Small girl, small school, big impact by Kee’s Reagan Mudderman: Girls’ basketball notes

At 5-foot-4, Reagan Mudderman is a small girl from a small school, tucked away in the far northeast corner of the state.

Her accomplishments, though ... those are too big to ignore.

A senior dynamo from Lansing Kee, Mudderman leads the state in scoring (31.0 points per game) and steals (10.7 per contest). She went well beyond that Saturday, putting together a 43-point, 20-steal masterpiece in the Hawks’ win over Schaeffer Academy (Minn.), at Decorah.

“We were going against a young team, and she had some pretty easy pickings,” Kee Coach Ben Wagner said.

Kee improved to 3-1 with a win over Postville on Tuesday, in which Mudderman scored 26 points. That raises her career total to 1,243 points, and she should be the school’s all-time scoring leader before long.

Most of her scoring comes in the open court, defense-to-offense transition.

“I just try to read the offense,” Mudderman said. “I look into their eyes. I watch the belly button of the girl I’m guarding. Then I jump at the ball.”

Mudderman generally plays at the top of Kee’s 2-3 zone.

“I really try to anticipate when the other team is going to throw a skip pass,” she said.

Despite her modest height, Mudderman is averaging 6.7 rebounds.

“She’s an exceptional rebounder for her size,” Wagner said. “She really gets after it.

“You don’t really see anybody like her in the conference. She’s a hard matchup, a really smart player. She probably has the best work ethic I’ve coached, and I’ve been doing it a while.”

Wagner is in his 23rd year coaching at Kee, his 12th as the varsity girls’ coach.

You would think Mudderman would be a natural in a pressing attack. But Kee has only nine players in the program, all dress varsity, and Wagner is concerned about foul trouble and fatigue.

“Reagan has to take on a lot for us,” he said.

A four-sport athlete (she’s also in cross country, track and softball), Mudderman hasn’t decided on post-high school plans, but said the most likely path is basketball at Grand View University.

Milestone coaches

Iowa City High Coach Bill McTaggart and Mount Vernon’s Nate Sanderson hit milestone wins in the past week.

McTaggart earned his 500th career victory Friday, when City High (2-0) beat Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 70-52. He is in his 23rd year as City girls’ coach, where he has posted a 384-124 mark.

He previously served as a boys’ coach in Texas for six seasons; his total record is 501-186.

Sanderson, in his first year at Mount Vernon, picked up No. 200 Monday in the Mustangs’ 53-50 victory over Iowa City Regina. That ended the Mustangs’ 14-game losing streak.

Mount Vernon (2-4) won again Tuesday, and Sanderson owns a 201-199 career mark.

Saturday showdown at CPU

Reigning Class 2A state champion Dike-New Hartford likely will bring a 31-game win streak into Saturday’s showdown at Center Point-Urbana.

Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Top-ranked in 2A, DNH is 4-0 heading into its Friday contest against Hudson. The state co-player of the year in volleyball, sophomore Payton Petersen is averaging 16.3 points per game.

Class 3A No. 5 CPU (5-0) is led by UNI signee Ryley Goebel (18.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 4.0 steals per game). The Stormin’ Pointers have held all five of their opponents in the 30s.

CPU hosts Maquoketa on Friday.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com