Neuroth nets 4th NICL honor

T-R FILE PHOTO - East Marshall senior guard Morgan Neuroth, left, drives against Grundy Center’s Maddy Hendershot during their NICL West Division basketball game Jan. 23 in Le Grand. Neuroth was named unanimous first-team all-conference for the third year in a row.
The girls basketball coaches of the North Iowa Cedar League’s West Division acknowledged East Marshall’s Morgan Neuroth as one of the conference’s best, making the Mustang senior a four-time all-conference honoree.
Neuroth was a unanimous selection to the all-NICL West first team for the third year in a row in spite of East Marshall’s winless ways in the league. Neuroth was a second-team all-conference pick as a freshman and thrice a first-teamer, but the Mustangs were unable to win in the West during her impressive career.
Neuroth compiled 1,340 points and 354 rebounds in her four-year career at East Marshall, capping it off with a senior season in which she averaged 14.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in conference play.
Neuroth was one of four returners selected to the all-NICL West first team, joined in that distinction by Grundy Center seniors Carlie Willis and Ellery Luhring, and AGWSR junior center Josie Kuper. Kuper was named the division’s Outstanding Player this season after leading the league in scoring (16.0 points per game) and finishing second in rebounding (11.5) and blocked shots (2.8).
Willis helped lead the Spartans back to the top of the NICL West standings with an unbeaten 8-0 league mark. She tallied 11.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, ranking sixth in both statistics, while Luhring averaged 10.0 points (eighth), 6.6 rebounds (seventh), 1.4 blocks (third) and 1.5 steals (fifth) per game.

Three players were promoted from last year’s second team to earn their first selection to the first team: Gladbrook-Reinbeck sophomores Kennedy Brant and Elly Sieh, and AGWSR junior Trevyn Smith.
Brant finished third in the conference in scoring (14.1) and was tops in rebounding (13.1) and blocked shots (3.0). Brant also finished second in steals (2.1), trailing only her teammate Sieh (2.3). Sieh scored 11.5 points per game in conference play, ranking fourth in the division.
Smith finished seventh in the West at 10.1 points per game.
Grundy Center had two more players picked to the all-conference second team in senior guards Lucy Lebo and Laney Dole. Lebo averaged 8.1 points in league play and Dole put up 4.1 points per game.
Gladbrook-Reinbeck junior center Lily Dripps claimed her first all-conference honor by being named to the second team. She averaged 6.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Grundy Center sophomore Karlee Lynch, Gladbrook-Reinbeck senior Lauren Boyer and East Marshall junior Vaeda Bryan all earned honorable mention selection.
NICL West Division All-Conference Girls Basketball Teams 2023-24
Most Outstanding Player — Josie Kuper, jr., AGWSR
Coach of the Year — Matt Lindeman, Grundy Center
(* — denotes unanimous selection)
FIRST TEAM
*Carlie Willis, sr., F, Grundy Center
*Ellery Luhring, sr., G, Grundy Center
*Josie Kuper, jr., C, AGWSR
*Kennedy Brant, so., F, Gladbrook-Reinbeck
*Morgan Neuroth, sr., G, East Marshall
Elly Sieh, so., G, Gladbrook-Reinbeck
Trevyn Smith, jr., G, AGWSR
SECOND TEAM
Alli Sheldahl, jr., F, South Hardin
Lucy Lebo, sr., G, Grundy Center
Laney Dole, sr., G, Grundy Center
Karis Lippert, sr., G, AGWSR
Ava Olson, sr., F, AGWSR
Lily Dripps, jr., C, Gladbrook-Reinbeck
Clara Below, sr., C, South Hardin
HONORABLE MENTION
Karlee Lynch, so., G, Grundy Center
Catelynn Koop, sr., G/F, AGWSR
Lauren Boyer, sr., G, Gladbrook-Reinbeck
Ayda Heller, fr., G, South Hardin
Vaeda Bryan, jr., G, East Marshall
Final Conference Standings
Grundy Center 8-0
AGWSR 5-3
Gladbrook-Reinbeck 4-4
South Hardin 3-5
East Marshall 0-8
- T-R FILE PHOTO – East Marshall senior guard Morgan Neuroth, left, drives against Grundy Center’s Maddy Hendershot during their NICL West Division basketball game Jan. 23 in Le Grand. Neuroth was named unanimous first-team all-conference for the third year in a row.