Ashley Joens is Miss Iowa Basketball 2018

DES MOINES — Ashley Joens has always been a player.

This year, Bill McTaggart said, she developed into a leader.

'She really has matured as she has grown older,' said McTaggart, the girls' basketball coach at Iowa City High. 'She has grown in all aspects of the game. But what has really impressed me is the way she led our young team this year.'

It wasn't that difficult, Joens said.

'Yeah, we had a lot of sophomores, but they've all been around basketball for a long time,' she said.

A versatile 6-foot senior and an Iowa State University signee, Joens was selected as Miss Iowa Basketball 2018 by the state's sportswriters in the inaugural all-state voting by the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association on Saturday.

Joens averaged 30.7 points and 11.4 rebounds per game as the Little Hawks finished 25-1 with a Class 5A runner-up finish at the state tournament. She shot 61.8 percent from the field (including 59.5 percent from 3-point range) and 80.3 percent from the free-throw line.

'We had a really good season,' Joens said. 'We just came up a little short in the last game (a loss to Iowa City West in the 5A final).

She concluded her career with 2,178 points, which ranks No. 13 in five-player state history.

'Ashley is the most dominant, the most complete player I've ever coached,' McTaggart said. 'She's the most prolific player in our school's history.'

Joens is one of 13 area players to earn first-team status in a memorable season; four area teams — West (5A), Marion (4A), Cascade (2A) and Springville (1A) claimed state championships last weekend.

The title teams combined for six first-team picks: Logan Cook of West, Chloe Rice and Kayba Laube of Marion, Nicole McDermott of Cascade, and Mikayla Nachazel and Rylee Menster of Springville.

Cook, a senior, has signed with the University of Iowa. She averaged 14.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this season, and the Women of Troy (19-7) caught fire in the postseason.

Laube, a sophomore, was the 4A all-tournament captain. The UNI commit averaged 13.4 points per game, and Saint Louis University signee Rice added 10.9 ppg on an extremely balanced Marion squad that finished 26-0 and won the school's first title in the sport.

Another skilled sophomore, McDermott posted 13.6 points per game as Cascade went 25-3. The Cougars outlasted North Union in a triple-overtime semifinal thriller, then held off Grundy Center in the championship game.

Nachazel and Menster have been the focal points of Springville's small-school dynasty, and both have signed with Minnesota State-Mankato. The Orioles reached the state finals each of the last four years (winning the last three titles) and posted a four-year mark of 98-10. Nachazel averaged 17.3 points per game this year, Menster 16.2.

Other area first-teamers feature senior Allie Wooldridge of 4A state semifinalist Center Point-Urbana (and a Drake University signee), junior Jessica Musgrave of 3A state qualifier South Tama and junior Alex Wiese of 2A state qualifier Iowa City Regina (who suffered a knee injury two days before the Regals' quarterfinal game).

The eight-player 2A first team includes five area players — McDermott and Wiese, plus seniors Tatum Koenig of West Branch (a Bradley signee) and Ashley Tull of North Linn and junior Sam Wall of Maquoketa Valley.

The Iowa Print Sports Writers Assocation was founded in February to pick up the all-state selection process after the Iowa Newspaper Association discontinued its all-state service.

2018 IOWA PRINT SPORTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION ALL-STATE TEAMS

MISS IOWA BASKETBALL

Ashley Joens, Iowa City High

Class 5A

First Team

Ashley Joens, sr., Iowa City High

Grace Berg, sr., Indianola

Caitlin Clark, soph., West Des Moines Dowling

Logan Cook, sr., Iowa City West

Zoe Young, jr., West Des Moines Valley

Maggie McGraw, jr., Indianola

Emerson Green, soph., Cedar Falls

Ellie Spelhaug, sr., Pleasant Valley

Second Team

Maya McDermott, soph., Johnston

Grace Larkins, fr., Southeast Polk

Rachael Saunders, sr., Iowa City West

Anna Brown, jr., Waukee

Rose Nkumu, soph., Iowa City High

Hailey Dolphin, sr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy

Kamryn Finley, sr., Cedar Falls

Chloe Olson, sr., Ankeny Centennial

Third Team

Kiana Barney, sr., Cedar Falls

Cynthia Wolf, sr., Cedar Falls

Josie Filer, sr., West Des Moines Dowling

Aubrey Joens, soph., Iowa City High

Sidney McCrea, soph., Cedar Rapids Prairie

Jenna Johnson, sr., Johnston

Kira Arthofer, sr., Pleasant Valley

Cailyn Morgan, jr., Iowa City West

Class 4A

First Team

Megan Meyer, jr., Mason City

Chloe Rice, sr., Marion

Kayba Laube, soph., Marion

Sienna Durr, sr., Grinnell

Maegan Holt, sr., Lewis Central

Madison Dreckman, jr., LeMars

Allie Wooldridge, sr., Center Point-Urbana

Amber Nicole Buch, sr., Fairfield

Second Team

Grace Boffeli, soph., North Scott

Caitlynn Daniels, soph., Cedar Rapids Xavier

Caitlynne Shadle, sr., Boone

Kameron Moore, sr., Grinnell

Jenna Borchers, sr., Dallas Center-Grimes

Keeley Petzenhauser, sr., Spencer

Katelyn Stanley, soph., Sioux City Heelan

Abby Wisecup, jr., Sergeant Bluff-Luton

Third Team

Emily Holtenhaus, jr., Pella

Katie Keitges, soph., Knoxville

Megan Witte, soph., Lewis Central

Adrianna Katcher, soph., Center Point-Urbana

Karsyn Stratton, soph., Clear Creek Amana

Mia Laube, sr., Marion

Claire Sandvig, sr., Boone

Michaela Davis, sr., Keokuk

Class 3A

First Team

Lexi Toering, sr., Sioux Center

Isabelle Gradwell, sr., West Marshall

Shannon Pisney, sr., Crestwood

Sharon Goodman, soph., Crestwood

Jessica Musgrave, jr., South Tama

Lexy Koudelka, sr., Nevada

Ivy Swarthout, sr., Chariton

Maddie Jones, jr., South Central Calhoun

Second Team

Paityn Hagberg, sr., Cherokee

Jordan Van Maanen, sr., Sioux Center

Logan Hughes, jr., Shenandoah

Lauren Ries, sr., Monticello

Makenzie Northup, jr., Central Lee

Maggie Phipps, fr., North Polk

Taylor Houska, jr,, East Sac County

Ellie Friesen, sr., Crestwood

Third Team

Jenna Clark, sr., Roland-Story

Taylor McDonald, sr., Monticello

Hannah Anderson, sr., Forest City

Addie Rath, sr., Mid-Prairie

Kassidy Pingel, jr., Cherokee

Regan Freland, soph., Monroe PCM

Sara Faber, soph., Clear Lake

Carlye Brown, sr., Davenport Assumption

Class 2A

First Team

Ashtyn Veerbeek, sr., Western Christian

Alex Wiese, jr., Iowa City Regina

Sam Wall, jr., Maquoketa Valley

Tatum Koenig, sr., West Branch

Taryn Scheurmann, soph., Van Buren

Ashley Tull, sr., North Linn

Kayla Chapman, jr., Treynor

Nicole McDermott, soph., Cascade

Second Team

Kaylee Parks, sr., Central Springs

Hailey Wallis, jr., Grundy Center

Madelyn Deitchler, sr., Treynor

Bailey Beckman, jr., Panorama

Chloe Lofstrom, soph., North Union

Maya Johnson, jr., Mediapolis

Ellie Foster, soph., Dike-New Hartford

Maci Gambell, sr., Pekin

Third Team

Mackenzie Rogers, sr., Mediapolis

Grace Flanagan, soph., North Linn

Mary Crompton, sr., Iowa City Regin

Autum Barthelman, sr., Sigourney

Dani Boettscher, sr., Sioux Central

Sam Stewart, soph., Mount Ayr

Kia Rasmussen, sr., IKM-Manning

Konnor Sudmann, jr., Treynor

Class 1A

First Team

Mikayla Nachazel, sr., Springville

Rylee Menster, sr., Springville

Jenna Boelter, sr., Algona Garrigan

Olivia Larsen, jr., Newell-Fonda

Alli Masters, jr., Central Decatur

Sophia Peppers, sr., Exira-EHK

Emilee Danner, jr., Ar-We-Va

Addison Hirschman, sr., Kingsley-Pierson

Second Team

Mandy Willems, sr., Ackley AGWSR

Rachael Leerar, fr., West Hancock

Aubrie Fisher, jr., Ackley AGWSR

Kassidi Steel, soph., North Mahaska

Lexee Hartsock, sr., Winfield-Mount Union

Carah Drees, jr., Westwood

Emma Atwood, jr., Central Decatur

Peyton Olson, sr., Mason City Newman

Third Team

Shateah Wetering, soph., Montezuma

Amanda Chizek, soph., West Hancock

Carson Fisk, jr., Lynnville-Sully

Acey Jellison, jr., Seymour

Kealy Nelson, sr., Exira-EHK

Blaire Steenhoek, jr., Southeast Warren

Katie Sobotka, sr., Diagonal

Ashley Schwartzhoff, sr., Lansing Kee

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com