Iowa’s Player of the Week Poll (10)
Collin Lister (Carlisle)
Carlisle has started to find a rhythm at the right time, winners of five of eight since January 18, that after losing eight straight. Collin Lister, one of the state’s best scorers, has been especially hot of late. In three games last week he averaged 32.7 points and was blistering from deep, canning 19 3s at a 63 percent clip. He also managed to dish out 7.3 assists per game. Watch out for Carlisle, especially when Lister is playing like this.
Zack Lasek (Highland, Riverside)
One of the state’s best big-men, Lasek seems poised for a big 2019. Last week, he justified why we regard him as one of Iowa’s best. In a close loss to against Keota, the 6’7 power forward went for 38 points on 14-21 shooting and was 4-6 from deep. Then, in a win against Lone Tree, Lasek went for 25 points and 12 rebounds.
Zach Martinek (West Fork)
A big, tough and skilled wing, Martinek has quietly been piecing together one of the more solid seasons of any player in the state. Last week, in wins over North Butler and Bishop Garrigan, the 6’4 senior averaged 28 points on 74 percent shooting (69 percent from deep) and 4.5 assists per game. That’s more or less a snapshot of how Martinek’s season has gone, prolific and efficient.
Braxton Bayless (Ankeny)
Ankeny has been one of the better teams in Class 4A this season, and the Hawks got a couple of key wins last week over Des Moines Hoover and Johnston. Bayless has been leading the charge for Ankeny, and had maybe his best game of the season against the Huskies, going for 28 points on 7-9 shooting. He was 3-3 from deep in that one, 11-12 from the free-throw line and added seven assists and six rebounds. Against Johnston, the 6-foot junior went for 12 points, four assists and five steals.
Goanar Biliew (Denison-Schleswig)
This 6’8 big-man has burst onto the scene, and become one of Iowa’s premier posts. He was dominant last week through three Monarch wins, averaging 22 points on 67 percent shooting, 14.3 rebounds and three blocks per game. If that wasn’t dominant enough, big-man can shoot free-throws, too, Biliew was 17-21 from the charity stripe.