LE GRAND — Morgan Neuroth was determined from day one with East Marshall basketball.

“The first time I stepped on the court my freshman year, I knew that I was ready for the moment,” Neuroth said. “Ever since then, I felt like I’ve just wanted to be the best one on our team, and I’ve pushed myself to try and be that.”

After the final buzzer sounded on her high school basketball career, her impact at East Marshall is undisputed; she is the all-time leading scorer in East Marshall school history, a two-time all-state selection and four-time all-NICL award recipient, and the 2023-2024 Times-Republican Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Neuroth averaged 16.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for East Marshall this season, accounting for over half of East Marshall’s total points as the team’s scoring leader for the fourth season in a row and her third time leading the team in rebounding.

She led the Mustangs into battle in a tough North Iowa Cedar League that produced two state tournament teams this season including four-time state champions Dike-New Hartford. East Marshall’s final record of 6-17 doesn’t tell the complete story of Neuroth’s impact on the program.

Sean Thurm, East Marshall’s third head coach in Neuroth’s tenure with the program, said he considered Neuroth a second coach and leader in the gym.

“One of the biggest things for me was learning how to be a leader,” Neuroth said, “just by doing the right things all the time and being understanding with your teammates, being positive at all times, and trying to push others to do their best as well while also making it fun for everybody.”

Playing basketball from a young age, Neuroth found inspiration in elevating her game as part of the All Iowa Attack club basketball team based out of Ames.

“I saw all these really good girls that were going to play at Division-I schools and that’s what really drove me to want to be better and prepared for high school,” Neuroth said.

Neuroth averaged 10.2 points per game as a freshman. Her scoring output was highest in her junior season, averaging 20.7 points per game.

“You just have to push yourself to be the best you can be every single day,” Neuroth said. “You have to take time outside of the season to work on your skills on your own, so you can be ready to perform when the time comes.”

She finished with 1,340 career points, breaking the school’s scoring record in a game against Grundy Center on Jan. 23, surpassing the previous record of 1,244 points from 2020 grad Olivia Terrones. She also holds the record for most career 3-pointers with 198, a record that she broke in her junior season.

“She is an incredible leader, and not just on the stat sheet,” Thurm said. “She’s always putting her team first, working to impart her knowledge of the sport on her teammates as well as the next group to fill her shoes.”

Neuroth, who was also the 2023 Times-Republican Softball Player of the Year, had a difficult decision to make when it came to thinking about her college plans.

“I had a few offers for both basketball and softball,” Neuroth said. “I could have done both, but didn’t really want to do that. I just decided that I loved the game of softball more, it’s something I’ve played my entire life like with travel softball.”

Ultimately, she landed on signing with DMACC softball. While she’s excited to join the Bears, she’s equally excited at finishing out her Mustang career on the track and softball teams.

“We’re hoping that we can get to Drake [Relays] in the shuttle hurdle and, of course, state,” Neuroth said. “And I’d like to make it in the 400 hurdles and something else as well. And our softball team should be really good this year, too. We’ve got everybody returning from last year, and hopefully we can make it to state this year as well.”

Whatever the next few months hold for Neuroth before she heads off to college, she’s cherished her time as a Mustang.

“It’s been fun and meant so much to be part of this community,” Neuroth said. “There’s so much support from everybody when my mom posts on Facebook. And it means a lot to represent the school every night performing with my teammates and making a positive impact on the younger people, knowing that they’re looking up to you and they want to be like you some day.”

2023-2024 Times-Republican All-Area Girls Basketball Teams

Player of the Year — Morgan Neuroth, sr., East Marshall

Coach of the Year — Matt Lindeman, Grundy Center

FIRST TEAM

Sia Bear, sr., Meskwaki

Bella Borgos, jr., West Marshall

Kennedy Brant, so., Gladbrook-Reinbeck

Frankie Long, fr., Marshalltown

Ellery Luhring, sr., Grundy Center

Carlie Willis, sr., Grundy Center

SECOND TEAM

Ava Breakenridge, jr., North Tama

Grace Farnsworth, so., BCLUW

Klayre Gallentine, jr., BCLUW

Jocee Mason, sr., GMG

Elly Sieh, so., Gladbrook-Reinbeck

Lily Zahnd, jr., West Marshall

THIRD TEAM

Dorothy Bear, fr., Meskwaki

Reese Dieleman, sr., GMG

Lily Dripps, jr., Gladbrook-Reinbeck

Kayla Heck, sr., South Tama

Ellie Hughes, jr., Marshalltown

Lucy Lebo, sr., Grundy Center

Former T-R All-Area Players of the Year

2022-23 — Katy Reyerson, sr., West Marshall

2021-22 — Katy Reyerson, jr., West Marshall

2020-21 — Allison Engle, jr., BCLUW

2019-20 — Olivia Terrones, sr., East Marshall

2018-19 — Jessica Musgrave, sr., South Tama County

2017-18 — Isabelle Gradwell, sr., West Marshall & Hailey Wallis, jr., Grundy Center

2016-17 — Isabelle Gradwell, jr., West Marshall

2015-16 — Katie Lindeman, sr., Grundy Center & Gabby Reyerson, sr., West Marshall

2014-15 — Shayla Dean, sr., Colo-NESCO

2013-14 — Caitlyn Riese, sr., Colo-NESCO

2012-13 — Dia Keahna, sr., Meskwaki Settlement

2011-12 — Madison Baier, sr., South Tama County

2010-11 — Madison Baier, jr., South Tama County

2009-10 — Tara Gray, jr., GMG

2008-09 — Jessica McDowell, sr., AGWSR

2007-08 — Jessica McDowell, jr., AGWSR

2006-07 — Allison Volkens, sr., Gladbrook-Reinbeck

2005-06 — Allison Volkens, jr., Gladbrook-Reinbeck

2004-05 — Chelsie Luhring, sr., Grundy Center