STATE TOURNAMENT: Five takeaways from Monday’s games

DES MOINES — The first day of the 2020 state tournament lived up to the hype.

We witnessed upsets, dominance, stellar individual performances, and more. With seven games Monday, here are the teams that advanced to the next round:

• 1A: Wapsie Valley, Montezuma, Bishop Garrigan, West Fork
• 2A: North Linn, Treynor, Boyden-Hull

Before action resumes Tuesday, here are five takeaways from day No. 1 of the state tournament:

Treynor might just have the deepest team in the 2A tournament

Treynor head coach Scott Rucker said after his team’s win over Pella Christian that this group is his deepest he’s had in his time with the program. It just might be the deepest team in the 2A tournament. Against Pella Christian, three Cardinals scored 14 or more points, with Jack Tiarks Jack Tiarks 6'4" | PF Treynor | 2020 State IA leading the way with 21 and Jack Stogdill Jack Stogdill 6'2" | PG Treynor | 2020 State IA adding 20. Every player that played scored, and each member of the team does a bit of everything. Treynor has just one loss this year, and that was to Blue Valley Northwest on the road -- a 6A school in Kansas. The Cardinals have taken care of opponents with relative ease this season, and now, as they face a North Linn team that is undefeated over its last 51 games, that depth will be put to the test.

North Linn owns a 51-game win streak for a reason

The Lynx haven’t lost a single game in their last 51 contests. North Linn commands one of the best offenses in the tournament, regardless of class. It averaged 85.2 points per game heading into Monday, and while it didn’t hit that mark against West Sioux, North Linn still put on an offensive showing thanks to Austin Miller Austin Miller 6'2" | PF North Linn | 2020 State IA .

Miller scored a team-high 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the win. Austin Hilmer Austin Hilmer 5'10" | PG North Linn | 2022 State IA added 19 points as well, despite an off shooting night (1-for-6 from 3-point range). The Miller-Hilmer duo is deadly, averaging nearly 43 points per game. This team is physical and can attack in the blink of an eye.

Wapsie Valley could be a problem for Montezuma.

Wapsie Valley just never went away in its win over Lake Mills. Call it pesky or talented, but the No. 8 seed in the Class 1A bracket is moving on after a gritty performance. Defensively, Wapsie Valley just would not let Lake Mills get its inside game going. The duo of Kiks Rosengarten and Gunner Meyer balances out the offense. Rosengarten is a solid player in the post, and Meyer can force defenses outside with his 3-point shot. This team played gritty on Monday, and it’ll match up with an equally physical Montezuma squad.

Bishop Garrigan gambled by playing Angelo Winkel Angelo Winkel 6'9" | C Bishop Garrigan | 2021 State IA with four fouls, but it paid off.

Winkel played just 19 minutes, but they were incredibly important. Head coach Mark Meister sat him early in the second half with two fouls and then sat him once more after he picked up another two. But Bishop Garrigan needed a spark, and that’s exactly what it got from Winkel. Winkel played his best basketball in the fourth quarter, and it’s not surprise Bishop Garrigan outscored Springville 17-8 in the final quarter. He finished with 22 points, 14 points (seven offensive), five blocks, and a steal. He’s a force to be reckoned with in the paint, eating up shots defensively and getting great positioning when on offense. Winkel’s controlled aggression and Meister’s decision to roll with his star player despite foul trouble all but decided the game.

Lake Mills’ early exit is a major what-if

Lake Mills was the No. 1 seed for the Class 1A tournament, but it fell in the first upset of the week. The Bulldogs typically score more than 72 points per game, but Wapsie Valley held them to just 45. Dashawl Linnen and Chett Helming Chett Helming 6'4" | SF Lake Mills | 2020 State IA each average just more than 19 points per game, but they combined to score 25 points. As a team, Lake Mills shot just 31.7 percent from the field. It wasn’t a great day offensively for a team that has one of the highest-scoring tandems in the tournament.