Jaime Brandt is back, and Iowa City Liberty is better than ever

A year away served Jaime Brandt well.

“Any coach, any mom that coaches, it tugs on your heart a lot when you’re away from your kids,” she said.

“Taking a year off, I think I have more outside perspective. And it made me realize more that high school girls have a lot going on in their lives.”

Brandt is back on the sideline for the Iowa City Liberty girls’ basketball program this winter, and this might be the program’s best team yet.

Tuesday’s comeback win over Iowa City West sent the Lightning to 7-2.

“I think this is the most bought-in team that I’ve had at Liberty,” Brandt said. “There’s no selfishness, no jealousy.

“We have scorers. We have defenders. Collectively, we’re just better.”

There is this, too: An elite player.

Junior Natalie Ramsey, a 6-foot forward, ranks second in Class 5A at 22.9 points per game.

The South Dakota commit is shooting 50.7 percent from the field, 86.3 percent from the line and is averaging 8.7 rebounds per contest.

“I’m really proud of her,” Brandt said. “The offseason hours of work, it’s really showing. She has that scorer’s mentality, whether it’s a 3-pointer, mid-range or getting to the rim.”

Senior Madeline Casey is adding 12.3 points per game. Casey hit a pivotal 3-pointer Tuesday to help the Lightning erase a 13-point deficit in a 56-52 win, beating West for only the second time in 12 tries.

“Two years ago, we would have folded for sure,” Brandt said. “We played with a different level of composure and confidence (Tuesday).”

Liberty plays at Class 5A No. 5 Cedar Rapids Prairie on Friday.

Youth serving English Valleys and Tipton

You won’t locate a senior on the varsity roster at English Valleys. You won’t find a junior, either.

Yet, the Bears are 7-2 overall, and at 6-1 in the South Iowa Cedar League, and hold a two-game lead in the East Division.

Four sophomores and a freshman comprise the starting lineup. That includes soph Ava Gehrking, who leads the squad at 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

The youngsters’ emergence has softened the blow from the graduation of the top three scorers of 2023-24, who combined for nearly 32 points per game.

English Valleys faces a brutal three-game stretch starting Saturday, against cross-division rivals Lynnville-Sully, Montezuma and North Mahaska.

At Tipton (8-3 overall, 4-1 River Valley South Division), the top five scorers consist of four sophomores and a junior.

Sophs Jordyn Schmidt and Ella Hein are averaging 10 points per game apiece.

Twists and turns at Monona

MFL MarMac was outscored 36-12 in the middle two quarters of its Upper Iowa Conference showdown with Lansing Kee on Tuesday ... and won.

Down 41-30 heading into the final period, the Bulldogs (7-5, 7-1) prevailed, 50-49, to keep pace with Turkey Valley atop the UIC standings as the race hits its midpoint.

Kee (6-3, 6-2) turned an early 18-2 deficit into that 11-point lead before MFL MarMac stormed back.

Sophomore Emme Wikner registered 15 points and seven assists for the winners.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com