Postseason Preview: Class 4A, Substate 6
Picking the first round games Ottumwa at Davenport West: The trio of Malik Westerfield (12.4), Zach Trevino (11.8) and Jamil Haymond (11.5), all 6-2 wings for West, should be too much for Ottumwa to deal with playing in Davenport.…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue Reading
Picking the first round games
Ottumwa at Davenport West: The trio of Malik Westerfield (12.4), Zach Trevino (11.8) and Jamil Haymond (11.5), all 6-2 wings for West, should be too much for Ottumwa to deal with playing in Davenport. The Falcons have a major edge in athleticism here, and will use that athleticism to pressure the Bulldogs all evening. Both of these teams have struggled with turnovers this season (314 for Ottumwa, 294 for West), so don’t expect to see a very cleanly played game, but as long as the Falcons can prevent Trae Swartz (15.4) from going off, they should move on to the semifinals with a home win here.
Our pick: Davenport West 65, Ottumwa 59
Burlington at Cedar Rapids Kennedy: Kennedy has had an up-and-down year, going 9-11 during the regular season, but eight of those losses came by single digits. They’ll have a chance to get the postseason started in a big way against a Burlington team that struggles to stop teams from scoring, allowing 64.2 points a game, which ranks 41st (out of 48) in 4A. The Cougars are led by the high-scoring wing combination of Jack Wetzel (17.7) and Tyler Andrews (13.9), who should be able to get open looks all night against a Grayhounds team that has given up more than 70 points six different times this season. If Burlington wants to stay competitive in this one, they’ll need to get big shooting production out of Michael Alexander (11.9, 36 3PM), Brendon Hale (8.3, 23 3PM) and Nate Spear (7.6, 32 3PM). Knock down some 3s and they can hang around, but if shots aren’t falling, this one could get ugly.
Our pick: Cedar Rapids Kennedy 72, Burlington 55
Previewing the semifinals
Davenport West at Iowa City West: Top seed Iowa City West shouldn’t have too many issues here against a Davenport West team that doesn’t have the size to slow down the Trojans’ combination of big men in Patrick McCaffery (25.6) and Even Brauns (11.5). Brauns has taken his game up a notch down the stretch for the Trojans, averaging 16.2 points (on 74.5% shooting) and 6.2 rebounds in the final six games, playing much more aggressively. The key to beating Iowa City West is taking advantage of guard play that has been shaky at times this year, but Davenport West doesn’t have the horses to do that. McCaffery and Brauns should have huge games here, and the Trojans roll into another substate final.
Our pick: Iowa City West 66, Davenport West 48
Cedar Rapids Kennedy at Davenport Central: Central was one of the biggest surprise teams in the state this season, getting out to a 13-2 start before stumbling down the stretch, losing four of their last six games. If you’re a proponent of BC Moore’s power ratings system, the difference between the MVC and the MAC could play a major role here, as Kennedy’s strength of schedule ranks 7th in 4A, while Central’s is 45th. Despite that difference, however, this is a pretty good matchup for a Central team that looks to play aggressive defense and force turnovers, as Kennedy has more turnovers than assists this season, and you can bet that Central is going to be flying all over the place, using their quickness and athleticism to make Tyler Andrews and the rest of the Cougars’ primary ball handlers uncomfortable. Keshawn Pegues (18.0) leads a balanced Blue Devils attack that has all five starters averaging at least 9.6 points a game, and if they can speed this game up (easier said than done against a Jon McKowen coached team, especially in postseason play), they should be able to handle this one at home. Expect a fairly tight one throughout, with Central forcing a few late turnovers to ice it.
Our pick: Davenport Central 64, Cedar Rapids Kennedy 59
Players to watch
2019 Patrick McCaffery, Iowa City West
2020 Even Brauns, Iowa City West
2019 Keshawn Pegues, Davenport Central
2020 Kaiden Phillips, Davenport Central
2019 Josh English, Davenport Central
2020 Jack Wetzel, Cedar Rapids Kennedy
2020 Tyler Andrews, Cedar Rapids Kennedy
2019 Malik Westerfield, Davenport West
2019 Jamil Haymond, Davenport West
2021 Trae Swartz, Ottumwa
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Iowa City West vs. Davenport Central
All things considered, this is actually a pretty good matchup for Central, as the quickness of their guards can create some issues. The issue for them is that West has already seen a similar style, with much better players, when they played Whitney Young (Chicago) a few weeks ago. While the Trojans struggled in that one, it provided the blueprint on what they need to fix against a team like Central. McCaffery and Brauns should be able to feast inside against a smaller Central team, and Iowa City West punches their ninth straight State ticket, tying the state record for most consecutive state tournament appearances.