Haley Lorenzen would prefer you not call her “Vanilla Gorilla.” That’s her father’s nickname, plus she’s got her own.

The 6-foot-3 Lorenzen, an Iowa Miss Basketball candidate and the daughter of former Kennedy all-stater Al Lorenzen, had 18 points and 11 rebounds in an impressive 67-44 win for top-ranked Iowa City High over No.7 Kennedy at the Cougar gym Friday.

Kiera Washpun and sophomore Courtney Joens added 20 points apiece for City High.

The Little Hawks moved to a perfect 16-0 for the season, 8-0 in the Mississippi Division of the Mississippi Valley Conference. Kennedy lost its first home game of the year, slipping to 11-3 and 6-2.

A happy Lorenzen laughed about her father’s well-known moniker.

“That’s my dad’s nickname,” Lorenzen said. “I’ve got my own nickname of Gadget because people are always saying I have these go-go gadget moments where my arm just reaches out and grabs a ball that seems impossible to catch.”

Lorenzen’s nickname seems to fit as well as her father’s did 30 years ago. She scored 14 of her team’s first 24 points and was an intimidating presence inside all night with those extra long arms. Kennedy’s interior players were uncomfortable with multiple point-blank misses and hurries.

Lorenzen added three assists and two blocks and hit 8-of-12 shots from the floor in a silky smooth performance. She’s no “Vanilla Gorilla,” but she might be every bit as good as her 6-foot-9 father.

Al Lorenzen was a first team all-state and All-American selection in 1984. His Cougars won the state title that year, something his daughter hopes to achieve as well.

“I actually come in here every single time and look at his photo,” Lorenzen said of her father’s picture near the Kennedy concession stand. “It makes me proud and gives me some motivation.”

Lorenzen said that she and her father have a friendly “family competition” going. She hopes to achieve an undefeated state title. His Cougars lost three games in 1984.

“Not trying to upstage my dad,” Lorenzen said. “But that is a goal of mine.”

If Lorenzen is the impressive Go-Go Gadget inside, Washpun is the straw the stirs the City High basketball drink.

The quicksilver 5-foot-6 senior guard scored 15 of her game-high 20 points in the second half, igniting the fast break and dishing eight assists. For good measure, Washpun had nine rebounds, coming close to a rare triple-double.

“When you are number one, you have to be on your toes,” Washpun said. “It was a good win tonight, but we have to keep playing to the best of our abilities and not get big-headed.”

Washpun said she enjoys playing with Lorenzen.

“When I drive to the basket, she is right there,” Washpun said. “It is fun playing with her because she is right there when I throw it up or she can clear it out for me to get the wide open layup like she did tonight.”

Washpun likes her team’s chances to stay perfect and win a title in Des Moines. “I think we can, knock on wood,” she said.

City High swooped to an 11-2 edge to start the game and never looked back, leading 17-7, 33-24 and 55-37 at the major breaks. They blew the game open with a 22-13 edge in the third frame.

Kennedy boss Tony Vis said Lorenzen “got in our heads a little bit.”

“I would definitely put her in the top five or eight players I have ever coached against,” Vis said. “She just kind of intimidated us tonight.”

Vis was equally impressed with Washpun and Joens.

“Haley got it going early and we had to change some things and that opened some things up and then they (Washpun and Joens) made us pay for it,” Vis said.

Joens, averaging 15 points, nailed four 3-pointers in seven attempts. Washpun hit 8-of-12 shots from the floor, including several dipsy-do layups in transition.

Little Hawks Coach Bill McTaggart is taking it one game at a time, but was pleased with a signature win.

“Probably our biggest win of the year,” the longtime City High coach said. “We only have five games left and I am hoping we get a good draw for the tournament.”

McTaggart is most impressed with Lorenzen’s passing. “When we are getting double teams and Haley hits the cutter, we are pretty tough,” he said.

McTaggart doesn’t want to talk about winning a state title.

“We have got to get better each week,” he said. “We made a good statement tonight against a very good top 10 team.”

Kennedy’s Paige Hendrickson led the Cougars with 19 points and made mention of a sluggish start.

“They are the number one ranked team for a reason,” she said. “It was just their night tonight.”

Kennedy plays a non-conference game at Ames on Saturday night. City High travels to Waterloo East on Tuesday.

IOWA CITY HIGH (67): Sarah Blowers 0 1-2 1, Kiera Washpun 8 4-6 20, Sam Blowers 1 0-0 2, Courtney Joens 6 4-4 20, Kenya Earl 2 2-2 6, Haley Lorenzen 8 2-2 18. Totals 25 13-16 67.

KENNEDY (44): Madison Meier 2 2-2 7, Jordan Holmes 1 0-0 2, Paige Hendrickson 7 4-5 19, Stephanie Botkin 4 4-6 12, Morgan Martin 2 0-0 4. Totals 16 10-13 44.

Halftime - Iowa City High 33, Kennedy 24. 3-point goals – City High 4 (Joens 4), Kennedy 2 (Meier 1, Hendrickson 1).