Who’s hot? Area b-ball heads to 2021

Just over one month of the high school basketball season has been played, and the stage has been set for what should be an exciting 2021.

Through one month of play, the Union area boasts three undefeated teams and many more still in the thick of their respective conference races. The first month of play has also put a spotlight on a handful of players who are playing some of the best basketball in the state of Iowa.

The teams: There are two Union area girls basketball teams who go into the new year with an undefeated record, and one boys' team left perfect ahead of January.

The No. 11 (1A) Winfield-Mt. Union girls have the best mark of any team in the area. WMU is 9-0 overall on the year and 4-0 in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference's North Division, where they are alone atop the standings.

The Wolves have had their share of nailbiters. From Dec. 12 to Dec. 15, WMU played three-straight games that were decided by six points or less. The Wolves held off Van Buren County, 54-50, and Central Lee, 47-43, in SEISC crossover games, and then took down defending North Division champion Mediapolis, 68-62.

All three of those games were played in the friendly confines at Winfield-Mt. Union, as have been seven of WMU's nine wins. The Wolves have been just fine on the road, however, collecting a pair of North Division wins, a 36-19 defeat of Pekin and a 37-22 win at Wapello.

The Wolves are incredibly balanced. WMU has nine players scoring three points per game or higher, and they don't have one in double digits. Sophomore post Bradie Buffington leads the team with 9.2 points per game, despite coming off the bench in all nine contests.

The Keota boys are 8-0 overall and 6-0 in the South Iowa Cedar League's East Division, and they've been doing it in style. In their eight December wins, the Eagles have scored 64.9 points per game, and have given up just 34.1.

Keota has won every game by 23 points or more, including a 75-47 win at English Valleys, the team that currently sits second behind Keota in the SICL East standings, at 5-1.

The vast majority of Keota's points have been scored by a senior quartet that combines for more than 50 points per game by themselves. Carson Sprouse leads the way with 18 points per game. Luke Hammen scores 16.5 points per game. Brady Duwa scores 9.6 per game, and Bryce Greiner scores 9.1 per game.

The Eagles are one of the most mature teams in Southeast Iowa. The entire varsity squad is made up of underclassmen; nine seniors and four freshmen.

The Fairfield girls have only played two games due to a lengthy delay to the start of their season due to Fairfield High School being online-only until mid-December, but they've won both to take a 2-0 record into the break.

The Trojans started the season with a 42-38 win over Pekin. The Trojans hung on despite an ice cold night from downtown, going 1-for-22 behind the 3-point stripe. Danielle Breen's 13 points led the way.

One night later, Fairfield started Southeast Conference play with a dominant 53-22 win over Washington. In that game, the Trojans led 33-5 at halftime and gave up just nine total points in the first three quarters to cruise to 1-0 in conference play.

Fairfield's stacked junior class has shown impressively early. The Class of 2022 makes up eight of the team's 13 players, as well as eight of the squad's nine top scorers. Danielle Breen is currently sitting at points per game. Hannah Simpson scores 6.0 points per game, and both Delaney Breen and Brynley Allison are at 5.5.

The area also has three teams with one loss. The Washington boys hold a 5-1 overall record and a 3-0 SEC record to sit alone at the top of the conference. The No. 10 (1A) New London boys are 5-1 overall and 5-1 in the SEISC South Division to take a half-game lead into January, and the Pekin boys are 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the SEISC North Division, where they sit a half-game behind Wapello at the top of the standings.

The players: The area hasn't been light on stars, but one has shined a little brighter than the rest. The most distinguished basketball player in the area thus far has been Van Buren County senior Isabel Manning.

Manning leads the entire state in points per game, scoring 33.3, which is more than five points higher than the next-best scorer, Mallory McCall of West Monona (27.9). She leads the state with 13.6 field goals made per game and 28 field goal attempts per game.

Highland's Dani Laughlin is turning heads as well, albeit in only three games, due to Highland starting the season late. The Huskies' sophomore puts more 3-pointers up per game than any other girl in the state, sitting at 11.3. She has been a pest on defense, averaging 6.3 steals per game, fourth best in the entire state.

The WMU boys boast one of the top shot blockers in the state. Freshman Abram Edwards has been swatting shots all season, and currently sits with 4.0 blocks per game, tied for third most in Iowa. He's the leader alone among the freshman class.

There are currently 17 players in the state of Iowa that have gone perfect at the free-throw line with a minimum of seven attempts, and three of them play in the Union area.

Cardinal junior Landon Becker will likely be atop that list when the year is all done. Becker is 8-for-8 from the charity stripe but is out with a season-ending injury, which he suffered in the Comets' third game. Becker won't be able to build on that number until his senior campaign next winter.

Fairfield sophomore Max Weaton is 8-for-8 as well, going perfect over his first two games of the year. Hillcrest Academy junior Noah Miller is right there beside him, going 8-for-8 over the span of his six games played.

Those individual leaders, as well as the conference races, are sure to make for an interesting next couple of months on the hardcourt, as the 2020-21 basketball season swings into its second calendar year.