By Becky Walz,
It will be a new look for the South Winn girls’ basketball team this winter.
With new faces on the court and on the bench, the Warriors will be looking for some younger players to step up and make a difference this season.
Justin Izer returns for his second season at the helm with a pair of new faces as his assistants — Ashley Walz and Alex Smith.
Looking back at 2020
Last season, the Warriors were short on seniors, but full of potential. While Coach Izer had seven returning letter winners, the SW squad still sought elusive wins, finishing the season 2-18 overall and 2-14 in the Upper Iowa Conference.
The struggles continued into the postseason as the Warriors faced Beckman in the first round, falling 45-9.
As a team, South Winn averaged 27.1 points per game. They shot 22.3 percent from the field and 16.8 percent from three-point land. They averaged 31.5 rebounds a game, to go with 216 steals, 127 assists and 34 blocks.
Graduation
The Warriors lost two contributors after last season.
Mary Frana started all 20 games last year, averaging 4.2 points and 5.3 rebounds. She had 49 steals and 28 assists. Emma Houdek also played in six games for South Winn.
Back again
Coach Izer will have nine letter winners to count on, including Janessa Zweibahmer, Janessa Zweibohmer, Morgan Kleve, Alison Heying, Morgan Kriener, Anna Dietzenbach, Eryn Luzum, Josie Hemesath and Josie Tieskoetter.
Sophomore forward Tieskoetter led the team in scoring with 6.0 points per night last season. She was 21.2 percent from the field. In addition, she led the way in rebounds with 6.8 a game and had 33 steals, 11 assists and six blocks.
Zweibahmer, also a forward, returns for her senior season as the Warriors’ second-leading scorer with 4.9 points a night, as well as rebounder with 6.1 per game. She also had 22 steals, 11 assists and six blocks.
Leading the team with 14 blocks, Kleve will be back on the court for her junior campaign. Last year, Kleve was fourth in both points and rebounds, providing 4.1 points and 4.0 rebounds a game for South Winn.
Heying, a junior, comes back with a letter. As a sophomore, she played in all 20 contests, averaging 2.8 points a game. She pulled down 54 total rebounds, made 26 steals and dished out 19 assists.
Morgan Kriener also started in all 20 games last season as a sophomore. She had 39 total points, 38 boards, 26 steals and 19 assists.
Looking to make some noise for the Warriors is freshman guard Karissa Wenthold as well.
The outlook
With numbers growing and experience on the court, Coach Izer says the team’s biggest strength is the depth fans will see. He believes he has 10-12 girls which could see significant playing time on any given night.
“A lot of these girls will be playing their third year of varsity basketball,” noted Coach Izer. “This season our depth will be a huge factor in keeping our girls fresh throughout the season. I look for us to move up in the standing from where we have been. How well can we score and can we limit the number of turnovers per game are big concerns for us.”
When it comes to the Upper Iowa Conference, Coach Izer expects to see MFL MarMac, North Fayette Valley and Central Elkader duking it out for the title, while he envisions the Warriors finishing in the middle of the league.
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