IMS’ Yoder named Co-MVP of SEISC North Division

Talent is a great commodity to have, but add hard work to that and one becomes special.

Iowa Mennonite School has a special basketball player in Suzanna Yoder.

'What a blessing to have a kid like that,” IMS coach Kari Huesinkveld said after a game this season.

That kid helped IMS to its best record (10-11) since 2013-14 when it was 14-10.

Yoder was second in the state, regardless of class, in points per game at 27.5. She was sixth in the state in successful 3-pointers with 75. She made free throws at a 73.2 percent rate.

Last year as a junior, she was ninth in the state with a 22.2 average. She made 65 threes and shot free throws at 72 percent.

'Little things that don't show up in the stats are so important,” Yoder said after a game.

She could have been referring to the amount of work it takes to improve one's game.

Yoder has started all four years and led the team in scoring each of those years. As a freshman on a 1-19 team, she shot 8 of 44 on 3-pointers, made 40 percent of her free throws, averaged 5.4 rebounds and 2.25 assists.

As a sophomore, she upped those figures with 31 made triples, 18 points a game, 66 percewnt on free throws, 5 rebounds and four assists.

Free throws were never more important than in the second game this season at Keota. Yoder was fouled on a 3-pointer as the final buzzer sounded and IMS trailed by two points.

She made all three free throws for the win.

'Yoder has ice in her veins,” Huesinkveld said.

'It was nerve-wracking, but I had confidence in me,” Yoder said.

Yoder also set the single-game scoring record this season, twice, and that was after tying it. The record now is 45 points which came in a 63-61 win over Highland, a team IMS had lost to 51-25 earlier in the season.

Another indicator of the improvement of the team over the season was its first and last games, a 75-30 loss to Lynville-Sully in the opener and a 56-42 loss to end the year.

'Basketball is so fun that we have a lot of fun together as a team,” Yoder said in an interview before the season. 'How much I'm scoring is not really a goal this year, it will be more about the shots I'm taking and the choices. I'm not going to worry about what I'm averaging, I'm going to worry about my shot choices. It is so important in basketball to be competitive.”