STATE TOURNAMENT: Class 2A Recaps
FINAL: No. 4 Cascade 35 vs. No. 2 Western Christian 42
Western Christian was the overwhelming favorite coming into the tournament, and after last season’s quarterfinal debacle against Pella Christian they seemed more focused this time around.
Going up against one of the state’s elite defenses, the Wolfpack were able to score just enough throughout the game to win relatively comfortably. Seldom did it seem the Cougars would actually threaten an upset, and in a game as low-scoring as this was, the seven point margin is substantial.
Dordt commit Josh Van Lingen was good tonight, though he wasn’t dominant like he was in past efforts, primarily because his competition in the post was Cascade’s 6-foot-7 power forward Devin Green.
Green had the better individual performance, going for 17 points, six rebounds, two steals and a block. But Van Lingen was instrumental in the win for Western Christian — its eighth ever — going for 10 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.
Western Christian will once again be very good next season — it returns Ben Gesink, who will blossom into a star point guard. Also coming back is Jesse Jansma, who poured in a team-high 15 points in the game.
Team Scoring
Cascade………………..10 4 11 10 — 35
Western Christian…10 7 15 10 — 42
Individual Scoring
Cascade: Devin Green 17, Kurt Trumm 5, Trace Hofffman 5, Gannon O’Brien 5, Jarrett Knepper 3
Western Christian: Jesse Jansma 15, Josh Van Lingen 10, Taylo Miedema 7, Ben Gesink 7, Dustin Marra 3.
MVP
2016 Josh Van Lingen, 6’8 PF
For the third time this week, Van Lingen is our MVP. We knew coming into the season he was one of the state’s best bigs, and it has been a joy tom watch him dominant here at state during his final three games. A 6-foot-8 power forward, he’s capable of knocking down jump-shots but is best at using his sheer size to dominate in the paint. He’s his team’s leader in assists per game, and it’s certainly a plus when you big-man is an elite passer. Van Lingen was named the Captain of the 2A All-Tournament Team, and rightfully so. Good job plucking this one, Dordt.
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Semifinal: No. 2 Western Christian 69 vs No. 6 Anamosa 48
This game was relatively close heading into the second half, but then the 2A favorites Western Christian played a dominant third quarter, which gave way to a more lopsided fourth, en route to the semifinal drubbing of Anamosa.
Josh Van Lingen provided the first truly dominant performance from a big in the tourney, going for 23 points, 21 rebounds, and five assists. Wolfpack junior point guard Ben Gesink was tremendous and is emerging a star in 2017, he finished with 17 points and six assists.
Anamosa was held to just 32 percent shooting by the feisty Wolfpack defense, but Kyle Schepanski was able to find some success, scoring a team-high 17 points on 7-13 shooting. He’s made a strong case for himself to be on the 2A All-Tournament Team.
With the win the Wolfpack have now advanced to seven state title games in the past 20 years. They’ll face Cascade, who is playing in its first ever.
Team Scoring
Western Christian…16 12 18 23 — 69
Anamosa………………10 12 9 17 — 48
Individual Scoring
Western Christian: Josh Van Lingen 23, Ben Gesink 17, Taylor Miedema 10, Jesse Jansma 9, Dustin Marra 5, Joey Horstman 3, Drake Granstra 2.
Anamosa: Kyle Schepanski 17, Cole Jamison 8, Kolin Schulte 6, Tyler Zumbach 6, Ryan Krapfl 3, Kyle Sayre 2, Austin Hunt 2, Cole Sander 2, Gabe Finn 1.
MVP
2016 Josh Van Lingen, 6’8 PF
Like Devin Green of Cascade, Van Lingen has been his team’s MVP in each of the first two rounds here in Des Moines. And the good news for hoops fans is, the two will link up in the 2A final Saturday night at 8:30. Van Lingen is a bit bigger than Green, but Green edges him in athleticism. It’s shaping up to be the best battle of bigs at the tournament this week.
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Semifinal: No. 8 Pella Christian 36 vs No. 4 Cascade 51
Cascade was tested early in this one. And even without Levi Jungling scoring for Pella Christian, it was neck-and-neck with the Cougars in the first half.
In the third quarter Cascade came to life, outscoring the Eagles 12-7. Then outscored Pella Christian again in the fourth quarter 17-12, consequently cruising into the 2A finals.
Devin Green had a double-double by the third quarter, and finished with a game-high 17 points and 12 rebounds, adding two blocks for good measure. Trace Hoffman was excellent early, setting the tone in the first quarter with eight points. He finished with 16.
Levi Jungling was unable to will his No. 8 seed Eagles to another upset win. He was passive in a scoreless first half, deferring to his teammates. The Division I football prospect finished with just five points on 2-9 shooting (1-7 from 3).
It will be Cascade’s first ever appearance in a state final, this is its seventh-ever trip to the tournament. The 2A championship game is tomorrow night (Saturday) at 8:15 PM.
Team Scoring
Pella Christian…10 7 5 12 — 36
Cascade…………..14 8 12 17 — 51
Individual Scoring
Pella Christian: Mitch Fopma 13, Jeremy Van Beek 7, Levi Jiungling 5, Alex Pringle 5, Kade Vander Molen 3, Kenden Veenstra 3
Cascade: Devin Green 17, Trace Hoffman 16, Kurt Trumm 8, Jarrett Knepper 4, Gannon O’Brien 4, Johnny Supple 2.
MVP
2016 Devin Green, 6’7 PF
After narrowly missing out on a double-double in Cascade’s quarterfinal win over Osage (21 and 9), he secured one by the third quarter in this one. The deceivingly athletic big-man finished with a workmanlike 17 points and 12 rebounds, and added two blocks for good measure. He could potentially match up against Western Christian’s 6-foot-8 big-man Josh Van Lingen tomorrow night — that would be amazing to see.
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Quarterfinal: No. 2 Western Christian 56 vs. No. 7 Kuemper Catholic 42
It was a steady lead from start to finish for the 2A favorites Western Christian. And it methodically beat a good Kuemper team, advancing to a 2A semifinal — which they failed to do last season — to play Anamosa.
The Wolfpack have great size, speed, and a bevy of talent, and all was showcased this afternoon against the Knights.
Dordt-commit Josh Van Lingen was good for Western Christian, coming away with a double-double, 14 points and 12 rebounds. The 6-foot-8 power forward added three blocks for good measure. Dustin Marra also double-doubled for the Wolfpack, he had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Jesse Jansma led the Wolfpack with 14 points.
Martin Brothers product Matt Dentlinger was outstanding for Kuemper, he displayed wide-range of skills of both ends of the floor — he finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and seven blocks.
Team Scoring
Western Christian….13 14 15 14 — 56
Kuemper Catholic….11 8 15 8 — 42
Individual Scoring
Western Christian — Jesse Jansma 14, Josh Van Lingen 12, Dustin Marra 12, Joey Horstman 9, Taylor Miedema 5, Ben Gesink 4.
Kuemper Catholic — Matt Dentlinger 12, Jacob Schaefer 6, Parker Badding 5, Spencer Collison 5, Blake Hinners 4, Nick Auen 3, Gage Gunnerson 3, Sam Auen 2, Jared Tigges 2.
MVP
2016 Josh Van Lingen, 6’8 PF
It wasn’t even his best effort, and he was gingerly nursing a sore ankle for most of the second half. But when you can play sub-par, and still come away with 14 rebounds, 12 points and three blocks, that’s special. His sheer size makes him dominant, but he pairs that with soft touch, and shot-blocking ability. He’s a steal for NAIA Dordt.
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Quarterfinal: No. 3 Des Moines Christian 60 vs. No. 6 Anamosa 74
An explosive first quarter by Anamosa, which saw it up 20-4 after the dusr settled was enough to stave off a feisty Lions squad which roared back to make it a decently close game several times in the second half.
It was Kyle Schepanski which set the tone early for the Raiders, connecting on three first quarter triples, and catalyzing the ever-important first quarter romp. The 5-foot-10 senior guard finished with 18 points, and connected on four of his five 3-point attempts — nailing another critical one in the fourth quarter.
It was a well-balanced attack for the No. 6 seed Raiders, which got a team-high 19 points from 6-foot-6 center Tyler Zumbach, 14 points from senior guard Kolin Schulte, and 12 more from Kyle Sayre.
Des Moines Christina’s Division I small forward (Air Force) Keaton Van Soelen was off all game, and finished with just six points of 3-12 shooting. Junior guard Ben Juhl showed glimpses of brilliance and scored 23 of hsi 26 points in the second half.
With the win Anamosa advances to the semifinals where it’ll meet the winner of Western Christian and Kuemper Catholic on Thursday at 3:45.
Team Scoring
DM Christian…4 13 20 23 — 60
Anamosa……..20 9 22 23 — 74
Individual Scoring
Des Moines Christian — Ben Juhl 26, David Fellers 9, Isaac Prewitt 9, Keaton Van Soelen 6, Austin Mona 6 Nathan Herbers 4.
Anamosa — Tyler Zumback 19, Kyle Schepanski 18, Kolin Schulte 14, Kyle Sayre 12, Cole Jamison 9, Ryan Krapfl 2.
MVP
2017 Kyle Schepanski, 5’10 G
He was electric early setting the tone for the rest of the game with nine first quarter points, connecting on three triples. His clutch fourth quarter 3 stopped a vehement Lions run, and he was a careful and sharp ball-handler all game for the Raiders. He’s as quick as any guard I’ve seen here at the tournament, nearly impossible to stay in front off. The speed with his solid vision and passing make him more than just a shooting threat, but a multi-dimensional player.
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Quarterfinal: No. 1 Dike-New Hartford 52 vs. No. 8 Pella Christian 59
No. 8 seed Pella Christian ended this one on a 22-7 run, and for the second time in as many games an eight-seed knocked off a one-seed at the state tournament today.
It was Eagles junior Alex Pringle who made the game’s most crucial play, coming up with a steal and a corner 3-pointer at the one-minute mark. His team was down two and the Wolverines cleared the defensive board, but on a Ben Latusek outlet, Pringle swiped a steal and knocked in the 3-ball to put his team up two. They would not look back.
Levi Jungling was a cut above the rest tonight, and although he shot poorly (5-14), he made his presence felt in all areas of the game. The junior point guard ended with a game-high 20 points, and added eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Cole Wildeboer came away with a double-double for the Wolverines (25-1), with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Latusek added 12 points.
The Eagles — who have now had major upsets in two straight quarterfinal rounds — will face No. 4 seed Cascade on Thursday at 2:00.
Team Scoring
Dike-New Hartford….10 11 19 12 — 52
Pella Christian………..15 14 8 22 — 59
Individual Scoring
Dike-New Hartford — Ben Latusek 12, Cole Wildeboer 11, Calvin Wildeboer 9, Nic Gronowski 7, Connor Neuroth 6, Connor Blough 5, Royce Weber 2.
Pella Christian — Levi Jungling 20, Jeremy Van Beek 10, Alex Pringle 9, Mitch Fopma 8, Grahma Howerzyl 7, Kenden Veenstra 3, Kade Vander Molen 2.
MVP
2017 Levi Jungling, 5’9 PG
He’s a remarkable talent, and even when he’s not scoring — which was the case in the first quarter — he’s finding ways to impact a game. His handles are top-notch, as is his athleticism, and he can shoot the ball off the dribble — often creating his own looks. Jungling is a showstopper and a game-changer who should be looked at by Division II and NAIA programs. He’s also a Division I football prospect.
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Quarterfinal: No. 4 Cascade 60 vs No. 5 Osage 27
From the opening tip it was clear that Cascade was going to be in control of this game. The Cougars — led by Iowa Barnstormer power forward Devin Green — were too big, and too experienced to lose this one. And they fed their star big-man early and often en route to the blowout quarterfinal win.
Green led the Cougars with 21 points, and also added nine rebounds, five blocks, and three assists. Cougar senior Jarrett Knepper chipped in with 10 points, Johnny Supple added — PHI’s 23rd-ranked 2018 — added eight points.
Osage was led by Caleb Bushbaum and Coillin Havel with six points each, and the Green Devils were held to to just 26 percent shooting by the staunch Cougar defense. Cascade will play against the winner of Pella Christian and Dike-New Hartford in a 2A semifinal Thursday at 2:00.
Team Scoring
Cascade… 19 16 11 14 — 60
Osage………6 6 13 2 — 27
Individual Scoring
Cascade — Devin Green 21, Jarrett Knepper 11, Johnny Supple 8, Trace Hoffman 7, Gannon O’Brien 6, Kurt Trumm 3, Brock Simon 2, Spencer Green 2.
Osage — Collin Havel 6, Caleb Bushbaum 6, Drew Olson 5, Nathan Bushbaum 5, Ben Grimm 3, Lucas Schwamman 2.
MVP
2016 Devin Green, 6’7 PF
He was absolutely dominant in the first half, doing whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted against the much smaller Green Devils backcourt. Green has already committed to Division II Sioux Falls, and could be a very good post while he’s there. His soft touch and ability to hit a mid-range jumper are key to his success. And he’s a big-bodied, but deceivingly athletic post with the ability to stretch the floor.