Iowa Playoffs: Class 4A, Substate 1 Preview
Tony Bonner paces a dominant CBAL team The favorite: Tied for the best record in 4A, Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln has rolled to a 20-1 mark behind the dominant play of big man Tony Bonner and his cohort of guards.…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingTony Bonner paces a dominant CBAL team
The favorite: Tied for the best record in 4A, Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln has rolled to a 20-1 mark behind the dominant play of big man Tony Bonner and his cohort of guards. Bonner (18.9 points, 61.5 FG%, 8.1 rebounds) is a skilled interior player with the ability to dominate the paint on both ends. Kyle Crowl (16.3, 49.6 3P%), TreVonte Jones (11.7, 52.4 FG%) and Justin Neyland (13.7, 62.2 FG%) help fill out a veteran lineup that starts five seniors. The Lynx’s only loss came to Minneapolis-area power Champlin Park, and they’ve swept Sioux City East by 21 and 14 points.
The biggest threat: The perennial powerhouse out west is Sioux City East, and they’ve been very good yet again this season. They enter postseason play at 17-4, with two of those losses coming to CBAL. The Black Raiders have a good inside-out combo in Connor Murrell (21.6 points, 47.1 3P%) and Van Rees (14.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, 61.0 FG%). Jaylen Rees (9.1), Aidan Vanderloo (8.6) and Ty Benson (8.0) are all capable scorers around that duo. This is the most likely team to meet up with CBAL in the substate final, thus the biggest threat to the Lynx.
The dark horse: Sioux City North has a better chance at knocking off East than Lewis Central does of beating CBAL, so make them the dark horse. The Stars have a talented lead guard in Jailen Billings (19.6) who can take over a game on both ends, and Trent Wilson (11.4, 70 blocks) can control the paint. They’ll need to play a perfect game.
Players to watch
Tony Bonner, CBAL, 2016
Justin Neyland, CBAL, 2016
Kyle Crowl, CBAL, 2016
TreVonte Jones, CBAL, 2016*
Jailen Billings, Sioux City North, 2017
Trent Wilson, Sioux City North, 2016
Connor Murrell, Sioux City East, 2016
Van Rees, Sioux City East, 2018
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln vs. Sioux City East
In a substate final, I expect to see Sioux City East keep it closer than they have the previous two meetings, but the Black Raiders still don’t have quite enough to overcome the balanced, veteran play from CBAL, sending the Lynx to Wells Fargo.