Iowa
Iowa high school girls basketball state rankings by class
Here is a look at this week’s High School on SI Top 10 Iowa high school girls basketball rankings by class for the week of Feb. 3:
1. Johnston (16-0)
Previous rank: 1
The Dragons will put their perfect record on the line against Ankeny Centennial in a rematch after roasting West Des Moines Valley.
2. West Des Moines Dowling (15-3)
Previous rank: 2
No trouble for the Maroons against Ankeny as they move towards a showdown with Waukee Northwest.
3. Waukee Northwest (14-3)
Previous rank: 5
Four straight and 10 of 12 around losses to Johnston for the Wolves.
4. Davenport North (14-3)
Previous rank: 6
After handling Davenport Central, North got by Bettendorf, 67-53.
5. Cedar Rapids Prairie (14-2)
Previous rank: 3
Riding high, the Hawks were stuffed by Cedar Falls, 53-47.
6. Pleasant Valley (13-4)
Previous rank: 4
After a loss to Central DeWitt, the Spartans rebounded, reeling off two straight convincing wins.
7. Iowa City High (12-4)
Previous rank: 10
The Little Hawks get Cedar Rapids Prairie next with Iowa City Liberty on the horizon.
8. Ankeny Centennial (10-6)
Previous rank: 7
The Jaguars were clipped at Waukee, 57-53, falling to 3-3 in their last six.
9. Bettendorf (13-4)
Previous rank: 8
Bettendorf hung tough with Davenport North before seeing its five-game win streak come to an end.
10. Iowa City West (12-6)
Previous rank: Not ranked
The Trojans knocked off Iowa City Liberty, 47-36, improving to 7-4 in their last 11.
1. North Polk (16-1)
Previous rank: 1
There were no lingering effects from the loss to Ankeny Centennial, as the Comets crushed Winterset, 66-34.
2. Waverly-Shell Rock (16-2)
Previous rank: 2
The Go-Hawks will see some interesting teams here next, taking on Denver and Aplington-Parkersburg.
3. Dallas Center-Grimes (14-3)
Previous rank: 3
A couple of nice wins over Newton and Oskaloosa for the Mustangs, who host Norwalk next.
4. Sioux City Bishop Heelan (15-2)
Previous rank: 4
The Crusaders have reeled off six straight since their last loss. .
5. Norwalk (17-1)
Previous rank: 5
The Warriors are set to face Dallas Center-Grimes, riding a seven-game win streak since they last played.
6. Maquoketa (16-1)
Previous rank: 6
Four in a row for Maquoketa, who has one tough test left in Iowa City High.
7. Sioux Center (16-2)
Previous rank: 8
The Warriors knocked off both Central Lyon and West Lyon last week, stretching their run to seven in a row.
8. Carlisle (14-3)
Previous rank: 9
The Wildcats were able to get by Gilbert after stomping Ballard.
9. Cedar Rapids Xavier (14-4)
Previous rank: 10
Six in a row for the Saints, including several against 5A schools.
10. Central DeWitt (15-2)
Previous rank: 7
The Sabers moved up to face Davenport North, suffering a loss before bouncing back to win three in a row.
1. Mount Vernon (16-1)
Previous rank: 1
The Mustangs close the year with some key games against the likes of Center Point-Urbana and Clear Creek-Amana.
2. Des Moines Christian (15-3)
Previous rank: 4
The Lions have won 15 in a row, allowing under 23 points in each of the last three.
3. Williamsburg (17-2)
Previous rank: 5
These Raiders are red-hot, knocking off Clear Creek-Amana around several easy wins.
4. PCM (17-2)
Previous rank: 6
Eight in a row by the Mustangs, who rolled Perry and Nevada, allowing just 37 points.
5. Cherokee (14-2)
Previous rank: 7
Cherokee flexed its might in a win over Estherville-Lincoln Central, adding to key wins over Spirit Lake and Storm Lake as of late.
6. Estherville-Lincoln Central (15-3)
Previous rank: 2
The Midgets fell for the first time in 2025, losing at Cherokee, 50-44.
7. Forest City (18-1)
Previous rank: 3
For the first time this year, the Indians lost, suffering a 49-40 defeat at Waverly-Shell Rock.
8. Harlan (14-3)
Previous rank: 8
The Cyclones keep adding up wins, as they have now scored seven in a row.
9. Dubuque Wahlert (14-2)
Previous rank: 9
A key date with Cedar Rapids Prairie is on the horizon for Wahlert, who has won four in a row.
10. Algona (15-3)
Previous rank: 10
The win streak hit double figures last week for the Bulldogs.
1. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (18-0)
Previous rank: 1
Two more convincing wins for the Rockets, who appear poised for a strong postseason run again.
2. Hinton (17-0)
Previous rank: 2
Hinton will try to put a cap on a perfect regular season, as they have two games left.
3. Rock Valley (15-1)
Previous rank: 3
The Rockets rolled last week, blasting all three opponents they faced.
4. Iowa City Regina (16-1)
Previous rank: 4
It was business as usual for the Regals in wins over Tipton and West Branch.
5. North Mahaska (17-2)
Previous rank: 5
Three straight wins by North Mahaska now since the loss to Montezuma.
6. MVAOCOU (17-1)
Previous rank: 6
Before regionals start, the Rams will try to secure a conference tournament title.
7. Denver (17-1)
Previous rank: 8
The Cyclones have rebounded since their first loss, picking up convincing wins in the process.
8. Treynor (15-2)
Previous rank: 9
After the loss to Atlantic late last month, the Cardinals showed their might, winning three straight.
9. Central Lyon (12-4)
Previous rank: 7
Following a hard-fought win over West Lyon, Central Lyon could not get past Sioux Center, 53-50.
10. Maquoketa Valley (17-1)
Previous rank: 10
The 17-game win streak came to a halt at the hands of 1A state contender North Linn, 44-37.
1. Council Bluffs St. Albert (16-1)
Previous rank: 1
The Saintes bounced back from their first loss last week, topping Atlantic, 53-43.
2. Newell-Fonda (13-2)
Previous rank: 2
Make it seven in a row for the Mustangs, as they continue to march towards the postseason.
3. North Linn (16-1)
Previous rank: 3
It was a postseason-like environment as the Lynx tipped Maquoketa Valley, 44-37.
4. Riceville (16-1)
Previous rank: 4
Sweet 16 for the Wildcats featured an easy win over Waterloo Christian.
5. Algona Bishop Garrigan (17-2)
Previous rank: 5
Stage is now set for the rematch with Forest City, who topped the Golden Bears last month, 64-59.
6. Montezuma (13-4)
Previous rank: 7
The Braves continue to build momentum towards a meeting with Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont later this month.
7. Riverside (17-2)
Previous rank: 9
Nobody has scored over 32 against the Wildcats in their last four games.
8. Mount Ayr (18-1)
Previous rank: 6
The Raiders were stunned by Lenox, 60-50, but quickly got back on track with a 70-22 drubbing of Southeast Warren.
9. Gladbrook-Reinbeck (15-3)
Previous rank: 8
The Rebels saw their win streak come to a halt at the hands of Aplington-Parkersburg on the road.
10. Woodbine (14-4)
Previous rank: Not ranked
Four in a row for the Tigers since a tough loss to Carroll.
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5 key issues the Iowa Legislature faces in the 2026 session
Eminent domain, property taxes and DOGE cuts are all on the table for legislators this session.
Repeat offenders convicted of multiple serious crimes would receive a mandatory 20-year prison sentence under a bill passed by House lawmakers.
House lawmakers debated for more than an hour about high costs, lack of prison space and the bill’s impact on Black Iowans before voting 68-23 to pass House File 2542, sending it to the Iowa Senate.
Seven Democrats, including Minority Leader Brian Meyer, D-Des Moines, joined Republicans in voting in favor of the bill.
“It will put public safety first,” said the bill’s floor manager, Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison. “It will ensure that the debt to victims and society is paid. It will prioritize victims and public safety over criminals. It will establish real and effective deterrence that is nonexistent in our current system. It will reduce chaos and violence in our society.”
Here’s what to know about the bill.
What would the House Republican three strikes bill do?
Iowans who accumulate three strikes would face a mandatory 20-year prison sentence, with no parole, under the bill.
That would replace Iowa’s current law that says habitual offenders must serve a minimum three-year prison sentence before they are eligible for parole.
All felonies, as well as aggravated misdemeanors involving sexual abuse, domestic abuse, assault and organized retail theft would be considered level-one offenses that are worth one full strike.
Other aggravated misdemeanors, as well as serious misdemeanors involving assault, domestic abuse and criminal mischief would be considered level-two offenses worth half a strike each.
Lawmakers amended the bill to remove theft, harassment and possession of a controlled substance from the crimes that would count toward a person’s strikes.
And the amendment specifies that the bill would only apply to convictions that occur beginning July 1, 2026.
If someone is arrested and convicted of multiple offenses, only the most serious charge would count towards the defendant’s strikes.
Convictions would not count toward someone’s total if more than 20 years passes between a prior conviction and their current conviction.
Rep. Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill to say that only a violent crime would qualify as someone’s third strike, but Republicans rejected the amendment.
“The bill still scores murder, felony embezzlement and felony theft the same, even though they are very different crimes,” Wilburn said. “One point is one point and three gets you 20 years with no ability for parole or judicial discretion.”
Holt said the legislation leaves room for judicial and prosecutorial discretion.
“There are deferred sentences, there are plea bargains,” he said. “There is plenty of opportunity for grace and judicial discretion in the legislation that we are proposing.”
Bill could cost millions, require Iowa to build a new prison, agency says
A fiscal analysis of the bill by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency said it could cost Iowa nearly $165 million more per year by 2031 based on the cost of housing inmates for longer prison stays.
- FY 2027: $33 million
- FY 2028: $66 million
- FY 2029: $99 million
- FY 2030: $132 million
- FY 2031: $164.9 million
The agency said if the bill had been in effect between fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2025, there would have been 5,373 people who qualified for the 20-year mandatory minimum sentence.
“An increase in the prison population due to increased (length of stay) will require the DOC to build additional prison(s),” the agency states. “The size, security and other features that a future prison may require cannot be determined, but costs would be significant.”
The analysis noted that South Dakota appropriated $650 million last fall to build a 1,500-bed prison.
As of March 1, the Iowa Department of Corrections’ website describes the state’s prison system as being overcrowded by 25%, with 8,705 inmates compared to a capacity of 6,990.
The Office of the State Public Defender could see a projected cost increase of $1.6 million due to an increased number of trials resulting from the legislation.
But the agency’s estimates come with a caveat — the Department of Corrections did not respond to its requests for data.
“The LSA has not received a response to multiple requests for information from the DOC,” the note states. “Without additional information, the LSA cannot estimate the total fiscal impact of the bill.”
Holt called the fiscal note “an embarrassment to the Department of Corrections” and “an agenda masquerading as math.”
“It is clear, in my judgment, that because they did not like the legislation they went all out and extreme to create a fiscal note that cannot be taken seriously in its assumptions,” he said. “It assumes that nothing will change, that there will be no deterrent factor and that the numbers will continue as usual.”
Black Iowans would be disproportionately impacted by the law
The Legislative Services Agency analysis says the bill “may disproportionately impact Black individuals if trends remain constant.”
Of the 29,438 people convicted in fiscal year 2025 of felonies and aggravated misdemeanors that constitute a level one offense under the bill, the agency said about 70% were White, 22% were Black and 9% were other races.
Iowa’s overall population is 83% White, 4% Black and 13% other races, the agency said.
It’s not clear how the bill’s impact would change to account for the House amendment removing some crimes from counting towards the three strikes.
“Expanding three-strike laws will intensify disparities — and that’s what this statement shows — by mandating longer sentences, limiting judicial discretion,” Wilburn said. “We already have a habitual offender statute. We already have one in place. We have a 10-year low in recidivism in our correctional system.”
Rep. Angel Ramirez, D-Cedar Rapids, said California’s three strikes law, passed in the 1990s, worsened racial disparities, and “Iowa is about to repeat the same mistake.”
“I urge every member here, do not pass legislation that our own minority impact statement tells us will deepen inequality in our state,” Ramirez said.
Holt said minority communities in Iowa are impacted by crime and that the legislation “will make citizens of all colors safer.”
And he said the minority impact statement “tells only one side of the story, doesn’t it? It tells the criminal’s story. What about the victim’s story?”
“What about the mother who will continue to tuck her kids in at night and read them Bible stories because she never became the next victim of a violent career criminal?” he said. “Where is that data point in the minority impact statement?”
House lawmakers also approved separate legislation that would increase Iowa’s statewide bond schedule, Senate File 2399.
That bill passed on a vote of 74-19.
Iowans could see more information on judges’ rulings
Iowans would have access to more information about judges’ rulings ahead of the state’s judicial retention elections under a separate measure, House File 2719, which passed on a 73-19 vote.
The Iowa secretary of state’s office would be required to publish information including:
- The percentage of cases in which the judge set a bond amount lower than the state’s bond schedule
- The frequency that the judge releases someone on their own recognizance for a violent offense compared to a nonviolent offense
- The frequency that the judge’s final sentence is lower than statutory recommendations or a prosecutor’s recommendations
- The number of times the judge issues a deferred judgement, deferred sentence or suspended sentence
- The number of times the judge’s rulings are reversed on appeal due to abuse of discretion or error of law
- The average time it takes the judge to rule on a motion or case
- The number of cases the judge has resolved compared to the number of cases on the judge’s docket
The data would have to be displayed with a five-year trend line beginning five years after the bill takes effect.
The Secretary of State’s Office would also be required to maintain a searchable database of all judicial opinions and orders for the judge’s current term and the preceding six years. The decisions would be redacted when appropriate.
And judges would have the opportunity to write a 2,000-word personal statement on their judicial philosophy or data trends present in their rulings.
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Luke Truesdell’s attorney has filed as of Sunday to appeal his sentence to the Iowa Supreme Court.
Truesdell was sentenced last week to three consecutive life sentences plus 50 years for the deaths of four people killed in rural Linn County.
A jury convicted Luke Truesdell, 36, in November on the first-degree murder of Brent Brown, 34; his girlfriend, Keonna Ryan, 26, of Cedar Rapids; and Amanda Parker, 33, of Vinton. They also found him guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Romondus Cooper, 44, of Cedar Rapids.
His attorneys previously argued multiple reasons for a retrial that could potentially be brought up again.
They said that one juror was overheard talking about news on the case.
They also said the prosecutors inflamed the jury, rather than focusing on the facts.
His lawyers said there is no direct evidence that Truesdell committed the murders.
Truesdell’s defense also pointed to Truesdell’s father, Larry Tuesdell, who was found covered in blood at the scene but never fully investigated. Authorities have not been able to locate Larry.
The state disagreed, citing overwhelming evidence including DNA on the murder weapon, eyewitness testimony and video of Truesdell entering the garage where the four people were found dead.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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