INA all-state: Piper, Disterhoft lead area 1st-teamers

DES MOINES --  In the end, Mckenzie Piper could laugh it off.

"I was pretty bad tonight," she said in the press room Saturday night after Iowa City West beat Ankeny in overtime, 61-56, for the Class 4A girls' state basketball championship at Wells Fargo Arena.

"But it doesn't matter how I play. It just matters about the team."

And when the team needed her most, Piper turned it around.

The University of Illinois recruit had a key basket, two free throws and some critical rebounds in overtime. With West leading by a point, Piper got the ball on the right baseline, then maneuvered for a reverse layup.

"I knew I had to do something, whatever I could," Piper said. "I wanted this game for my teammates."

Piper missed seven of her eight shots before making the game-breaker. She also had seven turnovers.

But all's well that ends well. West got its title, and earlier in the day, Piper joined teammate Ally Disterhoft on the Class 4A all-state first team, as selected by the Iowa Newspaper Association.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy's Courtney Strait also was named to the 4A first team. Other area first-teamers are Madison Weekly of Benton Community and Madison Baier of South Tama in 3A, and North Tama's Kailey Kladivo in 1A.

Jessica Pauley, a sharpshooter from Ida Grove OA-BCIG, was selected Miss Iowa Basketball 2012.

A three-time first-team all-stater, Pauley averaged 21.5 points per game. The Falcons won the 2011 Class 2A championship and compiled a 52-game winning streak before bowing to Western Christian in a 2A semifinal this year.

Pauley shot 51 percent from the field (including 45 percent from 3-point range) and 89 percent from the free throw line. She will play at Northern Iowa next year.

Piper moved from Keokuk to Iowa City before her junior season. She turned out to be the final piece in a championship puzzle, averaging 13.3 points per game this year.

"She gave us another inside presence," West Coach B.J. Mayer said. "She was somebody else that the (opposition) had to guard."

West finished 25-1 and took the final step Saturday after finishing second to Des Moines East in 2011.

"I can't describe this. To see your dream come true, it's an amazing feeling," Disterhoft said.

Disterhoft is a junior and averaged 16.9 points per game.

"Ally was so consistent this year," Mayer said.  "She did so many things well. She rebounded better, she had more assists, she blocked more shots, she made more jumpers. She was just really, really consistent."

Strait averaged 20.7 points per game, the most in 4A and the sixth-highest average in all classes.

She went to the free throw line 196 times (third most in the state) and shot 83 percent when she got there.

"Courtney really carried us in the first half of the season, until the other kids started to mature," said Kennedy Coach Dennis Roloff. "She was a great leader, both physically and mentally."

Strait is one of five Metro players to earn all-state honors. Washington's Danielle Franklin (second team), Prairie's Madison Dellamuth and Xavier's Emily Walvoord (third team) were feted in 4A; Dani Peyton of Marion is a 3A third-teamer.

Weekly led Benton to its second straight state tournament, but was unable to be part of the action at Wells Fargo. She suffered a broken left wrist in the Bobcats' regional-final win over Keokuk.

Benton was 24-1 and ranked No. 1 in 3A.

A junior, Weekly averaged 18.0 points, 3.3 assists and 3.5 steals per game.

Kladivo helped North Tama reach the state tournament for the first time. The 6-foot-2 senior posted 17.4 points and 13.7 rebounds per game.

Baier, an Iowa State recruit, averaged 15.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

IOWA NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION ALL-STATE GIRLS' BASKETBALL

Miss Iowa Basketball 2012 -- Jessie Pauley, Ida Grove OA-BCIG

CLASS 4A

First Team 

Pos.

Name

School

Ht.

Yr.

Front line

Leti Lerma

Muscatine

5-10

Jr.

Front line

Krista Pettepier

Ankeny

6-3

Sr.

Front line

Mckenzie Piper

Iowa City West

6-0

Sr.

Back court

Jadda Buckley

Mason City

5-8

Jr.

Back court

Caitlin Ingle

Southeast Polk

5-8

Jr.

Back court

Courtney Strait

Cedar Rapids Kennedy

5-9

Sr.

Utility

Ally Disterhoft

Iowa City West

6-0

Jr.

Utility

Maddie Manning

Ankeny

6-2

Sr.

Second Team

Kaz Brown, 6-3, soph., Cedar Falls; Sierra Chambers, 6-2, sr., Iowa City High; Shaya Kellogg, 6-2, jr., Ames; Meg Goodson, 5-6, sr., Waukee; Mickey Hansche, 5-6, jr., Iowa City High; Whitney Van Wyk, 5-10, sr., Southeast Polk; Danielle Franklin, 6-2, soph., Cedar Rapids Washington; Kelsey Nickerson, 5-8, sr., Ottumwa.

Third Team

Britney Boland, 5-11, jr., Waukee; Tanya Meyer, 5-11, soph., Sioux City West; Blaire Thomas, 5-11, soph., Waterloo West; Madison Dellamuth, 5-6, soph., Cedar Rapids Prairie; Emily Clemens, 5-4, soph., Muscatine; Tatum Klein, 5-9, sr., Iowa City West; Zinka Duric, 5-10, sr., Waterloo West; Emily Walvoord, 5-10, sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier.

CLASS 3A

First Team

Pos.

Name

School

Ht.

Yr.

Front line

Alexis Conaway

MOC-Floyd Valley

5-11

Soph.

Front line

Madison Yohe

Sioux City Heelan

5-10

Sr.

Front line

Madison Baier

South Tama

6-4

Sr.

Back court

K.J. Veldman

Spirit Lake

5-7

Jr.

Back court

Madison Weekly

Benton Community

5-7

Jr.

Back court

Tessa Leytem

Dubuque Wahlert

5-11

Sr.

Utility

Bobbie Jo Burrows

Bondurant-Farrar

5-6

Sr.

Utility

Danielle Moore

Davenport Assumption

5-9

Jr.

Second Team

Betsy Thomas, 5-9, sr., Sergeant Bluff-Luton; Hailey Schneden, 6-2, jr., Davenport Assumption; Morgan Lucy, 6-2, sr., Glenwood; Mackenzie Bigbee, 6-0, sr., Williamsburg; Cassidy Breon, 5-8, sr., Sergeant Bluff-Luton; Taylor Shull, 5-9, sr., Mount Pleasant; Paige Greiner, 5-4, soph., Williamsburg; MaKayla Augustine, 5-8, jr., Sioux City Heelan.

Third Team

Natalie Vondrak, 6-0, sr., Sioux City Heelan; Lauren McDonald, 6-0, sr., MOC-Floyd Valley; Regan Cooper, 5-10, sr., Pella; Alexia Fisher, 5-10, sr., Glenwood; Chelsey Van Ness, 5-8, jr., Denison-Schleswig; Dani Peyton, 5-6, sr., Marion; Meghan McClimon, 5-10, sr., DeWitt Central; Katie Ahrenholtz, 5-11, jr., Ballard.

CLASS 2A

First Team

Pos.

Name

School

Ht.

Yr.

Front line

Brooke Wolterstorff

Western Christian

5-11

Jr.

Front line

Jessie Pauley

OA-BCIG

5-11

Sr.

Front line

Leah Miller

Lawton-Bronson

6-1

Sr.

Back court

Tember Schechinger

IKM-Manning

5-10

Soph.

Back court

Morgan VanDerSloot

OA-BCIG

5-11

Sr.

Back court

Jasmin Schelhaas

Pella Christian

5-7

Sr.

Utility

McKenzie Shipley

West Marshall

5-10

Sr.

Utility

Kelsey Ernst

Bellevue

5-11

Jr.

Second Team

Alyssa Johnson, 6-2, sr., Estherville-Lincoln Central; Zoe Dutchik, 5-11, sr., Iowa City Regina; Samantha Meyers, 5-11, jr., Grundy Center; Anna Mallen, 5-9, jr., West Hancock; Liz Skotowski, 5-8, sr., Mount Vernon; Morgan Walker, 5-9, sr., Sioux Central; Olivia Godfrey, 5-11, soph., Panorama; Lexi Albrecht, 5-10, jr., Carroll Kuemper.

Third Team

Makenzie Zeitler, 5-10, sr., Van Buren; Allie Sievert, 6-0, jr., Estherville-Lincoln Central; Olivia Sulentic, 5-11, sr., Interstate 35; Renee Huber, 5-7, jr., Maquoketa Valley; Nicole Miller, 5-8, fr., North Linn; Sarah Mallen, 5-2, sr., West Hancock; Carly Pagel, 6-0, sr., Sumner-Fredericksburg; Madi Drees, 6-1, sr., Carroll Kuemper.

CLASS 1A

First Team

Pos.

Name

School

Ht.

Yr.

Front line

Kailey Kladivo

North Tama

6-2

Sr.

Front line

Mallory Boyle

North Mahaska

5-11

Jr.

Front line

Jessica Balek

Mason City Newman

6-0

Sr.

Back court

Erica Dreckman

Marcus MMC

5-6

Sr.

Back court

Whitney VanderMaaten

Boyden-Hull

5-6

Sr.

Back court

Emily Bell

Algona Garrigan

5-7

Sr.

Utility

Kayla Lindenmeyer

Bedford

5-8

Jr.

Utility

Lexi Ackerman

Central Lyon

5-9

Jr.

Second Team

Katie Dentlinger, 5-10, sr., Coon Rapids-Bayard; Dani Kock, 5-11, sr., Ar-We-Va; Brianna James, 5-9, sr., Lynnville-Sully; Steph Rohe, 5-9, sr., LeMars Gehlen; Dana Weerheim, 5-8, sr., West Sioux; Macy Williams, 5-5, fr., Fremont-Mills; Mary Halverson, 5-7, sr., Coon Rapids-Bayard; Caila Raymond, 5-11, sr., Bedford.

Third Team

Jade Lynn Vlotho, 6-0, jr., West Sioux; Cassidy Bangasser, 5-11, sr., North Butler; Melissa Alger, 6-1, sr., Lisbon; Kate Ray, 5-7, sr., North Mahaska; Allison Zobel, 5-8, jr., North Tama; Paige Danner, 5-6, soph., Ar-We-Va; Renee Meneman, 5-6, soph., Newell-Fonda; Brittany Bryan, 5-9, sr., Lynnville-Sully.