Class 1A District Final Top Guard Performers

Note: These are just a few of the many fantastic performers from Tuesday night's district finals. As of time of writing, the following schools had not put their box scores into Bound and none of their players will be included in this article: Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Boyden-Hull, Notre Dame, Lake Mills, Bedford, Woodbine, Hillcrest Academy, St. Edmond, Marquette Catholic   2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2420772' first='Thomas' last='McGuire'] (Newman Catholic)   Newman's season ended on Tuesday night with their loss to St. Edmond, but the future is bright for the Knights, with a really talented 2027 class coming back for the next two years, including McGuire, a 6-0 guard. He had 17 points on 6-10 shooting, including going 5-8 from the 3-point line, in the loss to the Gaels. He shoots it well off both the dribble and the catch, and he flashed some versatility on the defensive end as well.   2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2906452' first='Caden' last='Oswald'] (Coon Rapids-Bayard)   The 5-10 sophomore was great in the Crusaders' blowout win over Mount Ayr, scoring 18 points on 8-14 shooting (2-5 3P) with 8 assists. He's strong as both a scorer and a playmaker, flashing great vision and passing instincts as well as the ability to score from all three levels.   2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765538' first='Ben' last='Ramsey'] (IKM-Manning)   IKM's season ended in a blowout loss against a really good ACGC team, but Ramsey was fantastic. He had 32 points on 12-21 shooting (5-11 3P) with 2 rebounds and 4 assists. A dynamic three-level scorer who handles it well, shoots it at a high level off the dribble, and can create plays for his teammates.   2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2480003' first='Jathan' last='South'] (ACGC)   The Chargers had several great performances on Tuesday night in a blowout win over IKM-Manning. South led the way in scoring, dropping 23 points on 9-17 shooting (3-5 3P) with 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. He handles it well, moves without the ball in his hands, and is active on the defensive end.   2026 Joe Crawford (ACGC)   Crawford is small, listed at 5-7, but he's a sniper from 3-point range who had 20 points on 6-12 shooting (5-10 3P). He shoots it well off the catch and knows how to find open spaces in the defense to get his shot off.   2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1416420' first='Noah' last='Kading'] (ACGC)   The floor general for the Chargers, Kading is a pass-first guard who likes to get his teammates involved first and foremost, then he gets into his own shots. He had 14 points on 6-12 shooting (2-5 3P) with 4 rebounds and 6 assists against IKM.   2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2243086' first='Michael' last='Joyce'] (Bishop Garrigan)   Joyce is one of the top guards in the '27 class and he showed a little bit of why he's so highly regarded against Lake Mills, scoring 17 points on 5-10 shooting (2-4 3P, 5-9 FT) with 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. He's a long, athletic guard who can do a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor.   2026 Tate Foertsch (Bishop Garrigan)   A sharpshooting 6-0 guard, Foertsch knocked down four 3-pointers in the Golden Bears' win over Lake Mills en route to 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. He provides some secondary scoring alongside Garrigan's two standouts on the perimeter.   2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765506' first='Brady' last='Boulton'] (Montezuma)   Boulton has been one of the top scorers in the state all year, and in a season-ending loss to North Mahaska he had another huge game, scoring 30 points on 10-20 shooting (5-10 3P, 5-5 FT) with 4 assists and 4 steals. A crafty guard who knows how to subtly create space to get his shot off, his playmaking has really improved over the last year as well.   2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2721760' first='Asher' last='DeBoef'] (North Mahaska)   Despite being listed at 5-9, DeBoef has been a menace on the glass all year long, and he was at it again in the Warhawks' win over Montezuma, pulling down 9 rebounds to go with 19 points on 6-13 shooting. He's a really good athlete who plays with some physicality.   2025 Hayden Davis (Ankeny Christian)   Davis, a 6-2 guard, stuffed the stat sheet in the Eagles' win over Martensdale-St Marys, scoring 14 points with 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and a block. He uses his size effectively on both ends of the floor, getting to the rim and scoring over smaller defenders.   2025 Austin Lundberg (Ankeny Christian)   Another Eagle guard who had a really nice game, Lundberg scored 15 points on 6-10 shooting with 3 rebounds and 6 assists. He and Davis complement each other well in the Eagles' backcourt.   2026 Wyatt Alesch (MMCRU)   Alesch, a 6-3 guard, had a great game on both ends of the floor in the Royals' win over Newell-Fonda, scoring 21 points on 7-13 shooting, including going 4-10 from the 3-point line. He also chipped in 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals.   2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1484418' first='Mason' last='Bechen'] (North Linn)   The best player in 1A basketball was in complete control on both ends of the floor of the Lynx's blowout win over Hillcrest Academy, scoring 24 points on 9-13 shooting with 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and a steal. He's a tough, physical guard who can get to his spots whenever he wants, and he always seems to rise to the occasion in bigger games.

Note: These are just a few of the many fantastic performers from Tuesday night's district finals. As of time of writing, the following schools had not put their box scores into Bound and none of their players will be included in this article: Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Boyden-Hull, Notre Dame, Lake Mills, Bedford, Woodbine, Hillcrest Academy, St. Edmond, Marquette Catholic