Jeff Linder

The final area girls’ basketball unbeaten? That will be determined next Tuesday. This Tuesday marks the first night of January action for some teams. Here’s a look at area conference races as we resume.

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union is likely to announce its girls’ basketball regional pairings in mid- to late January. Here is The Gazette’s first version of mock pairings ... all five classes, all 346 teams.

Girls’ basketball Super Ten: The final one before the holidays has the same top five as last week -- Clear Creek Amana, North Linn, Mount Vernon, Solon and Cedar Rapids Prairie.

Girls’ basketball: Grace Fincham scores 33 points, helps Iowa City West push past Iowa City High late, 63-57.

Women’s basketball: Lethargic early, No. 4 Iowa snaps out of it behind Caitlin Clark’s 13th career triple-double. Hawkeyes race away from Loyola Chicago, 98-69.

Prep basketball area rankings, news and more from Linder and Johnson on this week’s Iowa Prep Sports podcast.

Girls’ basketball notes: Increased delegation, uncanny depth are driving Cedar Rapids Prairie upward.

Time, TV and notes for Thursday’s women’s basketball game between No. 4 Iowa and Loyola Chicago.

Women’s basketball: Sharon Goodman’s perseverance and Sydney Affolter’s toughness have been notable complements to Caitlin Clark’s brilliance for the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes.

Girls’ basketball: Clear Creek Amana doesn’t commit a first-half turnover, and an early defensive switch sends the Clippers to a 67-42 win over Benton Community.

Women’s basketball: Caitlin Clark’s final (?) return to Central Iowa in a triumphant one. She scores 38 points in the No. 4 Hawkeyes’ 104-75 rout of Cleveland State in Des Moines.

Time, TV and notes for Sunday’s women’s basketball game between No. 4 Iowa and Cleveland State.

Girls’ basketball: Bench accounts for 32 points in Cedar Rapids Prairie’s 75-36 romp over Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

Women’s basketball: Lisa Bluder talks about her role in Caitlin Clark’s decision whether to stay at Iowa for a fifth year, or to move on to the WNBA.

Calling it both ways, Jeff Johnson and Jeff Linder talk area high school basketball and current rankings for girls and boys basketball.