The West Fork girls basketball team reached a Class 2A regional semifinal before falling to Sioux Central 57-48 to close their season at 11-12 overall.
The Warhawks battled through two sources of adversity over this winter including injuries to everyday contributors and a smaller roster than previous years. Head Coach Rodney Huber says the team didn’t allow those things to faze them.
“With the low numbers, we had to change the way we did things at times. We had to change our defense, our scheme, the way we practiced. We had to be creative about it,” says Huber. “This group really never used it as an excuse. They just came to practice, they worked hard and they had good attitudes. They understood that it wasn’t going to be easy. I think it made them better. Ultimately, it’s going to transition them into the future in a good way.”
Three Warhawks received Top of Iowa Conference East all-conference recognition including Brylee Dickman, Zada Huff and Evie Hitzhusen. Huber reflects on what each brought to the floor.
“Brylee Dickman, a perfect senior leader for our group this year for the inexperience. She was very patient, was like another coach on the floor explaining how we do things. She played a little point forward for us and just does everything. Zada Huff, really got stronger and stronger throughout the year. Defense kind of fueled her a little bit. I think she was probably our leading scorer the second half of the year. Sky’s the limit for her. I could see her being the next thousand point scorer for us, a really bright future. Then Evie Hitzhusen, played point for most of the year and led our team in assists. She has really long arms and is a really good defender. We’re hoping that she’ll come back healthy next year, continue to grow and have a great senior year.”
Huff led the team in scoring with 12.9 points per game. Dickman led the team in rebounds with 6.5 per game and added 10.7 points per game. Hitzhusen led the team in assists with 3.5 and steals with 3.6 per game (third most in the conference). She added 10.1 points per game.
West Fork after graduating senior Brylee Dickman are projected to return nine players next season.
