3 Up, 3 Down (Week 1)
Up Oskaloosa (3-0): After struggling mightily the past several seasons, we were a bit hesitant to anoint the Indians as a contender in 3A despite their unbelievable wave of young talent (Xavier Foster, Cole Henry). But through three games…
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Oskaloosa (3-0): After struggling mightily the past several seasons, we were a bit hesitant to anoint the Indians as a contender in 3A despite their unbelievable wave of young talent (Xavier Foster, Cole Henry). But through three games it look like they could be one of the tougher teams in the state this season. They’ve started 3-0 with wins over Fairfield, Knoxville, and a very impressive 76-70 triumph over Pella Christian.
Mason City (3-0): It’s the Kyle Lang show in Mason City right now, and he has his Mohawks on a three game winning streak to start the season behind 20.7 points per game on 55 percent shooting. The Mohawks did not get a lot of credit coming into the season, and though wins over Des Moines East and New Hampton were not eyebrow-raising, the double-OT win over Waukee certainly was.
Ames(2-0): Like Mason City, Ames was not a team that was on many radars coming into the season. And though we knew they had some nice pieces in place, they seemed to lack a true standout guy, which made them easy to overlook. That seems to have been be a big mistake. Senior Joe Evans has definitely been a standout, averaging 23 points in two wins; a 26 point thrashing of Roosevelt, and a very impressive seven point win over Johnston.
Down
Des Moines North (0-2): It’s tough to fault the Polar Bears for being winless still, they have drawn the most brutal schedule imaginable in the early part of the season. The season-opening OT loss to Waukee was not too surprising, the Warriors should be one of the best teams in the state. But we expected the Polar Bears to rebound against Ankeny Centennial, instead they dropped to 0-2 after a 76-72 loss. Up next is Dowling and then Hoover. We expect the this supremely talented squad to rebound nicely this week.
Panorama (0-3): After several seasons of moderate success, it appears — at least early on — that the Panthers may be in line for a down season. With no Levi Lieferman on the roster they’ve dropped to 0-3, including a 36 point loss to Des Moines Christian and a 38 point loss to IKM-Manning.
BGM, Brooklyn (0-3): The Bears have been a formidable team to say the least the past several seasons. But this season appears to be a rebuilding one. An 0-3 start with a 33-point average margin of defeat is why BGM makes this list.