The 2016-17 season was very successful for several of the area’s high school girls basketball teams and culminated with the Humboldt Cubs winning their sub-state tournament and advancing to the State Tournament.
Before we completely turn the page on basketball, let’s take a look at how all of our area teams will be looking heading into next season and who may be future stars for their teams.
IOLA
The Fillies are one of the teams to be most affected by graduation and will be looking to replace four of their five starters from this year.
One bright spot is that the one starter they return will likely be the team’s point guard next year and will be able to provide a stabilizing force for coach Becky Carlson’s squad.
Colbi Riley will be a senior next year and has slowly been groomed behind Sydney Wade to eventually move into Wade’s spot. As a sophomore, Riley was the top guard off the bench and saw a couple of starts when Wade was injured and as a junior, she moved into the starting lineup next to Wade as the team’s two-guard.
Next year, she will inherit the keys to the offense and should see sharp spikes in her 4.6 points and 1.3 assists per game averages this season.
Riley will have help in the backcourt with Chloe Gardner and Madisyn Holloway also set to return after both being in the rotation this season for Carlson. The two wing players complement each other nicely with Holloway being a leading candidate to lead the team in scoring next season and Gardner being more defensive-minded.
Holloway closed the season in the sub-state championship again Burlington by matching her career-high with eight points and her confidence grew throughout the season as she displayed a solid three-point shot and the athleticism to find other ways to score as well.
The frontcourt is where Iola will have the least experience.
Katie Bauer will be the most experienced returner, but she comes back with only 16 points and 27 rebounds to her name this season.
That rebounding total is a positive sign, however, in her limited minutes and even if her offense is slower to come around, Bauer should be able to help fill some of the physical presence that Iola will be missing inside without Riley Murry, Toni Macha and Della Lohman.
Macayla Bycroft is the next most experienced forward. She flashed her rebounding and defensive potential this season during junior varsity games but her varsity minutes were limited.
Piper Moore also returns and although she mostly played guard this season, she gives Carlson some versatility with her strength.
