The Gazette’s 2025-26 Iowa high school girls basketball mock brackets, final draft

Below is the third (and final) draft of The Gazette’s mock pairings.

Teams were placed by the most recent IGHSAU rankings, with a couple of minor tweaks, as well as BC Moore computer ratings and geography.

The real rankings by the Girls Union are expected next Thursday for 3A-2A-1A, a few days later for 5A and 4A.

Class 5A

(Feb. 18, Feb. 21, Feb. 24)

REGION 1

Des Moines North at Des Moines Lincoln, winner at Johnston

Waukee at Cedar Rapids Prairie

REGION 2

Sioux City West at Sioux City North, winner at Waukee Northwest

Southeast Polk at Cedar Rapids Kennedy

REGION 3

Davenport North at Marshalltown, winner at West Des Moines Dowling

Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln at Sioux City East

REGION 4

Davenport West at Dubuque Hempstead, winner at Iowa City High

Cedar Rapids Jefferson at Bettendorf

REGION 5

Muscatine at Ottumwa, winner at Ankeny

Waterloo West at Ankeny Centennial

REGION 6

Davenport Central at Dubuque Senior, winner at Cedar Falls

Ames at Indianola

REGION 7

Des Moines East at Des Moines Roosevelt, winner at West Des Moines Valley

Pleasant Valley at Iowa City Liberty

REGION 8

Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson at Urbandale, winner at Iowa City West

Linn-Mar at Cedar Rapids Washington

Class 4A

(Feb. 18, Feb. 21, Feb. 24)

REGION 1

Fort Madison at Burlington, winner at Clear Creek Amana

Mount Pleasant at Keokuk, winner at North Scott

REGION 2

Le Mars at Sergeant Bluff-Luton, winner at Sioux City Heelan

Harlan at Spencer, winner at MOC-Floyd Valley

REGION 3

Des Moines Hoover at Perry, winner at Norwalk

Knoxville at Oskaloosa, winner at Pella

REGION 4

Winterset at Glenwood, winner at Dallas Center-Grimes

Denison-Schleswig at Lewis Central, winner at Adel ADM

REGION 5

Ballard at Bondurant-Farrar, winner at Carlisle

Nevada at Gilbert, winner at Cedar Rapids Xavier

REGION 6

Marion at Decorah, winner at Central DeWitt

Western Dubuque at Independence, winner at Clinton

REGION 7

Mason City at Waterloo East, winner at Waverly-Shell Rock

Grinnell at Newton, winner at Solon

REGION 8

Webster City at Boone, winner at North Polk

Fort Dodge at Storm Lake, winner at Sioux Center

Class 3A

(Feb. 14, Feb. 18, Feb. 21)

REGION 1

Top bracket

Oelwein at Maquoketa

Dike-New Hartford at Crestwood

Bottom bracket

Charles City at Clear Lake

Hampton-Dumont/CAL at Osage

REGION 2

Top bracket

Clarke at Des Moines Christian

Creston at Van Meter

Bottom bracket

Red Oak at Clarinda

Shenandoah at Atlantic

REGION 3

Top bracket

Vinton-Shellsburg at Mount Vernon

South Tama at Alburnett

Bottom bracket

Saydel at Roland-Story

Iowa Falls-Alden at Benton Community

REGION 4

Top bracket

North Fayette Valley at Dubuque Wahlert

New Hampton at Waukon

Bottom bracket

Camanche at Center Point-Urbana

Anamosa at Monticello

REGION 5

Top bracket

Albia at Williamsburg

Chariton at Pella Christian

Bottom bracket

Wilton at Davenport Assumption

West Liberty at Washington

REGION 6

Top bracket

Eagle Grove at Forest City

Greene County at Carroll

Bottom bracket

Humboldt at Algona

Southeast Valley at Carroll Kuemper

REGION 7

Centerville at Monroe PCM

Davis County at Mid-Prairie

Bottom bracket

Central Lee at Mediapolis

Fairfield at Tipton

REGION 8

Top bracket

Sheldon at Spirit Lake

Okoboji at Ida Grove OABCIG

Bottom bracket

Estherville ELC at Cherokee

Western Christian at Unity Christian

Class 2A

(Feb. 14, Feb. 17, Feb. 20, Feb. 25)

REGION 1

Top bracket

South Central Calhoun at Alta-Aurelia, winner at Rock Valley

Ridge View at Sioux Central

Bottom bracket

Ogden at Manson-NW Webster, winner at Pocahontas Area

South Hamilton at East Sac County

REGION 2

Top bracket

West Sioux at Sibley-Ocheyedan, winner at Central Lyon

Marcus MMCRU at West Lyon

Bottom bracket

Central Springs at Hartley HMS, winner at Garner GHV

West Fork at Nashua-Plainfield

REGION 3

Top bracket

Logan-Magnolia at Tri-Center, winner at Hinton

Missouri Valley at Lawton-Bronson

Bottom bracket

Underwood at Avoca AHSTW, winner at Westwood

Mapleton MVAOCOU at Guthrie Center ACGC

REGION 4

Top bracket

Waterloo Columbus at Wapsie Valley, winner at Denver

Sumner-Fredericksburg at South Winneshiek

Bottom bracket

Union Community at Northeast, winner at Cascade

Dyersville Beckman at MFL MarMac

REGION 5

Top bracket

Clarion CGD at Belmond-Klemme, winner at Emmetsburg

North Butler at Aplington-Parkersburg

Bottom bracket

East Marshall at Colfax-Mingo, winner at Grundy Center

Jesup at Hudson

REGION 6

Top bracket

Eddyville EBF at Interstate 35, winner at Treynor

Central Decatur at Southwest Valley

Bottom bracket

Cardinal at Van Buren County, winner at Mount Ayr

Sigourney at Pleasantville

REGION 7

Top bracket

Madrid at Panorama, winner at Oakland Riverside

Grand View Christian at Woodward-Granger

Bottom bracket

West Central Valley at South Hardin, winner at Nodaway Valley

West Marshall at Earlham

REGION 8

Top bracket

Columbus Community at Durant, winner at Maquoketa Valley

West Branch at Lisbon

Bottom bracket

West Burlington at Danville, winner at Iowa City Regina

Louisa-Muscatine at Bellevue

Class 1A

(Feb. 12, Feb. 17, Feb. 20, Feb. 25)

REGION 1

Top bracket

Newell-Fonda, bye

Storm Lake St. Mary’s at Paton-Churdan

Mormon Trail at Martensdale-St. Marys

Melcher-Dallas at Southeast Warren

Bottom bracket

Fort Dodge St. Edmond, bye

Colo-Nesco at Ankeny Christian

Anita CAM, bye

Collins-Maxwell at Baxter

REGION 2

Top bracket

Algona Garrigan, bye

Boyer Valley at East Mills

Ar-We-Va at Coon Rapids-Bayard

Griswold at IKM-Manning

Bottom bracket

North Union, bye

Boyden-Hull at Trinity Christian

Kingsley-Pierson, bye

Siouxland Christian at Woodbury Central

REGION 3

Top bracket

Council Bluffs St. Albert, bye

Heartland Christian at Stanton

Hamburg at Fremont-Mills

Essex at Sidney

Bottom bracket

George-Little Rock, bye

Remsen St. Mary’s at Le Mars Gehlen

Woodbine, bye

Akron-Westfield at West Monona

REGION 4

Top bracket

Springville, bye

WACO at Lone Tree

North Cedar at North Linn

Wapello at Highland

Bottom bracket

Saint Ansgar, bye

Riceville at Cedar Ridge Christian

Don Bosco at Clarksville

Cedar Valley Christian at Janesville

REGION 5

Top bracket

Lynnville-Sully, bye

Moulton-Udell at Moravia

Seymour at Keota

Lamoni at Wayne

Bottom bracket

Montezuma, bye

Burlington Notre Dame at Fort Madison Holy Trinity

New London at North Mahaska

Winfield-Mount Union at Pekin

REGION 6

Top bracket

Dunkerton, bye

Midland at Calamus-Wheatland

West Central at Edgewood-Colesburg

Clinton Prince of Peace at East Buchanan

Bottom bracket

Turkey Valley, bye

Easton Valley at Elkader Central

Clayton Ridge at Lansing Kee

Tripoli at Bellevue Marquette

REGION 7

Top bracket

Exira-EHK, bye

Diagonal at Murray

East Union at Glidden-Ralston

Lenox at Bedford

Bottom bracket

Ruthven GTRA, bye

West Bend-Mallard at South O’Brien

North Iowa at West Hancock

Mason City Newman at Harris-Lake Park

REGION 8

Top bracket

Gladbrook-Reinbeck, bye

Hillcrest Academy at HLV-TC

Belle Plaine at English Valleys

Iowa Valley at North Tama

Bottom bracket

Lake Mills, bye

Ackley AGWSR at Northwood-Kensett

Conrad BCLUW at Meskwaki

Garwin GMG at BGM

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com