17-7) vs. No. 3 WAUKEE NORTHWEST (17-5)

Time: 3:15 p.m.

Top players: Drake recruit Grace Fincham (5-10, sr.) headlines West’s attack at 19.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Abby Neumiller (6-0, sr.) and Sasha Baldwin (5-7, sr.) add 10.6 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. Northwest’s starting lineup contains only one senior, and the leading scorers are Romey Croatt (5-9, jr.) and Sadie McCann (5-10, soph.) at 13.8 and 13.4 ppg.

Coaches: Nate Frese holds a 61-33 record in four years at West. Sam Powell is 45-22 in three years at Northwest and has assembled a 300-110 overall ledger in 18 years. Powell piloted Des Moines East to a state title in 2011.

Tournament history: West has qualified for the eighth time, its first since 2021. The Trojans were champions in 2012 and 2018. This is Northwest’s second appearance; the Wolves made their debut last year and made it to the 5A semifinals.

Class 3A quarterfinals

No. 1 MOUNT VERNON (22-2) vs. No. 9 CHEROKEE (20-3)

Time: 5 p.m.

Top players: Wamac Conference East Division player of the year Savanna Wright (5-5, soph.) has developed into Mount Vernon’s leader at 17.4 points per game. UNI recruit Taylor Franck (5-5, sr.) adds 12.5 ppg. Cherokee is led by Addy Wolfswinkel (5-9, jr.) at 19.7 points per game. A Wichita State volleyball commit, Deidra Doeden (6-3, jr.) adds 16.8 points and 13.1 rebounds per game and shoots 61 percent from the floor.

Coaches: Jacob Misener was promoted to head coach at Mount Vernon before this season, and is 22-2. Brandon Slaughter is in his seventh year at Cherokee and holds a 122-40 ledger.

Tournament history: The defending 3A champion, Mount Vernon is making its eighth state appearance, its third consecutive. The Mustangs also won a 2A title in 2010. Cherokee is in the state field for the ninth time, the second in a row. The Braves were quarterfinalists last year.

No. 5 WILLIAMSBURG (20-5) vs. No. 4 DUBUQUE WAHLERT (18-5)

Time: 6:45 p.m.

Top players: You can’t get much more balanced than Williamsburg, which has six players scoring between 6.9 points and 11.7. Zoe Allen (6-1, sr.) is that lone double-digit scorer, while Taylor Sanchez (5-7, jr.) adds 9.7 ppg. Three starters are back from Wahlert’s 3A runner-up team, led by Claire King (5-5, sr.) at 12.3 points per game. The Golden Eagles got a major boost from the arrival of Emily Tanny (6-1, fr.), who averages 20.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest.

Coaches: Hall of Fame player Stephanie (Rich) Dacey has compiled a 63-34 record in four seasons at Williamsburg. Kris Spiegler owns a 278-322 record in 28 seasons overall, including 239-224 in 20 seasons at Wahlert.

Tournament history: Williamsburg has qualified for the fifth time, its second consecutive. The Raiders reached the semifinals for the first time last season. Wahlert is making its 12th appearance, its fourth in a row.

No. 2 MAQUOKETA (21-4) vs. No. 8 MEDIAPOLIS (23-0)

Time: 8:30 p.m.

Top players: All 10 players in this game are seniors. River Valley North player of the year Cora Widel (6-1, sr.) leads Maquoketa at 15.8 points per game while Aubrey Kroymann (6-0, sr.) supplies 12.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Four score in double digits for Mediapolis, and all five starters are capable from the 3-point arc. Grace Holsteen (5-5, sr.) has hit 73 treys and leads the Bullettes at 17 points per game. Ellah Wagenbach (5-9, sr.) adds 12.3 ppg.

Coaches: Chad Specht has piloted Maquoketa to unprecedented heights, posting a 62-11 record in three years. He is 112-23 in six seasons overall. Todd Borrison is in his ninth year at Mediapolis, where he is 174-32. In 34 seasons overall, he owns a 596-197 mark and has won state titles at Preston (2000-01) and Davenport Assumption (2008).

Tournament history: Maquoketa made its state debut last year, in Class 4A. Mediapolis is making its first appearance since 2015, but was once a six-player giant that played at state 21 times between 1962 and 1987. The Bullettes’ 31 state-tournament victories rank fourth among all schools.

Monday’s other games

Class 5A quarterfinals

No. 1 Johnston (24-0) vs. No. 8 Ankeny Centennial (12-11), 10 a.m.

No. 2 West Des Moines Dowling (20-3) vs. No. 7 West Des Moines Valley (13-10), 1:30 p.m.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com