Playoff Preview: 3A-8
Easton Darling The favorite: Easton Darling (26.5) leads an experienced Winterset team that has gone 17-4, with those four losses coming by a combined 17 points. The Huskies entered the season ranked #3 by us in 3A, and they’ve…
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The favorite: Easton Darling (26.5) leads an experienced Winterset team that has gone 17-4, with those four losses coming by a combined 17 points. The Huskies entered the season ranked #3 by us in 3A, and they’ve been strong. They enter the postseason having won 10 of their last 11 games, with the lone loss coming to a really strong Carroll team. This group is small, with no regular listed taller than 6-3, but really quick, and they use that quickness to create chaos on both ends of the floor. Sophomore guard Dawson Forgy (9.6) has dished out 143 assists against just 52 turnovers and has paired with Darling to swipe over 100 steals this season. Outside of Darling, this is a fairly balanced group of contributors, each of whom can step up in chip in 12-15 points alongside Darling’s 25+ on a nightly basis. This is a meatgrinder of a substate, and they’ll have their work cut out for them, but this group made a deep run at State last year, and they’re anxious to get back.
The biggest threat: Take your pick from any of these three Hawkeye 10 teams – Glenwood, Harlan or Denison-Schleswig. Glenwood is hot, having closed the regular season winning 11 of their last 13, riding an offense that is averaging 65.9 points a game, good for 9th in 3A. The Rams split the season series with likely semifinal opponent Harlan, but they have a group that is more experienced in big games with Ryan Blum (19.8) and Zach Carr (14.4) both key pieces on their 2018 state championship team. Blum, a skilled combo forward who can score inside and out, can take over a game on both ends of the floor, while Carr is a dynamic, playmaking guard who can get to the rim with ease. John Palmer (12.6, 43.5 3P%) gives them a good third scoring option and shooter from the arc.
The dark horse(s): Harlan has a trio fo double figure scorers in Connor Bruck (15.5), Michael Heithoff (12.1) and Jonathan Monson (11.9), and five players who have made at least 21 3s this season, giving the Cyclones a number of shooting options who could get hot and help them make a run. Denison-Schleswig has had a somewhat disappointing season after going 18-5 last year, but the Monarchs have a strong inside-out duo in Charlie Wiebers (17.6) and Goanar Biliew (15.3), who can take over games and lead this group on a run. Biliew is an excellent two-way threat, blocking 61 shots this season and shooting 63.7% from the floor, while Wiebers is a solid floor general who can knock down 3s and make an impact on the defensive end.
Players to watch
2020 Easton Darling, Winterset
2022 Dawson Forgy, Winterset
2021 Ryan Blum, Glenwood
2020 Zach Carr, Glenwood
2020 John Palmer, Glenwood
2020 Connor Bruck, Harlan
2020 Michael Heithoff, Harlan
2020 Charlie Wiebers, Denison-Schleswig
2020 Goanar Biliew, Denison-Schleswig
2021 Brance Baker, Creston
2021 Cael Kralik, Creston
2021 Skyler Handlos, Atlantic
2020 Carter Morton, Greene County
2021 Umar Bulis, Clarke