Playoff Preview: 1A-1
The favorite: South O’Brien is the #1 seed in this district, and for good reason. They’ve lost only three games this season, and two of those losses have come to West Sioux, who has spent a good chunk of…
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The favorite: South O’Brien is the #1 seed in this district, and for good reason. They’ve lost only three games this season, and two of those losses have come to West Sioux, who has spent a good chunk of the season ranked #1 in 2A. Always one of the best defensive teams in the class, this year has been no different for the Wolverines, who are allowing just 42.8 points a game (9th in 1A). Jackson Louscher (22.1 points per game), a 6-3 do-everything forward, leads the team in nearly every major category, while Zeke Lundquist (9.4), Tristan Wilson (8.3) and Alex Presthus (8.2) are all solid role players. If this team has one major flaw, it’s their 3-point shooting. They’re shooting just 27.5% from the arc, but it’s hard to see any other team in this district keeping Louscher from relentlessly attacking the rim (his 153 FTA rank 6th in the state).
The biggest threat: George-Little Rock has had an up-and-down season, playing in a rugged Siouxland Conference, but they should be prepared for the step back down in competition when the 1A postseason starts. The Mustangs’ inside-out duo of Matt Haken (17.2) and Payton Mauldin (18.4) can take over games, and they have some solid shooting to put around those two in Ben Anderson (42.9 3P%), Mason Post (39.6%) and Will Hamilton (45.9%). Haken is also a high-level rim protector who has blocked 79 shots this season and can control a game on that end of the floor. He could be the type of player to give South O’Brien and Louscher some issues in the district final if he’s able to stay out of foul trouble.
The dark horse: Hinton posted a stunning win over West Sioux on February 6, proving that they could be a dangerous team in this district. Sophomore guard Caleb Holmes (21.3) has really emerged as a big-time scoring threat (he had 33 in that upset win), and Jake Koons (17.5) is a nice secondary scorer. Outside of that win over West Sioux, they’ve struggled against good teams (only two other wins over teams above .500), so they’ll need to channel whatever they had going in that one for multiple nights here if they want to come out of this district.
Players to watch
2020 Jackson Louscher, South O’Brien
2020 Zeke Lundquist, South O’Brien
2020 Tristan Wilson, South O’Brien
2022 Caleb Holmes, Hinton
2020 Jake Koons, Hinton
2020 Payton Mauldin, George-Little Rock
2020 Matt Haken, George-Little Rock
2023 Keaten Bonderson, Gehlen Catholic
2022 Carter DeRocher, Gehlen Catholic
2020 Torrey Heynen, Trinity Christian
2023 Lance Berends, HMS
2021 Cade Pepper, MMCRU
Angelo Winkel
The favorite: Led by one of the best players in 1A, big man Angelo Winkel (18.4), Bishop Garrigan has been one of the top teams in the class all season, even getting up to the #1 spot. The Golden Bears have been good on both ends of the floor, ranking 7th in scoring offense (70.4 points a game) and 20th in defense (46.3). Winkel, a potential Division I big man, is a springy 6-9 forward who impacts the game on both ends of the floor. Older brother Cade Winkel (15.4) and point guard John Joyce (12.6) are the other headliners for this group, while Marcus Plathe (9.5) gives them a bit more size and rebounding in the paint.
The biggest threat: No Coppock brothers? No problem for Newell-Fonda this season, as the Mustangs enter this week with a 15-4 record and the 11th highest scoring offense in 1A at 69.0 points a game, despite the transfer of high-scoring guard Bryce Coppock to West Sioux (as well as freshman brother Mason). The ‘Stangs have posted some impressive wins over Western Christian, OABCIG and Southeast Valley, and have only lost once since December 20th. At 38.1% from behind the arc as a team, they’re one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the state, and they’ll need that to help neutralize the size that Bishop Garrigan can put on the floor. Aden Mahler (15.1, 40.5 3P%), Trey Jungers (13.5, 44.0%) and Treyton Mahler (10.1, 39.4%) are the key pieces to watch for this group.
The dark horse(s): Harris-Lake Park has a dynamic duo of scorers in Isaac Ihnen (22.1) and Bubba Sohn (15.1). Ihnen is capable of scoring from anywhere and is strong on the glass, while Sohn has posted an impressive 95-31 assist-to-turnover mark this season. The other potential threat here would be St. Edmond, who plays in a 3A-dominant conference, so they’ve played a really tough schedule and will be ready for the step back down in competition. The Gaels are led by senior guard Connor Bocken (10.6), and are a good free throw shooting team at 70.6%, which could help them late in close games.
Players to watch
2021 Angelo Winkel, Bishop Garrigan
2020 Cade Winkel, Bishop Garrigan
2020 John Joyce, Bishop Garrigan
2020 Aden Mahler, Newell-Fonda
2020 Treyton Mahler, Newell-Fonda
2022 Trey Jungers, Newell-Fonda
2021 Bubba Sohn, Harris-Lake Park
2020 Isaac Ihnen, Harris-Lake Park
2020 Connor Bocken, St. Edmond
2020 Nathan Brant, Glidden-Ralston
2023 Max Hough, Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire
2022 Mason Laven, Storm Lake, St. Mary’s
2020 Thomas Fehr, West Bend-Mallard
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
South O’Brien vs. Bishop Garrigan
It’s unfortunate that these two teams need to play each other just to get to State, as each of these teams have spent most of the season ranked within the top 5 in our rankings, and we believe each is a state championship level team in 1A this year. This is an interesting contrast, as Bishop Garrigan has the overwhelming size advantage, but do they have enough shooting to score against the South O’Brien 2-3? And does South O’Brien have enough alongside Louscher to score enough against the Bishop Garrigan size? In what is sure to be an outstanding substate final, we’re going with the slightly better shooting team in Bishop Garrigan, making their second straight trip to Des Moines.