The evolution of Audi Crooks has been more mental than physical

DES MOINES — She’s more trim. She’s more toned.

But the Evolution of Audi has been more of a mental journey.

“Freshman Audi was scared. Freshman Audi wasn’t confident, wasn’t mentally tough,” Algona Garrigan star Audi Crooks said.

“I think my basketball IQ has evolved. I’ve grown physically, and I’ve grown a lot mentally. I think my game is more established.”

A 6-foot-3 post bound for Iowa State University, Crooks registered 42 points (on 20-of-25 shooting), 14 rebounds and three blocks Wednesday afternoon in the top-ranked Golden Bears’ 67-44 Class 1A quarterfinal victory over No. 14 Martensdale-St. Marys at the girls’ state basketball tournament at Wells Fargo Arena.

The 42 points is a 1A tournament record.

“She continues to get better,” Garrigan Coach Brandon Schwab said. “What she does so well is the way she puts her footwork in good position before the ball gets to her. She’s able to seal the defender from different angles.”

You can call Crooks one-dimensional, and she won’t disagree.

“The critics say sometimes that all I do is get baskets right under the basket,” she said. “I mean this in the most humble way: It works.”

It has worked for four years. Crooks ranks No. 4 all-time in Iowa in both career points (2,659) and rebounds (1,313).

Garrigan was the 1A runner-up in 2020 and 2021, the champion last year. The Golden Bears are favored to repeat.

In addition to the gym, Crooks has embraced the weight room in an effort to strengthen and tone her body.

“I lift. I run. I get shots up,” she said. “After every season, I do some self-evaluation, and going into this season, I really wanted to improve my conditioning.

Crooks’ first three baskets were point-blank gimmes, all on pinpoint passes, from three different teammates.

Then came a sequence in which she outran everybody from baseline to baseline and scored while absorbing a foul. That simply wouldn’t have happened — couldn’t have happened — a couple of years ago.

As course, Crooks can’t do this alone. The Golden Bears average nearly 21 assists per game, including 7.2 per game by senior Molly Joyce, who has played side-by-side with Crooks for seven years.

Joyce had eight assists Wednesday.

“She’s able to hit Audi at the right place, right on a dime, from 40 feet away,” Schwab said.

Bobcats, Vikettes, Take III

On paper, Vinton-Shellsburg’s Class 3A quarterfinal takedown of No. 1 Estherville-Lincoln Central was a massive shocker.

Right, Jeff Zittergruen?

“No,” he said. “I’m not surprised. (Vinton-Shellsburg) is great team. They defend well. They’re a veteran crew, tough minded.”

He should know. As Benton Community’s head coach, he has seen plenty of the Vikettes.

The county archrivals meet for the third time this season Thursday; tipoff in their 3A semifinal is 1:30 p.m.

Benton (22-3 and ranked No. 4) took both regular-season matchups with the Vikettes (18-7, No. 10) on its way to the Wamac Conference West Division championship.

Both were drama-filled. Let’s recap:

Jan. 13 at Vinton: Bobcats 48, Vikettes 45 — Benton trailed by eight points at halftime, six at the end of the third quarter. But a 19-10 spree in the final period boosted the Bobcats. McKenna Kramer scored 19 points, hitting five 3-pointers.

Jan. 31 at Van Horne: Bobcats 59, Vikettes 47 (2 OT) — Benton’s Jenna Twedt hit a 3-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime. Then, after an even first extra session, Benton ruled the second by a 12-0 margin. Twedt scored 28 points; Alyssa Griffith posted 21 for Vinton-Shellsburg.

Since that double-OT setback, Vinton-Shellsburg has won eight straight games.

In the four years since both senior classes reached high school — which features the majority of Vinton-Shellsburg’s top players, plus Twedt on Benton’s side — the Bobcats have won six of eight encounters.

Central Lyon’s sharpshooter

Addison Klosterbeur tied a state-tournament record with eight 3-pointers in Central Lyon’s 66-30 romp over Panorama in a Class 2A quarterfinal Wednesday.

The 5-foot-11 senior, who will play at the University of South Dakota, went 8-for-12 from long range and 11-for-15 overall, scoring 30 points.

She tied the 3-point record set by Pocahontas Area’s Elle Ruffridge (against Center Point-Urbana in 2017). The eight treys is a new 2A record.

Ruffridge saw every one of Klosterbuer’s shots; she was the color analyst on the live stream of the game.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com