STATE TOURNAMENT: Five takeaways from Wednesday’s action
Landon Wolf Landon Wolf 6'5" | CG Cedar Falls | 2021 State IA is a major key for Cedar Falls
The junior guard played one of his best games for the Tigers in the win. Wolf finished with 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting and 4-of-6 from deep. Every time Dowling was going to threaten the lead, Wolf was one of the ones to respond. Wolf, the team’s leading scorer, hit timely shots all game long and was automatic off the catch. He hit a number of 3’s in the corner where he showed good elevation and perfect mechanics. Cedar Falls is the deepest team in the state, and Wolf is the best player. Wolf’s length and size mixed with his skillset make him a tough cover and an intriguing prospect on both ends of the floor. Josh Ollendieck Josh Ollendieck 6'3" | CG Cedar Falls | 2020 State IA also had a nice game for Cedar Falls with 13 points, but Wolf was the focal point of the offense, and everything revolved around his performance. Wolf will need to continue carry his great scoring ability for the Tigers to have continued success.
Wapsie Valley’s Cinderella Run continues
After knocking off No. 1 Lake Mills on Monday, Wapsie Valley pulled off another upset of No. 4 Montezuma in the semifinals. Sophomore wing Gunner Meyer led the Warriors with 17 points, including a couple of triples, while big man Kiks Rosengarten chipped in 14 points. Wapsie Valley did a great job of frustrating Montezuma with its stifling defense. The Warriors made life tough for Trey Shearer Trey Shearer 5'10" | PG Montezuma | 2021 State IA , who earned each and every one of his 16 points on the afternoon. Wapsie Valley was marking Shearer in the halfcourt and the Braves’ offense couldn’t get into a solid rhythm with Shearer being face guarded and denied the ball everywhere he went. Meyer and Rosengarten are the main scorers for Wapsie, but what makes this team so dangerous is how well they play together. They move the ball well, and make the defenses guard them. Bishop Garrigan will have an interesting test with Wapsie.
Battle of the Bigs in the 1A Title Game
The 1A championship game will have an intriguing battle of the big men downlow. Bishop Garrigan forward Angelo Winkel Angelo Winkel 6'9" | C Bishop Garrigan | 2021 State IA is one of the top frontcourt players in the state and he’ll be matched up with Kiks Rosengarten of Wapsie Valley. Winkel had an 16 points and 15 rebounds effort in the semifinal win over West Fork despite being shaken up for most of the game with an undisclosed injury. West Fork didn’t have anyone with the size of Winkel to contain him, so he didn’t have too much trouble scoring the ball. Rosengarten will give Winkel a tough test in the paint. Rosengarten is listed at 6-foot-7 and is more of a back to the basket type post man. He has the ability to get Winkel into foul trouble and force the Garrigan big man to play more conservative. If Winkel gets in foul trouble, that’ll open more things up for Rosengarten, and other Wapsie players, like Meyer to get in the lane and create opportunities.
Te Slaa is the real deal, but BH had a bench player step up
Boyden-Hull 2022 guard Tanner Te Slaa Tanner Te Slaa 6'5" | SF Boyden-Hull | 2022 State IA is one of the most promising prospects in the state. He has an early offer from South Dakota State, and a flurry of interest from other D1 programs. Te Slaa has good length and is a crafty scorer. He doesn’t force anything and is also a willing defender. His stock will continue to rise. However, the main scorer for the Comets on Wednesday night was junior guard Marcus Kelderman. The 6-1 guard comes off the bench for Boyden-Hull is averaging 11.5 points per game, and came up big time in the win as he scored a game-high 27 points. Kelderman hit a number of big shots in the first half, and converted on a big and one in the 4th quarter as Camanche started to trim the lead.
North Linn looked unstoppable in the semifinal win
The Lynx are known for their up-tempo style on both sides of the floor. North Linn was relentless from the jump starting out with a 15-0 and pushing their lead to 26 at one point in the second quarter suffocating Treynor. The Lynx ended up getting the easy win, 79-58. Much like two years ago, it was the Miller-Hilmer duo that led that way for North Linn. Austin Miller Austin Miller 6'2" | PF North Linn | 2020 State IA scored a game-high 29 points while Hilmer, who battled foul trouble in the first half, was all over the court and igniting the Lynx pressure. North Linn also got big contributions from Cade Haughnebery, who tallied 20 points in the win. With North Linn playing as well as it did on Wednesday, it will be tough to replicate that performance. Boyden-Hall has capable guards, but North Linn can make anyone look uncomfortable.