Lakes Conference Releases 2026 All-Conference Basketball Teams for Area Schools

When Lakes Conference coaches submitted their all-conference ballots, Storm Lake's Jaidyn Coon had already collected a larger prize: Iowa's 2026 Mr. Basketball award. The first-team nod from conference coaches made official what the state had declared weeks earlier.

Coon and teammate Cameron Boyd both earned boys first-team recognition, giving Storm Lake two selections from a roster that finished 24-3 and reached the state tournament. Coon closed his career with 463 points this season and 1,692 for his career, breaking a Storm Lake scoring record that had stood for 56 years. The 6-foot-7 senior departs for Creighton University having redefined what the Lakes Conference understands as a dominant wing player, and his absence creates the area's largest individual hole heading into next winter.

Newell-Fonda provided the defining story on the girls side. The Mustangs placed multiple players on the all-conference lists after finishing with 25 wins, a ninth consecutive state tournament appearance, and the Class 1A state championship. Ellie Sievers served as tournament captain and scored 16 points in Newell-Fonda's 64-56 title-game win over top-ranked Bishop Garrigan. Quinn Sievers matched her with 16, and both sisters earned IGCA all-state recognition following the season.

Sioux Central contributed honorees on both sides of the bracket. The Cyclones' boys and girls programs each finished with 17-win seasons, placing players on the conference lists from both squads. Ridge View's boys team, which won 19 games, also placed on the boys list.

When the area's all-conference count is tallied, Storm Lake, Newell-Fonda, and Sioux Central account for the bulk of Buena Vista County's honorees across the 2026 release. Newell-Fonda enters the offseason as the most formidable returning program on the girls side, with a championship nucleus and nine straight tournament appearances as its baseline; the Mustangs are the natural preseason conversation-starter for 2026-27 conference honors. For Storm Lake's boys, replacing Coon's 463 points and 56-year record represents the defining challenge before that conversation can begin.