The week of Feb. 8-14 saw basketball take center stage for female high school athletes from the Des Moines metro area.
There were several exciting girls basketball games featuring teams from the metro area.
Class 5A No. 3 Dowling Catholic defeated No. 2 Waukee Northwest, 58-49 at West Des Moines, to avenge an earlier loss to the Wolves. Two-time defending 5A state champion Johnston took down 3A No. 2 Maquoketa (78-56) and 5A No. 5 Ankeny (50-32).
In 4A, No. 2 Dallas Center-Grimes handled Pella by a 53-26 score; No. 3 Norwalk crushed Newton and Oskaloosa and No. 5 Carlisle remained undefeated with wins over Winterset and No. 11 Adel-Desoto-Minburn.
There were several outstanding individual performances by female athletes from the metro area during the week.
Here are the Des Moines Register’s female Athlete of the Week candidates from the Des Moines metro area for the week of Feb. 8-14. DesMoinesRegister.com readers vote to determine the winners, who will be announced at the end of the week.
Arianna Phillips, Johnston
Phillips had an excellent all-around game for the 5A No. 1 Johnston girls during their 50-32 victory over No. 5 Ankeny on Feb. 13 at Ankeny.
Phillips went for 10 points and eight rebounds. She also dished out four assists and came up with three steals and one block.
Ellie Muller, Dowling Catholic
Muller posted a double-double to lead 5A No. 3 Dowling Catholic past No. 2 Waukee Northwest, 58-49, on Feb. 13 at West Des Moines.
Muller posted a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. She also blocked four shots and dished out two assists.
Taylor Thomas, Carlisle
Thomas had an excellent night on offense to help 4A No. 5 Carlisle cruise to a 63-27 victory at Winterset on Feb. 10.
Thomas complemented Iowa State recruit Macy Comito’s 19 points with 18 points for the Wildcats. Thomas also snared five rebounds and blocked two shots.
Braylyn Birmingham, Norwalk
Birmingham continued her brilliant sophomore season for 4A No. 3 Norwalk with 32 points during the Warriors’ 60-35 victory at Newton on Feb. 10.
Birmingham was 8 of 14 from the field with two 3-pointers and she made all 14 of her free throws on the night. Birmingham also pulled down 12 rebounds and dished out three assists.
Claire Kirkman, Des Moines Christian
Kirkman was excellent on defense for the 3A No. 3 Des Moines Christian girls basketball team during a 64-34 victory over 2A No. 15 Earlham on Feb. 10 in Des Moines.
Kirkman finished the game with seven steals. She also tallied seven points, four assists and three rebounds.
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Vote for the Register female Athlete of the Week for Feb. 8-14
Reporting by Joe Randleman, Des Moines Register / Ames Tribune
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