Bears Move Up To #4 In latest 2A Poll. Five RVC teams are ranked

Durant's Brinn Grunder goes up for two points during the Wildcats game at #4 West Branch last Tuesday.  The Wildcats and Bears are two of five RVC teams ranked in this week's IGHSAU hoops poll.  Photo by  Ryan Stonebraker.

DES MOINES — The West Branch girl’s basketball team improved to 10-1 recently with a big home win over #12 Durant.  Days later, they moved up in the latest Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s class 2A poll.  The Bears moved up a spot due to last week’s #4 team - Manson-NW Webster picking up their second loss of the season.

There are five River Valley Conference teams ranked in either the class 2A or 3A polls this week giving the RVC nearly 40-percent of their members a state ranking.  Iowa City Regina improved to 8-0 and holds the #2 ranking that they have all season and Durant checks in this week at #14 to give the RVC three ranked 2A teams.  The Wildcats losses have come to Regina and twice to West Branch.  The top three teams remained the same in 2A with Unity Christian occupying the top spot and Peking ranked #3.  Manson NW-Webster took the biggest tumble, three spots, and Treynor made the biggest leap from #15 last week to #13 this week.

In class 3A, Monticello held at #8 and is 6-2 while Cascade fell one spot to #14 after falling to NE Goose Lake this past Tuesday.  The Cougars travel to Tipton tonight (January 8).  In class 3A, the top three teams remained the same in this order - Nevada, Pocahontas and Center Point-Urbana.  There were two big moves in class 3A.  Tying for the biggest mover was Spirit Lake (7-1) who is now ranked #5 after being ranked 10th in the last poll.  The other was Humboldt (7-2) who is ranked 10th, jumping five teams ranked last week, after being unranked the week before.  The biggest tumble was from Osage who dropped from #4 to #12 this week.

For the first time this season, there is a new #1 team in class 5A.  Waukee lost and fell to 6-2 and tumbled to #6.  Johnston is the new top ranked team in 5A.  The other classes so no change in their top-ranked teams.  Ballard in 4A and Springville in class 1A.

Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union

5th Class 2A Rankings

Thursday, January 7th

1. Unity Christian 9-0

2. Iowa City Regina 8-0

3. Pekin 8-0

4. West Branch 10-1

5. Western Christian 7-2

6. Okoboji 10-0

7. Manson-NW Webster 6-2

8. Van Meter 10-1

9. I-35, Truro

10. Central Decatur 8-1

11. Lawton Bronson 7-2

12. Des Moines Christian 8-1

13. Treynor 8-0

14. Durant 8-3

15. Grundy Center 11-1

Class 3A

1. Nevada 8-1

2. Pocahontas Area 8-0

3. Center Point-Urbana 10-0

4. Cherokee 9-0

5. Spirit Lake 7-1

6. Sioux Center 10-1

7. Union 10-1

8. Monticello 6-2

9. Mt. Vernon 7-3

10. Humboldt 7-2

11. Hampton-Dumont 6-1

12. Osage 8-2

13. Forest City 7-1

14. Cascade 7-3

15. Davenport Assumption 4-6