CNOS Foundation Basketball Classic Preview

<p>SIOUX CITY—The 13th annual CNOS Foundation Basketball Classic will get underway on Thursday at the Tyson Event Center and conclude on Saturday night. With high school teams in Iowa unable to take part in holiday tournaments, this is the closest thing to that after school gets back into session. Here are the matchups:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><u>Thursday, January 3rd</u> </p> <p><strong>Sioux City West (6-1) vs. Denison-Schleswig (6-2)  7:15pm </strong></p> <p>West, who is off to an impressive 6-1 start to the season, will face a Denison-Schleswig squad that is off to its best start in four years. West senior <strong>Cliff McCray</strong> has been a nightmare for opponents thus far, as he's already recorded three triple-doubles and one double-double. Adien Belt has averaged 14.8 points per game, while Micah McWell has scored 12.4 PPG for the Wolverines. Denison-Schleswig is led by both <strong>Goanar Biliew</strong> (17.4 PPG) and Charlie Wiebers (16.4 PPG). Belt at 6-foot-5 and Biliew at 6-foot-8 will be the matchup to watch in this one.    </p> <p><strong>Sioux City North (2-5) vs. Dakota Valley (3-2)  9:00pm</strong></p> <p>Last year, Dakota Valley lost its game in the CNOS Basketball Classic on a buzzer beater to Winnebago. Jason Kleis is hoping things go much differently for his team this year against North.<strong> Paul Bruns</strong> is off to a solid sophomore campaign by averaging 23.8 PPG and 10.2 RPG. He's been beating opponents both inside and outside with his shooting. North knocked off Storm Lake to open the season, but have since lost five of its last six games. The Stars shot a brutal 29 percent from the field in their latest loss against Spencer. While both teams rely heavily on scoring in transition with their lack of size down low, Dakota Valley forward <strong>Charlie Cox</strong> could be a huge difference maker in this contest.      </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><u>Friday, January 4th</u></p> <p><strong>Sioux City East (6-0) vs. Le Mars (3-4)  3:45pm</strong></p> <p>Remember the last time these two teams met? Yes, it was this very game in the CNOS Basketball Classic when Will Pottebaum suffered a foot injury in warmups and Le Mars was then blown out by East 78-39. The East Black Raiders have been tested early, but have survived to stay undefeated at 6-0. On the other hand, Le Mars won three of its first four games before dropping three straight. A 73-62 double overtime upset loss at Bishop Heelan was its most recent. East's <strong>Aidan Vanderloo</strong> has been among the best in the state when it comes to scoring with 25.2 PPG, while <strong>Jaleque Dunson</strong> and <strong>Javonte Keck</strong> have averaged double digits as well. It's going to be an uphill battle for an <strong>Alex Irwin</strong>-led Bulldog team Friday afternoon.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><u>Saturday, January 5th</u></p> <p><strong>Sergeant Bluff-Luton (5-2) vs. Hinton (3-6)  11:30am</strong></p> <p>Adam Vander Schaaf's Warriors had back-to-back wins over quality opponents Dakota Valley and Western Christian heading into winter break. Sergeant Bluff-Luton has four players averaging double figures in <strong>Sam DeMoss</strong>, <strong>Conner Groves</strong>, <strong>Daniel Wright</strong> and <strong>Jake Layman</strong>. What makes this team dangerous is its ability to have multiple players step up and make big plays at critical times. Hinton is gradually improving after a difficult 2017-18 campaign, but still has a lot of improvement to make. Senior Aiden Brock leads the Blackhawks with 8.1 PPG. Hinton is going to have trouble keeping up offensively with a Sergeant Bluff-Luton squad averaging 66.4 PPG. </p>