Girls’ Basketball- The Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union released their ninth basketball rankings of the season today. This week’s rankings has another local team join the top 15 and a number one team was dethroned.
For Class 1A, the top 5 teams remained the same with Algona Bishop Garrigan still keeping their top spot followed by Newell-Fonda and North Linn, respectively. Woodbine fell four spots in the rankings from 6th to 10th after suffering their first loss of the season in a one-point game to Coon Rapids-Bayard, 46-45. Winfield-Mt. Union remains undefeated at 17-0 as they are led by senior Bradie Buffington, who is averaging 15.1 points per game. Burlington Notre Dame is still ranked 11th at 14-4 on the season. Stanton and Martensdale-St. Marys dropped from their 14th and 15th spots, respectively, and were replaced by AGWSR at 14th and Earlham, who rounds out the top 15.
Class 2A followed a similar route with the top 7 teams remaining unchanged, led by Dike-New Hartford, and two teams dropping out of the top 15. Treynor tumbled two spots in the rankings from 8th to 10th after falling to Logan-Magnolia 42-35 last week, despite leading 28-27 entering the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, North Union had the largest fall going from ranked 10th to unranked after their 8-game winning streak was snapped by Belmond-Klemme in a three-point overtime loss to the Broncos, who entered the game with a losing record. Sioux Central replaced South Central Calhoun in the rankings at the 14th position. Lastly, Mediapolis re-entered the rankings rounding out the top 15 after going 6-1 in their last seven contests. The Bulldogs are led by Payton Bush, who is averaging 16.2 points per game.
Estherville Lincoln Central is still the top team in Class 3A; however, Unity Christian went from being ranked 2nd to almost falling out of the top 10 after suffering a 25-point defeat to Sioux Center, who moved five spots up the rankings to 6th this week, 71-46 after the Warriors went on a 22-8 run to start the game. Center Point-Urbana suffered two losses last week to ranked opponents, Benton and Vinton-Shellsburg, so the Stormin Pointers moved from 10th to 14th in the rankings. This was the only class this week to not have any teams drop out of the top 15.
Dallas Center-Grimes stayed ranked at #1 followed by North Polk, but it was Xavier who fell from 3rd to 5th after losing to two ranked Class 5A opponents in #3 Waterloo West and #9 Cedar Falls. Indianola fell one spot to 12th after losing to Clear Creek Amana 47-34, Indianola is one of two teams in all of the classifications to be ranked with a losing record. Marion was the only team to drop from the top 15 as they fell to Solon 58-49 earlier this week.
Class 5A has a new leader after Johnston lost their first game of the season to 4th ranked Dowling Catholic 62-48. The Dragons are now ranked 2nd, and Pleasant Valley, at 16-0, is the new top team. Beyond that shock, Iowa City West was the only team to move multiple spots as the Trojans stumbled from 10th to 13th after losing to Linn-Mar 58-48, the Lions are now ranked 12th after being 13th last week. Ankeny is the second team to be ranked with a losing record as they are 14th with an 8-9 record. Waukee had the toughest schedule facing three ranked teams in Dowling Catholic, Waukee Northwest, and Ankeny Centennial; unfortunately, the Warriors fell in all of those games and the rankings. Des Moines North takes the last spot in the rankings after being unranked last week as the Polar Bears are currently touting a four-game winning streak.