An area trio of girls basketball teams hit the hardwood for the first time in the new basketball season tonight in Keota for the annual Four Corners Shootout on the KCII3 Stream.
Game one of the doubleheader will feature the defending champions of the SEISC North in Lone Tree. Ryan Shelman’s squad will be looking to improve on last season’s 19-4 overall record that saw themselves reach the regional quarterfinals. The Lady Lions return all but one starter this season, including junior Finley Jacque who led Lone Tree with 361 points last season. Per game, Lone Tree put up north of 53 points and gave up just over 34, shooting 33.6 percent from the field, 21.6 percent from three, and 50.9 percent from the line. The Lady Lions were one of the best defensive teams in Class 1A last season, forcing more than 20 steals per game, and pulling down more than 38 rebounds a contest.
Lone Tree’s opponent is an Iowa Valley team that finished with an even 7-7 mark in conference play last season out of the SICL East. The Tigers were also ousted in an regional quarterfinal a season ago. Iowa Valley returns a key centerpiece in senior Lydia Kriegel, who put up over 300 points and nearly 200 rebounds for the Tigers last season. Per contest, Iowa Valley put up over 46 points and gave up 45, shooting 34.1 percent from the floor, 22 percent from downtown, and 57.1 percent from the free throw line. The Tigers were busy on the boards as well, collecting more than 38 per game.
Lone Tree Head Coach Ryan Shelman joined KCII Sports earlier this week to give Lady Lion fans an idea of what to expect from his team this season. “I’m excited to tip off the season. We have a lot to look forward to,” Shelman said. “I’m looking for a lot of girls to contribute this year. I’m looking for our girls to really spread the floor and get after it both defensively and offensively this season. It should be a fun time!”
In the Varsity Bound era, Iowa Valley leads the series with Lone Tree 4-3 dating back to 2017. However, Lone Tree took the latest contest of the series in last season’s Four Corners Shootout by a final of 50-39.
The nightcap will feature a young Highland team that will look to replace four of last season’s five starters, including last year’s SEISC North player of the year and all-stater Sarah Burton. The Huskies do return senior Katie Herrig, who scored over 100 points last season and helped Highland to their best season in eight years. Per contest, Highland put up nearly 42 points and gave up 38, shooting 32 percent from the field, 19.1 percent from three, and 52 percent at the line. The Huskies pulled down almost 42 rebounds a game, the second-best in Class 1A, including 29 defensive boards a game.
The Keota Eagles will look to defend their home court against Highland. Jeff Sprouse’s team will attempt to build on a 6-14 overall record from last season with four starters returning. One of those starters is senior Kimberly Clarahan, who put up 150 points last season for the Eagles. Keota put up 33.8 points-per-game last season, and gave up 47.9. They shot 28.9 percent from the field, 24.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 48.5 percent from the free throw line. Keota notched nearly 10 assists and steals per game, while pulling down over 24 rebounds.
Highland Head Coach Jody Fink spoke with KCII Sports about how his team has practiced so far, and his excitement level for beginning a new season. “We’ve gotten a lot of good stuff out of our practices,” Fink said. “We’ve been able to accomplish things, and look forward to getting the season going.”
Keota Head Coach Jeff Sprouse also talked with KCII Sports about his goals for the Eagles this season. “We’ve got an opportunity. Each year is a brand new year,” Sprouse said. “With the amount of kids we have, we’re aiming to get in that upper echelon of the conference and be able to go out and battle everybody every night.”
In the Varsity Bound era, Highland is unbeaten against Keota 8-0 dating back to 2010, including last season’s 51-26 victory in the Four Corners Shootout.
You can hear both ends of the Four Corners Shootout doubleheader streaming exclusively online at KCIIRadio.com on the KCII3 Stream, beginning with pregame coverage of game one between Lone Tree and Iowa Valley at 5:30, tipoff between the Lady Lions and Tigers at 6 p.m., and game two between Highland and Keota to follow from Keota High School.