frankie long
Even if key pieces are missing, Marshalltown girls basketball should look more united on the court this winter.
“We’re feeling really good heading into the season,” MHS head coach Brian Murphy said. “I feel like we already have an established identity, but the first half of last year felt like we were trying to find it. I think I’m happy with the fact that I know that and I’ve already worked hard over the summer.”
Leading the returning group is sophomore center Frankie Long, who averaged five points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game for the Bobcats and was named All-Iowa Alliance Conference North Region First Team as a freshman. . MHS also returns all four honorable mentions on the All-Alliance North team in senior Ellie Hughes and juniors Kinsley Bowie, Sydney Kapayu and Millie Heitman.
Bowie led the team with 5.2 points per game last season. Hughes had 4.2 points and 6.1 rebounds, Heitman had 3.9 points and 4.2 rebounds, and Kapayu had 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds.
“What’s interesting is that when that group all comes back, there’s a general consensus to unite them,” Murphy said. “The first thing is to keep the girls healthy. Kinsley Bowie was battling hip problems last year and had hip surgery and is now better than ever. Millie was always battling something last year. , played a full season with the Iowa Attack (club basketball), and it made a big difference in her ball handling. Sid also couldn’t stay healthy last year, but she’s finally back to health.
“We have guys that are growing and getting healthy and starting the season at the point we want them to be.”
Health-wise, one of the blows the Bobcats took in the offseason was Amayra Johnson tearing her ACL during the club basketball season. Johnson also contributed as a freshman following Long, averaging 3.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals last season. Johnson underwent surgery for his injury in August and is not scheduled to play at MHS this season.
“It obviously had a big impact on our depth,” Murphy said. “Last year we were in the top eight and right now we’re probably around seventh. Morgan Hilderbrand is a freshman coming up and we’re excited to see what she brings. She’s ready to be on the varsity floor. “He’s a completely different type of player than Amayra, but he’s certainly a player we trust to come in and give us a good look.” ”
The Bobcats went 6-16 overall last season, including a tough performance in which they won just one of their final 11 games. The season ended with a 34-15 loss to Des Moines North in the 5A Region 1 quarterfinals.
MHS’ defense ranked in the top half of 5A last season with 43.4 points per game. But the Bobcats’ struggles have been on offense, where they ranked 38th out of 40 5A teams last year with 28.8 points per game.
“We know what end of the floor we need to focus on,” Murphy said. “Our offense was what held us back last year, so our challenge for everyone who touches the floor this year is to not only be a threat on offense, but also to be aggressive and offensive and to be able to take care of yourself. And what we’ve seen this summer, from some of the early scrimmage activities, we’ve already seen some girls jump. We expect significant growth, which will lead to an improvement in the overall offense.”
Murphy sees Ames as the favorite to win the Alliance North, but the Bobcats are well in line in terms of overall return experience compared to how many spots other teams in the division are trying to fill. I think there are.
“Mason City graduated almost its entire starting lineup, Waterloo East returns a lot of girls but lost its starting point guard. Fort Dodge is a team we played together for much of last year. “I was there,” Murphy said. “We feel like we’re making strides in the conference. If we’ve made the growth that we feel like we’ve made, we should be right in the middle of things.”
Marshalltown’s season opener was Nov. 26 at South Tama. The home opener is Dec. 3 against Des Moines Lincoln, and Alliance North play begins Dec. 13 in Mason City.
MHS Girls Basketball
Tuesday, November 26th, Minamitama, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 3, Lincoln Des Moines, 6:15 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 5, Newton, 6:15 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 6, Des Moines East, 6:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 10, Des Moines Hoover, 6:15 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 13 in Mason City, 6:15 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 16, Southeast Polk, 6:15 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 20, Fort Dodge, 6:15 p.m.
Tuesday, January 7, Waterloo East, 6:15 p.m.
Friday, January 10th, 6:15 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 13, Cedar Rapids-Jefferson, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 14, North Des Moines, 6:15 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 17 at the Des Moines Roosevelt, 6:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 21, Mason City, 6:15 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 27, Grinnell, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, January 28th at Fort Dodge at 6:15 p.m.
Friday, January 31, Waterloo East, 6:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 4, Ames, 6:15 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 7, Ottumwa, 6:15 p.m.
Saturday, February 8, Des Moines North, 1:30 p.m.
Tuesday, February 11th, Des Moines Lincoln, 6:15 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 14, East Des Moines, 6:15 p.m.
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