Conference Preview: South Central

<h2>THE TEAMS</h2><p><strong>Albia (14-9):</strong> The Blue Demons lose a lot of scoring punch with the graduations of Matt Baker (23.2) and Nate Haveman (13.7), who helped pace one of the state&#39;s highest scoring attacks. Blake Bayer (13.7) is back on the interior, forming a solid inside-out tandem with guard Lee Curran (58 3PM). Guys like Bret Freshwater and Cameron Stocker will be asked to make big steps up in their games, and look for sophomore guard Cade Crall to start making his name known throughout the league. He should pair well with Curran on the perimeter. While losing the likes of Baker and Haveman is clearly tough, the Blue Demons should have enough firepower to remain near the top of the league.<br /> <br /> <strong>Centerville (10-12): </strong>Leading scorer Brett Kauzlarich (15.9 points) returns after a very good sophomore year. A versatile scoring threat, he&#39;s in line for an even bigger junior year with Connor Scully (12.3) and Garrett McGrann (10.2) graduated. Tate Felton (12.1) and Hunter Cowan (7.2) return to provide some scoring help, but the Reds will need to find a shooter alongside Kauzlarich to take some of the perimeter pressure off of him. Centerville seems like a solid bet to get above the .500 mark this year with Kauzlarich leading the way.<br /> <br /> <strong>Chariton (17-6):</strong> The Chargers only lose 63 total points (out of 1,598) from last year&#39;s group that won the conference by two games. They return one of the best inside-out duos in the state in big man T.J. Hockenson (23.1 points, 11.1 rebounds) and guard Daric Laing (20.7 points, 6.8 assists). Lim Chuol gives them another double-figure scorer, and Aaron Cain is a strong perimeter defender. Chariton figures to be a heavy favorite in the league again, and will be a threat to make some noise in Des Moines.<br /> <br /> <strong>Clarke, Osceola (2-19): </strong>The bad news for the Indians? They only won two games last year. The good news? Their top three scorers are back in juniors Troy Morgan (13.4), Brandyne Olin (9.7) and Grant Wishon (8.0). While they won&#39;t compete for the league title, expect more than two wins from this year&#39;s group, as long as they can improve on their efficiency (35.5 FG%, 26.7 3P% last year).<br /> <br /> <strong>Davis County, Bloomfield (13-10):</strong> The Mustangs are the South Central&#39;s mystery team, with 92% of their scoring graduated. The only returnee who saw any sort of significant playing time is Nick Slayton (4.3). It figures to be a down year for Davis County unless they&#39;re able to find a load of talented underclassmen to step into big roles.<br /> <br /> <strong>Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (4-17):</strong> The Rockets lose Jevin Jensen, who averaged 17.6 points a game and was their most efficient (46.4 FG%) option offensively. Peyton Walker (11.9), Jaden Scott (5.7) and Jordan Hawk (4.9) return after contributing well as sophomores. Walker looks to be capable of shouldering the primary scoring role vacated by Jensen, and if Scott and Hawk can help balance out the attack, the Rockets can improve on their 4-win season.<br /> <br /> <strong>Knoxville (13-9):</strong> The Panthers leading scorer and rebounder, Nathan Winters, is gone, but Trent Davis (12.0) and Chase Larson (9.9) lead a talented returning group. Larson is one of the top point guards in the conference and should keep the offensive attack on track, while Davis figures to become the team&#39;s go-to scorer. Justin Little and Cade McNeill saw valuable minutes last year and will be asked to play a more significant role this season. This team should contend for the No. 2 spot in the league.</p> <h2>PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH</h2><p>1. Chariton<br /> 2. Centerville<br /> 3. Albia<br /> 4. Knoxville<br /> 5. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont<br /> 6. Clarke, Osceola<br /> 7. Davis County, Bloomfield<br /> <br /> <strong>Analysis: </strong>Nearly everything returns for a Chariton team that won the league by two games last season. They should be an overwhelming favorite here. Teams 2-4 can be placed in whichever order you want, while E-B-F and Clarke should both improve on last year&#39;s win totals. Davis County figures to be at the bottom of the pack with so little returning to their roster.</p> <h2>PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR</h2><p><strong>T.J. Hockenson, Chariton, 2016:</strong> 23.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 61.2 FG%<br /> <br /> This race likely comes down to a pair of Chariton teammates, Hockenson and Daric Laing. Both put up monster numbers for the Chargers, but it&#39;s Hockenson&#39;s efficiency on the offensive end that allows him to edge out Laing. The Iowa football commit is a threat to average 25 and 15 this year.</p> <h2>BIGGEST SLEEPER</h2><p><strong>Cade Crall, Albia, 2018: </strong>Crall averaged 2.8 points a game as a freshman in limited minutes, then followed that up with a strong summer playing with Iowa Intensity 15U. With nearly 40 points per game gone from the lineup (Matt Baker, 23; Nate Havemen, 14), the Blue Demons have minutes and points available for Crall to take. A strong off-guard, he&#39;s at his best attacking the rim and finishing through traffic. Look for him to make his name known in the South Central this season.</p> <h2>PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2><p><strong>T.J. Hockenson</strong>, Chariton, 2016<br /> <strong>Daric Laing</strong>, Chariton, 2016<br /> <strong>Lim Choul</strong>, Chariton, 2017<br /> <strong>Aaron Cain</strong>, Chariton, 2016<br /> <strong>Brett Kauzlarich</strong>, Centerville, 2017<br /> <strong>Tate Felton</strong>, Centerville, 2016<br /> <strong>Lee Curran</strong>, Albia, 2016<br /> <strong>Blake Bayer</strong>, Albia, 2016<br /> <strong>Chase Larson</strong>, Knoxville, 2017<br /> <strong>Trent Davis</strong>, Knoxville, 2017<br /> <strong>Troy Morgan</strong>, Clarke, Osceola, 2017<br />  </p>