Who are the fab freshmen of high school girls hoops?

Let’s start with Kamryn Fink of Highland, and Jeorgia Evans and Tessa Bombei of Mid-Prairie.

Fink, who is the daughter of Highland’s Activities Director and girls basketball head coach (Jody) and a Highland School Board member (Karen), has emerged as the top freshman rebounder in the state.

Fink’s 288 rebounds rank number two in 1A overall and number three, all classes.

Playing in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference North, Fink is the top freshman in rebounding, scoring, baskets made and 3-pointers. She’d be up there in assists, too, except that many Highland possessions wind up in a pass to Fink. Her teammate, Katie Herrig, leads the conference in assists with 75.

Fink, who has considerable basketball experience on the AAU club level, has led a youthful Huskie team that defeated defending conference champ Lone Tree early in the season and was ranked among the Top 15 in 1A earlier in the year.

Her top games include scoring 32 points in a 60-47 win against Lone Tree and 23 rebounds in a loss to Columbus.

Evans, who was one of the top defensive freshmen in the state in volleyball, has used her blazing speed and defensive skills to rank among the leaders in the River Valley South in steals.

Evans ranks fourth with 55 steals as a non-starter. Among freshmen, only Iowa City Regina’s Addie McLaughlin has more. Those two did battle as eighth graders a year ago in middle school ball, and when the Golden Hawks and Regals met January 14, McLaughlin led the Regals with 7 assists and 5 steals while Evans, coming off the bench, had 3 steals and 3 assists.

When the Golden Hawks need a defensive stop late in the game, Evans is usually one of those summoned to the court by head coach Danny Hershberger. She had two steals and layups in the final minutes in a recent win against Tipton.

Bombei, who played at Mid-Prairie Middle School alongside Evans, has started every game this season and is the Golden Hawks' second-leading rebounder.

Hoop Tourneys

It’s just two weeks until February Madness.

Seedings and regional pairings for the Iowa 1A, 2A and 3A girls basketball tournaments are set to be announced next Wednesday with 1A regional first-round games to start Feb. 13. Games in 3A will begin two nights later.

Mid-Prairie, which won 12 of its first 15 games, could be looking at a 2 or 3 seed in 3A. Prior to Friday, the Golden Hawks’ only losses were to fifth-ranked Williamsburg, defending state champion Solon and 2A third-ranked Regina. The Golden Hawks face Regina again Feb. 7, but after the regional assignments are out and it wouldn’t matter anyway since the Golden Hawks and Regals are not in the same class. That game could determine the River Valley South championship. Friday, Mid-Prairie lost to Wilton, which could knock the Golden Hawks down one seeding spot.

Lone Tree (16-3) is hoping for a 2 or 3 seed in 1A and possibly a runner-up spot in the SEISC North, and Highland (14-6) could be a 3 or 4 seed.

Headed for Clarke

Katie Harrig, a senior forward from Highland who leads the SEISC North in assists, signed a letter-of-intent with Clarke University in Dubuque.

Harrig is the only senior starter for the Huskies. She has started every game this season and most of the games last year. Her 75 assists in 19 games lead the conference and her 141 rebounds rank second on the team behind Fink.

Wanted: A new Lion

The search is on for a new head football coach at Lone Tree.

Joe Donovan, who has been head coach the last two years, has resigned the coaching job in order to focus on his position as the school’s athletics and activities director. The Lions won just two games this past season, but Donovan led the Lions to a six-win season and an eight-man playoff appearance in 2023.

Soccer Changes

Changes to high school soccer in the spring will include no more overtime games and no five-minute penalty periods for players being cautioned with a yellow card.

If a player receives a yellow card, he/she must leave the game but can re-enter the game at the next regular substitution opportunity. Two yellow cards in the same game is still an ejection.

Ties in the postseason tournament will be determined by two “golden goal” 10-minute overtime periods, followed by, if necessary, a penalty kick shootout.

But ties are now OK in the regular season.

“I think that’s going to cause teams to just pack it in and play for ties, which I’m not a fan of,” said Truman Shelter, head girls coach at Mid-Prairie.

News columnist Paul Bowker can be reached at bowkerpaul1@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @bowkerpaul