The Register's Iowa girls high school basketball midseason Super 10 rankings
In November, the Des Moines Register put out its preseason Super 10 ranking for Iowa girls high school basketball.
Now, just a couple months later, there has already been some shakeup in the rankings.
Undefeated Johnston remains in the top spot, thanks to consistent contributions from some of the best players in the state. Davenport North — with two losses to out-of-state opponents — jumped into the No. 2 slot. And 7-3 Dowling Catholic rounds out the top three.
There are two new additions to the list and lots more movement throughout.
Here are the top 10 teams in Iowa halfway through the season.
Stats and records are according to GoBound, and based on games through Jan. 4.
1. Johnston
Previous ranking: 1
Current record: 11-0
The Dragons eased past their competition in the first half of the season, posting a perfect record while outscoring all their opponents by 10 points or more. Johnston’s led by a cast of scorers coupled with strong defense. Aili Tanke leads the team with 15.3 points per game, Amani Jenkins contributes 7.1 rebounds, Aaliyah Riley dishes out 3.2 assists, and Jenica Lewis has 1.9 steals.
More: Johnston girls basketball is loaded with talent. But 'attitude' is key to Iowa state title hopes
2. Davenport North
Previous ranking: 5
Current record: 9-2
The Wildcats' two losses came against out-of-state opponents, so Davenport North is undefeated in Iowa. It makes sense that the Wildcats are so successful, considering they have two of the top recruits in the 2025 class. Divine Bourrage averaged 19.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Journey Houston, an Iowa commit, has 19.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 4.3 steals per game.
More: Davenport North's Divine Bourrage, Journey Houston among top basketball players in U.S.
3. Dowling Catholic
Previous ranking: 2
Current record: 7-3
The Maroons put a young lineup onto the court night in and night out. Dowling is led by junior Ava Zediker, who has put up 18.5 points per game. Sophomore Ellie Muller has averaged 14.2 points and 10.7 rebounds. Then there is freshman Katie Muller, who has racked up 10.2 points per game. Those are just the top three players, and the future for the Maroons looks bright, with just one senior on the stat sheet.
More: Ellie and Katie Muller carry on family legacy with Dowling Catholic girls basketball
4. Waukee
Previous ranking: 9
Current record: 7-2
If there is one thing that Waukee does well, it’s spreading out the success. From Emilie Sorensen and Sophia Hope to Kirsten Hauck and Maryne Szalo, it seemed like there was a different top producer in each game. The Warriors did lose to Dowling and Johnston this season, but those are two of the top programs in the state.
More: Sophia Hope leads Waukee girls basketball's hot shooting night against Urbandale
5. Ankeny Centennial
Previous ranking: 3
Current record: 6-5
The Jaguars struggled more than expected, but they could be poised to bounce back. They lost five in a row between Dec. 1-16 but followed that with a three-game winning streak. A lot of Centennial’s success rides on Mya Crawford (13.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and Jaeden Pratt (11.4 ppg, 6.6 rbg).
6. Dallas Center-Grimes
Previous ranking: unranked
Current record: 9-1
The Mustangs rolled through the first half of the season before suffering a major loss to Johnston. DCG couldn’t muster much of anything in that matchup, but it’s not indicative of this team’s abilities. Kayla Reis has averaged 13.7 points, Vanessa Bickford has put up 9.1 and Macy Meyer has eight per game. For defense, look no further than Josie Lampe, with 5.4 rebounds and three steals per matchup.
More: Johnston girls basketball hands Dallas Center-Grimes its first loss of the season
7. Cedar Falls
Previous ranking: 8
Current record: 9-1
The Tigers have one loss this season — to Ankeny, by five points — but have powered past the competition otherwise. Most of that success is due to Grace Knutson, who has averaged 23.5 points, five rebounds, 3.4 steals and 3.1 assists per game. Don’t let that distract from the sophomore Karis Finley’s success. She's averaged 15.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.4 assists.
8. Pleasant Valley
Previous ranking: 4
Current record: 8-3
Despite losses to Ankeny Centennial and Davenport North, the reigning Class 5A state champions are still a strong contender. And the Spartans could be good for at least another year. Senior Jessie Clemons has averaged 10.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.5 steals per game. But it’s juniors Quinn Vice (12.5 ppg) and Reagan Pagniano (10.2 ppg, 5.4 apg, 3.6 spg) and sophomore Isabelle Kremer (7.9 ppg, 4.6 rbg) who will hope to carry that success into future seasons.
9. Clear Creek Amana
Previous ranking: 10
Current record: 8-0
The Clippers are out to an undefeated start thanks to the dynamic duo of Averie Lower and Ava Locklear. Lower has averaged 17.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game, and Locklear's added 11.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 blocks. CCA has a few other consistent contributors who round out this ultra-successful roster.
10. Solon
Previous ranking: unranked
Current record: 9-1
It’s all about Callie Levin and Co. at Solon. The senior star has averaged 20.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and a whopping six steals per game and has pushed the Spartans to a near-perfect record to start the season. Solon’s only loss came against Clear Creek Amana, another top-10 team.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Register's Iowa high school girls basketball midseason Super 10 rankings
