Iowa High School Girls Basketball Sets Rivalry Saturday Stage

The field is set with 16 of the top Iowa high school girls basketball teams competing at the 22nd edition of Rivalry Saturday.

Jeff Linder of the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the annual event will take place December 5, 2026 from Anamosa High School. All eight games will take place that day, led by reigning Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union State Basketball Class 3A runner-up Mount Vernon High School.

Along with Mount Vernon, three other teams set to compete reached the state tournament this past winter while two will be making appearances at Rivalry Saturday for the first time.

Games scheduled include Highland vs. Meskwaki, Tipton vs. Williamsburg, Mount Vernon vs. Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Iowa City Regina vs. Independence, Dubuque Wahlert Catholic vs. Solon, Mid-Prairie vs. Center Point-Urbana, Grundy Center vs. North Linn and MFL MarMac vs. Bellevue.

Here is more information on what each team did in 2025-26 and who they should have returning in 2026-27.

Teams Set To Compete At Rivalry Saturday 2026

Highland

Coming off a 20-win season, the Huskies will feature Kamryn Fink, who is coming off a phenomenal sophomore season. She will be joined in the starting lineup by Hailey Brun, Kinzie Ruess and Katelyn Thomann. Fink recorded 399 points with 302 rebounds, 141 steals, 94 assists and 48 blocked shots, sinking 33 3-pointers.

Meskwaki

The Warriors went 18-4 and won their division of the Iowa Star Conference. All five starters are set to be back led by Dorothy Bear and Martha Blackcloud. Bear had 312 points with 163 rebounds and 71 steals, as Blackcloud finished with 239 points and 100 steals as just a freshman.

Tipton

Another division champion, Tipton recorded a 21-3 mark last year, falling to Rivalry Saturday opponent Wiliamsburg in a Class 3A regional final in 2025. Jordyn Schmidt led the team in scoring as a junior, shooting 53 percent from the field while averaging 11.5 points and 8.5 rebounds.

Williamsburg

The Raiders are coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons, going 44-9 over the past two years. Williamsburg will have starters Ava Hocker, Channing Becker and Taylor Sanchez all returning, along with several other regulars. All three averaged over seven points per game last season.

Mount Vernon

Savannah Wright had a sensational sophomore season, leading the Mutangs. She will be flanked by starters Quinn Pershing and Rylee Rasmussen. Wright scored 18 points per game while Pershing added 12 a night.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy

Bentley Dill, Payton Thier, Lola Sain and Addison Stallman are all returning starters for the Cougars, as Dill was a star, scoring 491 points with 156 rebounds, 64 assists, 61 steals and 50 made 3-pointers. Cedar Rapids Kennedy sank 135 triples as a team.

Iowa City Regina

The Regals made another deep postseason run and will have starters Addie McLaughlin and Jada Wiltz back in the fold. McLaughlin has become one of the top players in the state, as she comes off a season in which she averaged 22 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals per game. Wiltz added 10 points and nearly five rebounds.

Independence

For the first time since the 2013-14 season, the Mustangs won double-digit games, finishing 16-8 this past year. They will have leading scorers Libby Preuss, Kiersten TeBockhorst and Devin Ludwig all back. Preuss scored 14.4 points per game, TeBockhorst added 11.5 and Ludwig was just under 10.

Dubuque Wahlert Catholic

Behind fantastic freshman Emily Tanny, Dubuque Wahlert Catholic reached the state tournament. And with Tanny back, they will be a strong contender to do it again. The standout averaged 20.5 points and six rebounds per game, shooting 44 percent from the field and 37 percent from the 3-point line. Celia Scherr will be a junior who scored 10 points and grabbed over six boards this past season.

Solon

The Spartans came up just short of state, reaching a regional championship in Class 4A. Like Dubuque Wahlert Catholic, they feature a freshman star in Tenley Levin who averaged 18.5 points and almost nine rebounds per game this past season. Joining her will be senior-to-be Laney Johnson and classmate Jerzey Haluska.

Mid-Prairie

The Golden Eagles were on the doorstep to qualifying for state, falling to Mount Vernon in a regional contest by eight points. Leading scorer Morgyn Bender will return after posting 13 points and five rebounds a game. Brooklyn Schneider and Tessa Bombei are also set to be back.

Center Point-Urbana

The one and only Stormin’ Pointers won 15 games and pushed Dubuque Wahlert Catholic in regionals before bowing out this past season. Grace Estling and Adelyn Stien were the top two scorers and are underclassmen, as Estling posted 14 points and Stien averaged 11 with eight rebounds.

Grundy Center

The Spartans have won at least 10 games every year since 2008-09, including eight seasons with at least 20. They were 21-3 last year, suffering a tough regional final loss to Iowa City Regina. Ava Mundt averaged a double-double as a junior, scoring 10 points and grabbing almost 12 rebounds. Maddy Hendershot will also be back next season.

North Linn

For the first time in a very, very long time, the Lynx had an off-year, going just 10-12. That came on the heels of 15 straight years with at least 20 wins, including a run of 50-3 the two seasons prior. Some of that was due to be young, as sophomore Whitney Brady led the team in scoring and rebounding, freshman Izzy Dudley was second in scoring and freshman Aliyah Wegmann led in assists.

MFL MarMac

The Bulldogs were right there with Maquoketa Valley in a regional final, falling 45-42. Olivia Driscoll and Blair Winter averaged a combined 25 points per game as ninth-graders, with Samantha Ruff third on the team in scoring as a junior. Winter was also the top rebounder.

Bellevue

With 15 wins last year, the Comets had their best season since 2022-23. Leading scorer Karley McCombie was just a junior, posting 14 points per game while Kenzingten Scheckel and Payton Kettmann were right behind her, averaging double figures as sophomores. Kylie Ernst and MaKinley Scheckel are also set to return.