Conference Preview: Top of Iowa West
The Teams Belmond-Klemme (5-15, 5-14): The Broncos struggled on the offensive end of the floor last year, averaging just 43 points a game, which ranked 119th in 1A. Tristan Yoder (9.5) is the top returnee, an efficient junior forward who…
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Belmond-Klemme (5-15, 5-14): The Broncos struggled on the offensive end of the floor last year, averaging just 43 points a game, which ranked 119th in 1A. Tristan Yoder (9.5) is the top returnee, an efficient junior forward who shot 60.4% from the field last year. Carson Lane (5.8) ranked second on the team with 11 made 3s last season, and Jordan Meyer (3.1) was third with 10. This team needs to clean up the turnovers (340 last season) and shoot the ball better from the arc (26.2%) and free throw line (54.1%) if they want to rack up a few more wins.
Angelo Winkel
Bishop Garrigan (19-7, 16-4): Last season saw the Golden Bears make their first state tournament appearance since 2010, and only two of their seven losses came to 1A schools (West Fork in the regular season, Montezuma at State). They return one of the best big men in the state, regardless of class, in junior Angelo Winkel (16.6, 9.5 rebounds), an athletic, 6-9 big who runs the floor and finishes at a high level at the rim. He’ll need to take his game up another level this year for Garrigan if they want to make a return trip to State. Two other starters from last year’s state qualifying team return in Winkel’s older brother Cade (9.4) and lead guard John Joyce (8.5), who ranked second on the team in assists last year. Joyce will need to take better care of the basketball this winter (80 assists, 60 turnovers) as the team’s primary ball handler. Rotation players Marcus Plathe (3.2), Cameron Baade (3.1) and Andrew Arndorfer (2.3) also return. Baade in particular will be a key piece after shooting 45.5% from behind the arc last season. His shooting ability will be much needed to help space the floor for Winkel. This group is going to drop some games, but with Angelo Winkel controlling the paint, their size and talent alone is going to overwhelm a lot of 1A teams. They’ll be a contender come late February to make a return trip to Des Moines.
Eagle Grove (1-21, 1-17): The Eagles won just a single game last season, an early season victory over Central Springs. They struggled on both ends of the floor, ranking last in 2A in scoring offense at 35.7 points a game, and third worst on defense at 71.1 points a game. That’s the bad news. The good news is that everyone returns from that roster, so expect a bit of improvement with the continuity. Case Mason (12.1) led the team in scoring and rebounding last season, while Austin Purcell (5.1) gives them a solid shooting option on the wing. The major issue with this group comes in the turnover department, as they turned the ball over an average of 23.6 times a game (519 on the year). It’s hard to win games when you’re giving the opposition that many extra possessions.
Forest City (18-5, 15-3): Forest City has established themselves as an elite defensive program over the last 10-15 years, and last year was no exception, as they ranked 10th in 2A, allowing just 45.9 points a game. That type of defensive effort is going to keep the Indians in every game they play. The key to getting over the hump will be becoming more efficient on the offensive end against the high-level teams on the schedule. In five losses last season, they shot just 87-256 (34.0%) from the floor, and 29-109 (26.6%) from the arc. If you take those numbers out of their season numbers, they shot 47.0% from the floor and 33.3% from the arc in their wins. That’s a drastic drop-off against the good teams, and that needs to improve if they want to advance in the postseason. Leading scorer Noah Miller (12.5) returns. He made a team-high 50 3s last season (at a 41.7% clip) and should take over primary ball handling duties following the graduation fo Avery Busta. Six of the top eight from last season return in all. Riley Helgeson (8.7), Carter Bruckhoff (4.0), Andrew Snyder (3.2), Brandon Leber (2.5) and Andy Heidemann (1.8) are the other key returnees. We know that the Indians are going to be strong on the defensive end of the floor. Improve on offense, and they can win the division and push for a 2A state tournament berth.
Garner-Hayfield-Ventura (16-7, 13-5): The Cardinals have the incredibly difficult task of replacing a Division I player following the graduation of James Betz, who is now playing at Northern Iowa. They bring back Landon Dalbeck (13.3), who was second on the team in scoring and made 3-pointers (33) last season, trailing Betz in both categories. Zachary Suby (5.1) gives them another capable shooter, while Brody Boehnke (3.0) and Kevin Meyers (3.2) are the other key returnees. G-H-V has established themselves as a pretty strong program on an annual basis, and while they’ll likely fall off with the loss of Betz, Dalbeck is good enough to carry this team to a significant amount of wins again this year.
Lake Mills (16-6, 16-5): After going 16-6 last season, the ‘Dogs return their top six scorers, including a trio of players who averaged in double figures. They’re headlined by 6-6 senior wing Chett Helming (16.4), a big, versatile scoring threat who can do so from all three levels. Junior post Caleb Bacon (12.0, 10.6 rebounds) averaged over five offensive rebounds a night and is a force in the paint, and DaShawn Linnen (12.4) provides size and athleticism in the backcourt. Bennett Berger (5.7), Colby Groe (4.6), Jackson Rice (2.5), Mason Fritz (4.4) and Garrett Hanna (2.0) are all nice rotation players, with Groe and Fritz serving as returning starters for this group. Groe (113 assists to 47 turnovers) is a quality lead guard while Fritz (51 assists to 19 turnovers) is another reliable ball handler. The ‘Dogs shot just 29.2% from behind the arc last season, and that number will need to improve a bit if they want to make a serious run to Des Moines and a potential state title, but with loads of experience returning, and one of the best players in the class headlining them, Lake Mills looks like as good a bet as any to do damage in 1A this winter, and they should battle it out with Bishop Garrigan for the division crown.
North Iowa (6-17, 6-15): The Bison return all but one player from last year’s roster. They’ll be headlined by guard Dominyk Price (15.2), who made 67 3-pointers last season at just under a 40% clip. Cedric Frerichs (8.5), Hunter Meinders (4.7), Logan Sabin (4.4) and Tyler Murray (4.2) are the other key returnees. They’ll really need to improve on the defensive end if they want to accumulate some more wins, as they allowed 70.2 points a game in their 17 losses last season. If they can get that number into the low 60s, they could rack up some more wins.
North Union (5-16, 4-14): The Warriors lose leading scorer and rebounder Elliott Hagebock, who also blocked 79 shots last season. They bring back the next five scorers from last year’s roster, led by Noah Morphew (10.0) and Robert Ortman (9.4). Braden Pierce (5.9) knocked down nearly 50% of his 3-point attempts last season and also returns. Like North Iowa, unless this group improves drastically on the defensive end, however, it’s hard to see many more wins coming their way, especially in this division that appears to be fairly loaded at the top again.
West Hancock (10-13, 10-10): The Eagles lose both double figure scorers from last year’s team, but bring back five of their next six from the rotation, led by Joe Smith (9.7), who led the team in rebounding and blocked 33 shots last season. Brayden Leerar (5.7) and Cayson Barnes (2.2) are the top returning perimeter options, while Tristan Hunt (5.4) gives them some additional size in the paint alongside Smith. This team was generally beaten handily by the higher quality teams on the schedule, and they won handily against the lower-tier teams. That should continue again this year. They’re a middle-of-the-pack group.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Lake Mills
2. Bishop Garrigan
3. Forest City
4. Garner-Hayfield-Ventura
5. West Hancock
6. North Iowa
7. North Union
8. Belmond-Klemme
9. Eagle Grove
Analysis: The race between the top three teams in this division should be one of the top races to watch this winter. We give Lake Mills the slight edge with everything they have coming back, but we wouldn’t be shocked to see Angelo Winkel carry Bishop Garrigan to the top, or to see Forest City’s smothering defense elevate them.
Preseason Player of the Year
2021 Angelo Winkel, Bishop Garrigan: 16.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.6 blocks, 58.6 FG%
A springy, 6-9 power forward, Winkel plays above the rim and protects the paint with the best of them in the state. He’s the division’s leading returning scorer and second leading rebounder. The Golden Bears should be near the top of the division again this year, and Winkel is the biggest reason why.
Biggest Sleeper
2022 Bennett Berger, Lake Mills: Coming off a solid freshman season in which he averaged 5.7 points a game and dished out 38 assists (against 15 turnovers), Berger’s role should continue to grow for a Bulldogs team that will be among the best small school teams in the state.
Players to Watch
2021 Angelo Winkel, Bishop Garrigan
2020 John Joyce, Bishop Garrigan
2020 Cade Winkel, Bishop Garrigan
2020 Chett Helming, Lake Mills
2021 Caleb Bacon, Lake Mills
2021 DaShawn Linnen, Lake Mills
2022 Bennett Berger, Lake Mills
2020 Colby Groe, Lake Mills
2020 Mason Fritz, Lake Mills
2020 Landon Dalbeck, Garner-Hayfield-Ventura
2021 Dominyk Price, North Iowa
2020 Cedric Frerichs, North Iowa
2021 Noah Miller, Forest City
2020 Riley Helgeson, Forest City
2021 Chase Mason, Eagle Grove
2021 Jake Darland, Eagle Grove
2021 Tristan Yoder, Belmond-Klemme
2020 Joe Smith, West Hancock
2020 Noah Morphew, North Union
2020 Robert Ortman, North Union