Iowa High School Basketball Notebook: Johnston Tops Dowling Catholic Again

Jenica Lewis, Dragons complete season sweep of Maroons, 49-43.

Johnston's Jenica Lewis (10) shoots a shot over Dowling Catholic's Ellie Muller (23) on Friday, March 7, 2025, at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. / Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jenica Lewis scored 17 points and Kelli Kalb added 13 to help lead the Johnston girls basketball team to a 49-43 victory over Dowling Catholic and complete a season sweep on Monday night.

The Dragons, who hold the No. 1 overall spot in the High School on SI Iowa girls high school state basketball power rankings and are No. 1 in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Class 5A ratings, have now won eight in a row over the Maroons, including a 46-43 decision earlier this year.

Johnston and Dowling Catholic met for the 5A title last March, as the Dragons secured a second straight championship with a 55-44 decision. The two also meet in the 2024 state tournament.

For the Maroons, Ellie Muller, who has signed with Missouri, scored 17 points and had nine rebounds while Katie Muller added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Nikki Muller chipped in nine points and three rebounds.

Lewis, a senior who has signed with Notre Dame, and Kalb, a sophomore, were a combined 9 of 10 from the free throw line. 

Kuemper Catholic Knocks Off Storm Lake In Meeting Of No. 1s

Both the Kuemper Catholic and Storm Lake boys moved to the top of their respective classes in the latest Iowa High School Athletic Association basketball rankings on Monday. Several hours later, the Knights knocked off the Tornadoes, 85-79.

Kuemper Catholic led early, 25-20, as Storm Lake cut the deficit down to two at the break. The Knights outscored the Tornadoes in the third, 20-15, to give themselves a cushion.

Ryan Clair scored a game-high 29 points on 11 of 15 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers and seven rebounds to lead Kuemper Catholic. Dylan Schon had 17 points and seven rebounds with five assists, Griffin Glynn added 16 points and six assists, and Jack Badding had 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

For Storm Lake, Jaidyn Coon, a Creighton commit, scored 27 points with 12 rebounds and four assists, Cameron Boyd added 16 points and Timothy Yanga had 13 points. 

Spirit Lake Continues Winning Ways

Despite losing all-stater Claire Turner before the season started, the Spirit Lake girls have raced out to a 13-3 record, including a 51-40 victory over Central Lyon in a matchup of ranked teams this past Monday night.

The Indians scored 22 points in the first quarter to take complete control of the contest vs. the Lions. Albany Reinke, a freshman, has helped replace Turner, as she scored 20 points with 11 rebounds, four steals, three blocks and two assists.

Hayden Kuhlmann added eight points, 11 assists, four rebounds and a steal, as Maggie Bruinsma scored eight points.

Central Lyon was led by Taylor Rypkema’s 13 points and six rebounds.