Newton Girls Basketball Coach Sees Growth in Young Team

Despite losing five seniors, the team with three sophomore starters played competitively against tough opponents.

Mar. 7, 2026 at 5:56pm

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Newton girls basketball coach Jake Bennett believes his young team showed significant growth this season. After losing five seniors to graduation, Bennett had one returning senior and two juniors with varsity experience. While there were early growing pains as the team adjusted to the varsity level's physicality and pace, by the end of the season the team with three sophomore starters was able to play Pella to an eight-point game and Indianola to a ten-point game.

Why it matters

Rebuilding a team after losing key senior contributors can be challenging, but Bennett maintained high expectations and saw his young players rise to the occasion, demonstrating the program's strength and potential for the future.

The details

The Cardinals finished the regular season 11-10 and won a home playoff game before ending the season with a loss at Carlisle, who will play for the Class 4A State Championship.

  • The 2025-2026 basketball season just concluded.

The players

Jake Bennett

The head coach of the Newton girls basketball team.

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What they’re saying

“It would have been really easy to look at the team we had coming back this year and think maybe we should lower our expectations a little bit due to having some younger players. But we didn't. We just stayed strong, and the girls knew we were going to put our heads down and fight and be competitive. I really saw the growth there. So it was really fun to coach and be a part of that process.”

— Jake Bennett, Head Coach

The takeaway

Despite losing key senior contributors, the Newton girls basketball program demonstrated its strength and resilience by maintaining high expectations and seeing its young players rise to the occasion, positioning the team well for future success.