The week of March 1-7 saw the 2026 IGHSAU girls state basketball tournament take place at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines.
There were 11 teams from the Des Moines metro area that competed in the girls state basketball tournament. Two were crowned state champions as Johnston won its third title in a row in Class 5A, and Carlisle brought home its first-ever state championship in 4A.
There were several standout performances by girls basketball from the metro area during the state tournament.
Here are the Des Moines Register’s female Athlete of the Week candidates from the Des Moines metro area for the week of March 1-7. DesMoinesRegister.com readers vote to determine the winners, who will be announced at the end of the week.
Jenica Lewis, Johnston
Lewis capped an amazing four-year run at Johnston by leading the Dragons to their third-consecutive Class 5A girls state basketball championship with a 51-37 victory over Waukee Northwest in the 4A title game on March 6 at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines.
Lewis went for 22 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in her final state championship game before heading off to Notre Dame. The 4A all-tournament captain averaged 19 points over three tournament games.
Macy Comito, Carlisle
Comito was brilliant during Carlisle’s first state championship run.
The future Iowa State Cyclone tallied 13 points, five rebounds and five assists in a 58-44 quarterfinal win over Clear Creek-Amana and then she exploded for 42 points and added five steals during a 73-60 upset win over No. 1 seed Bishop Heelan in the semifinals. Comito sewed up the 4A all-tournament captain honors with 17 points and five assists during a 38-36 win over Dallas Center-Grimes in the 4A title game on March 7.
Vana Bilic, Waukee Northwest
Bilic was a big reason Waukee Northwest advanced to the 5A championship game at the girls state basketball tournament.
Bilic totaled 15 points, seven steals and four assists during an 80-49 quarterfinal rout of Iowa City West and she had 11 points in a 56-50 overtime win over No. 2 Dowling Catholic in the semifinals. In the title-game loss to Johnston, Bilic recorded four points, six rebounds and two blocks.
Ava Smid, DCG
Smid had the most impressive stretch of the girls state basketball tournament when she scored six points in 11 seconds to help Dallas Center-Grimes rally past Norwalk, 47-42, during the 4A semifinals on March 6 in Des Moines.
Smid ended the game with 16 points, six steals and five rebounds. She accounted for seven points, five rebounds and four assists in a 59-39 quarterfinal win over Waverly-Shell Rock and six points, 10 rebounds and three steals during the 38-36 title-game loss to Carlisle.
Reese DeVooght, Des Moines Christian
DeVooght lifted Des Moines Christian to a 52-46 victory over Forest City in the 3A quarterfinals of the girls state basketball tournament on March 3 in Des Moines.
DeVooght went for 23 points and six rebounds during the victory. She also tallied 17 points and four rebounds during a 61-54 loss to eventual champion Maquoketa in the semifinals on March 5.
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 March 1-7
Reporting by Joe Randleman, Des Moines Register / Ames Tribune
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