10 Best: Waukee (62) at Southeast Polk (32)
Pleasant Hill — Recently, Southeast Polk got back its leading returning scorer from a season ago, and not coincidentally came away with one of its two wins of the season with an upset of Ankeny last Friday night. But even with…
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Continue ReadingPleasant Hill — Recently, Southeast Polk got back its leading returning scorer from a season ago, and not coincidentally came away with one of its two wins of the season with an upset of Ankeny last Friday night.
But even with best player Jackson Cole back in the lineup — he broke his hand at the end of football season — the Rams, despite a very decent start, were no match for state title-minded Waukee Warriors.
Though the game was tight early, with Waukee up 17-16 after the first quarter, it did not take long for the Warriors to bust this one open en route to the very comfortable 30 point win.
Waukee sophomore Dylan Jones was scoring in bunches early, using his wiry and lengthy 6-foot-7 frame to score at will in the paint. And then high-flying junior Nathan Johnson took control, finishing with a team-best 16 points, including two lively jams.
Waukee (13-3) confirmed what we already knew: they are a state title contender. Southeast Polk dropped top to 2-13 on the season and was led by Cole’s 11 points. Juniors Willie Tunks and Grant Arnold looked good for the Rams, chipping in with 10 and 9 points, respectively.
Team Scoring
Waukee 17 20 17 8 — 62
SE Polk 16 4 6 6 — 32
Individual Scoring
Waukee (62) — Nathan Johnson 16, Dylan Jones 14, Drew Johnson 12, Jacob Rau 6, Nathan Nelson 6, Cade Longnecker 3, Noah Hart 2, Drew Irvine 2.
SE Polk (32) — Jackson Cole 11, Willie Tunks 10, Grant Arnold 9, Luke Williams 2.
MVP: Dylan Jones (Waukee)
He and Nathan Johnson each had their shining moments, and this was a close call, but the difference was Jones’ sterling defense. He swatted six shots in this one, and was having his way around the rim all night too.
Play of the Game: Johnson to Johnson alley-oop jam
Well this is a pretty easy choice. Just after halftime (and lucky for me, it happened on my side of the court), senior point guard Drew Johnson lobbed a perfect alley-oop pass to Nathan, who skied for a jam on the other end. It was one of the more well-executed and best looking alley-oops I’ve ever seen at the high school ranks.
Best Offensive Performance: Nathan Johnson (Waukee)
It wasn’t just that Johnson had a game-high 16 points, but it was the diverse ways in which he was scoring that was most impressive. He skied for two jams (which was about what we were expecting to see), and he scored off-the-dribble and from deep too. This D1 prospect is in-line for a huge summer with the Iowa Barnstormers.
Best Defensive Performance: Dylan Jones (Waukee)
He’s 6-foot-7, bouncy and has long arms. This kid can do a little bit of everything on both ends of the court. And it just so happens his shot-blocking prowess was on full display tonight; he swatted six of them.
Best Shooter: Willie Tunks (Southeast Polk)
Though he’s only a 28 percent 3-point shooter on the season, he looked a lot better — and certainly much more confident — than that tonight. He’s got a lot of range, and sunk one from 25-feet. I guess that gave him the confidence to shoot the 30-footer he did later in the night — and narrowly missed.
Best Intangibles: Cade Longnecker (Waukee)
His uncanny ability to always make the right play makes him the best candidate for this honor. He led the Warriors with eight assists, and though he scored just three points, Longnecker made a huge impact on the game. Despite not being the tallest or biggest guy on the floor, he’ll be essential to the Warriors potential post-season run.
Best Underclassmen: Dylan Jones
So we’ve already pretty much laid it all out; he’s 6-foot-7, he dominated the Rams in the paint, and he swatted six shots. The MVP of the game was a sophomore.
Other Team’s Best Guy: Jackson Cole (Southeast Polk)
We were surprised to see Cole in the lineup tonight. He told us prior to the season starting that he was out for the year with a broken hand he sustained during the Rams’ last football game. Nonetheless, he played tonight — in his sixth game of the season — and looked pretty darn good. He’s skilled enough to get buckets, and uses his athletic 6-foot build to get to the hoop and hit from mid-range. We’ve been a fan of his game for two years now, and we consider him to be one of the better players in the CIML.
Best Sidebar: Southeast Polk’s Gym
I always enjoy covering games at Southeast Polk, it has one of the — if not the — best facilities in the state. Waukee’s Fieldhouse is great too, but Southeast Polk has the Taj Mahal of high school gyms. It’s not only large, but bright, and with a huge gathering center just outside; great restrooms, a sweet connecting side-gym, and a track that rings around the whole place.
Story to Watch: Can Waukee be who we Think They Are?
We came into this game knowing that the Warriors were a very good team, now we’re convinced they have the right pieces in place to win a state title. In order to get to the state tournament they’ll have to get through, most likely, Des Moines North. If Waukee can do that, it’ll be interesting to see how far they can go down at Wells Fargo Arena.