Taylor Smith, Sports Editor
23 area girls basketball players were named to this year’s Top of Iowa-West All-Conference teams. The list consisted of eight seniors, eight juniors, six sophomores, and just one freshman.
That ninth grader was none other than Eagle Grove’s Taytum Edwards.
In her first high school season, Edwards was top-25 in the entire Top of Iowa Conference in both points per game and steals per game. She led Eagle Grove with 10.4 PPG, 2.6 SPG, and ranked fifth on the squad with 3.6 rebounds per contest.
When asked if an All-Conference nod was in the back of her head before the season started, Taytum offered a frank response.
“Honestly, no. I didn’t think I would get it.”
Edwards did have a personal preseason goal of reaching 230 points, though. The 5’7” combo guard finished the year just shy of that mark with “only” 228 points. Still, Taytum broke the EGHS freshman record for most points scored in a season and earned a TOI-West All-Conference Honorable Mention in the process.
In the offseason, Taytum competes in volleyball, track and field, and softball, but she says basketball is far and away her favorite sport. She participated in AAU with Play4Him last year and hopes to elevate her game to new heights in her sophomore season.
“I definitely want to score more and have more assists to my teammates,” Edwards commented. “I want to become a more active ball handler and look up the court more.”
Taytum’s desire to succeed on the court is unquestionable, but more importantly, she wants to be someone others can look up to off of it.
“I always like to push myself and try to be a role model for young people.”
