We’re continuing our KCII Top 10 Countdown of the biggest area high school sports stories of 2022-2023. At number 5 is Winfield-Mount Union girls’ basketball reaching the state tournament for the first time in 25 years.

Behind five senior starters and one of the state’s most suffocating defenses that allowed only 30 points per game, WMU brought home a third straight championship in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference North, going undefeated in conference play and starting the season 19-0 overall before a loss to Mediapolis.

But the Wolves responded by doing their best work in the postseason. After a 56-42 victory over Holy Trinity Catholic in the Class 1A Region 8 quarterfinals, Winfield-Mount Union finally conquered a Burlington Notre Dame team that had beaten them in the playoffs each of the previous three seasons, defeating the Nikes 57-54 February 17th in a thrilling Region 8 semifinal.

Facing 13th-ranked North Mahaska in the Region 8 final, the number-eight Wolves rallied from a halftime deficit thanks to a big game from senior forward Melina Oepping. A game-high 24 points from Oepping lifted WMU to come back and knock off the Warhawks 52-47, sending the Wolves to the Class 1A state championships for the first time since 1998.

Despite losing in the state quarterfinals to third-ranked North Linn, Oepping would add one more brilliant postseason performance with 18 points and 10 rebounds, bringing her playoff averages to better than 19 points, nine rebounds and two steals per game.

Oepping finished the season with averages of 13 points, nine boards and three steals a game on her way to first-team all-conference honors. Senior guard Keetyn Townsley also made the first team in the Super Conference North after shooting better than 51 percent on three-pointers and averaging 9.5 points and 3.5 steals per contest.

The most postseason honors went to senior forward Bradie Buffington, who averaged 14 points per game to lead Winfield-Mount Union in scoring and mixed in better than eight rebounds and two blocked shots a game on her way to making the Class 1A all-state team and being named the Super Conference North Player of the Year.

The countdown of Top 10 area sports stories will continue tomorrow. Find the stories every day as they are announced at KCIIradio.com.