Games of the Week (Week 9)
MONDAY (Jan. 29)
Game of the night: 1A No. 5 Dunkerton at Don Bosco
Behind 20 points from junior guard Zach Johnson, Dunkerton won the first meeting between these teams 59-55, despite the Raiders shooting just 20-59 (33.9%) from the floor. The Dons were without point guard Jack Kelley (14.5 points, 5.5 assists) in that game, however, and playing at home now should be able to get some revenge on Dunkerton in a key Iowa Star meeting.
Our pick: Don Bosco 63, Dunkerton 56
Others to monitor
Montezuma at Baxter
Wapsie Valley at Dike-New Hartford
Dyersville Beckman at Western Dubuque
TUESDAY (Jan. 30)
Game of the night: 3A No. 2 Cedar Rapids Xavier at 4A No. 2 Cedar Falls
No team in the state is playing better basketball right now than Cedar Falls. The Tigers have won eight straight games, with star guard AJ Green averaging 29.8 points a game in those contests. Xavier will need to get a huge game out of point guard Matt Mims (21.3 points), as he’ll need to pretty much go shot-for-shot with Green if the Saints are going to come away with a road win over Cedar Falls.
Our pick: Cedar Falls 67, Cedar Rapids Xavier 59
Others to monitor
Forest City at 1A No. 4 Bishop Garrigan, Algona
Northeast, Goose Lake at Camanche
Gladbrook-Reinbeck at 2A No. 4 East Marshall
Atlantic at 3A No. 8 Harlan
Martensdale-St. Mary’s at Central Decatur
Newton at 3A No. 1 Oskaloosa
West Branch at Iowa City Regina
West Lyon at Rock Valley
1A No. 7 George-Little Rock at 2A No. 10 Sioux Center
3A No. 9 LeMars at Spirit Lake
LeMars, Gehlen Catholic at 1A No. 3 Remsen, St. Mary’s
4A No. 9 West Des Moines Dowling at 4A No. 8 Waukee
THURSDAY (Feb. 1)
Game of the night: Rock Valley at Unity Christian
This is a potential foreshadowing game between these teams come district play, so it’ll be interesting to see if they save anything for a possible future meeting. These teams are both borderline top 10 teams in Class 2A, and both have incredibly balanced attacks. Unity Christian will have a tough time matching up with Rockts big man Jason Taylor, who should have a big night on both ends of the floor. Look for this to be a grind-it-out game, low scoring and tight.
Our pick: Rock Valley 51, Unity Christian 47
Others to monitor
Burlington, Notre Dame at Danville
West Sioux at LeMars, Gehlen Catholic
2A No. 4 East Marshall at Meskwaki Settlement
Highland, Riverside at Wapello
FRIDAY (Feb. 2)
Game of the night: 2A No. 5 Sheldon at 1A No. 7 George-Little Rock
Sheldon won the first meeting at home, 56-51, back in December behind 15 points and 13 rebounds from Kyle Boerhave. The big man matchup here pitting Boerhave and Ryan Van Marel against Caleb Terhark and Jayden Mauldin should be highly entertaining. Neither team shot it particularly well in the first meeting (Sheldon 39%, George-Little Rock 35%), and while these are quality defensive teams that know each other really well, we expect to see those numbers be a little better this time around. And we’ll give the edge to the Mustangs getting revenge at home.
Our pick: George-Little Rock 60, Sheldon 56
Others to monitor
Newell-Fonda at Alta/Aurelia
Sioux City West at 3A No. 7 Sioux City Bishop Heelan
4A No. 5 Pleasant Valley at Davenport North
West Marshall at 2A No. 4 East Marshall
3A No. 5 Glenwood at 3A No. 8 Harlan
Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont at 1A No. 6 Lynnville-Sully
Bettendorf at Muscatine
3A No. 1 Oskaloosa at 3A No. 4 Norwalk
3A No. 2 Cedar Rapids Xavier at Cedar Rapids Prairie
Camanche at Iowa City Regina
Carlisle at Winterset
Western Dubuque at West Delaware
SATURDAY (Feb. 3)
Game of the night: 4A No. 6 Dubuque Senior at 4A No. 1 Iowa City West
This game got an awful lot more interesting this past week, as Senior’s star forward Noah Carter returned from injury and scored 17 points in a win over Dubuque Wahlert. He’s a highly skilled forward who can score from anywhere on the floor and gives the Rams some much needed size and a presence in the paint. West has the size to match up with him in Patrick McCaffery (20.7 points) and Seybian Sims (16.0), and will be one of the few teams in the state that can provide an answer for him. Playing at home should give the Trojans the edge here, but the 80-game home winning streak could be in serious jeopardy on Saturday afternoon.
Our pick: Iowa City West 64, Dubuque Senior 59
Others to monitor
1A No. 10 Ankeny Christian at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont
Dubuque Hempstead at Western Dubuque
3A No. 7 Sioux City Bishop Heelan at Kuemper Catholic
2A No. 2 Western Christian at Madison (SD)
2A No. 1 Van Meter at Pella Christian
4A No. 7 Sioux City East at Sioux Falls Roosevelt (SD)
4A No. 2 Cedar Falls at Waverly-Shell Rock