Playoff Preview: 4A-4
The Favorite: Cedar Falls has been one of my favorite teams to watch this season. Can this program win its third straight state championship in Class 4A? Well, they have the pieces to do so. The Tigers are so unselfish on the…
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Continue ReadingThe Favorite: Cedar Falls has been one of my favorite teams to watch this season. Can this program win its third straight state championship in Class 4A? Well, they have the pieces to do so. The Tigers are so unselfish on the offensive end, and play well together as a unit. The leading scorer for Cedar Falls is Truman State recruit Josh Ollendicek (11.9), who is shooting 41 percent from 3 this season. Junior guard Landon Wolf follows with Ollendicek with 10.8 points per game, and he’s also a 41 percent 3-point shooter. Wolf does a little bit of everything for the Tigers. He’s a tough defender that makes things happen on offense with his playmaking and shotmaking ability. Junior big man Chase Courbat (10.3) is continuing to develop, and like Wolf, he does a lot of the dirty work such as boxing out, defending the opposing big men, and much more. Sophomore guard Trey Campbell doesn’t light up in the scoring department, but he’s Cedar Falls’ most athletic player and can make things happen with his speed and quick wit. Ben Sernett and Jaxon Heath can also put the ball in the bucket and provide tremendous depth for Cedar Falls. There’s no Logan Wolf or AJ Green for this group, but they have the talent and depth to bring the state title back to Cedar Falls for the third straight year.
Biggest threat: Dubuque Hempstead has the roster to make some noise, and it starts with UNI recruit and junior wing Michael Duax. The 6-foot-5 Duax does a little bit of everything for Hempstead, and is the leading scorer at 20.7 points per game. Duax is a three-level scorer who also defends well on the other end. Following Duax in the scoring department is junior Jamari Smith, who is averaging 15.1 points per contest. Smith and senior Nicholas Kaesbauer are shooting 42 percent and 40 percent from distance this season and sophomore Kellen Strohmeyer can also knock it down from deep. Hempstead is a solid defensive team, and they haven’t necessarily had a bad loss this year other than the 15 point loss at Senior in January. Knocking off Cedar Falls is a very high order, but Hempstead seems to have the most realistic chance in this group.
Darkhorse: Linn-Mar plays a style that keeps them in games. The Lions are 8-11 on the year, but have kept in close in games against Iowa City West, Waukee, Waterloo West, and a few others. Senior guard John Steffen (16.2) is the leading scorer for Linn-Mar followed by Brady Klahn (11.5). The Lions aren’t a great offensive team, so they need to find ways to maximize possessions to find a way to make a run.
Players to Watch
2020 Josh Ollendicek, Cedar Falls,
2021 Landon Wolf, Cedar Falls
2021 Chase Courbat, Cedar Falls
2022 Trey Campbell, Cedar Falls
2020 John Steffen, Linn-Mar
2020 Brady Klahn, Linn-Mar
2021 Dylan Johnson, Western Dubuque
2021 Garrett Baumhover, Western Dubuque
2021 Michael Duax, Dubuque Hempstead
2021 Jamari Smith, Dubuque Hempstead
2020 Andre Brandon, Liberty
2021 Kelby Telander, Liberty
2020 Max Holy, Clinton