STATE TOURNAMENT: Standouts from Tuesday’s early games
DES MOINES — Four games down, three more to go.
Iowa’s state tournament tipped off Tuesday morning with class 2A action as Camanche secured a win over Monticello. The next three games, all 3A contests, saw victories from Norwalk, Ballard, and Clear Creek-Amana.
Here are the prospects that stood out the most in Tuesday’s first four games.
[player_tooltip player_id="801831" first="Bowen" last="Born"] scored 26 points in Norwalk’s win over Harlan on Tuesday.Bowen Born Bowen Born 5'11" | PG Norwalk | 2020 State #401 Nation IA (2020, Norwalk)
It took him a bit to get going, but once he did, Born was his usual self. He scored 26 points and hit three 3-pointers in Norwalk’s win over Harlan. He started 1-for-8 from the field but made 10 of his final 14 shots. Born is an expert at splitting double teams. His first step is as quick as they get, and he’s an even better finisher. Born is just as dangerous attacking the hoop as he is taking shots from 3-point range. He’s also an expert facilitator (four assists), something that was key when his shot wasn’t falling to start the contest. Defensively, Born was active the entire game — his quickness helps him out on both ends of the floor. He led Norwalk with four steals.
[player_tooltip player_id="801936" first="Kole" last="Tupa"] looked despite Center Point-Urbana’s loss Tuesday.Kole Tupa Kole Tupa 6'4" | SF Center Point-Urbana | 2020 State IA (2020, Center Point-Urbana)
Kole Tupa Kole Tupa 6'4" | SF Center Point-Urbana | 2020 State IA showed just why he’s the leader of Center Point-Urbana’s offense. He scored a team-high 19 points and dished three assists in the loss. He’s a fairly tall play-maker (6′ 5″).
As a team, Center Point-Urbana moved the ball well, and that started with Tupa. The senior can pass well out of both the high and low post. In one instance, Tupa found himself doubled on the block and slipped the ball to a cutting Ethan Sells for an open layup. He moves well along the perimeter and had some nice cross-court passes. Tupa is an active rebounder as well, especially on the offensive end. He finished with eight offensive boards.
Tyler Schrepfer scored a team-high 16 points in Clear Creek-Amana’s win.Tyler Schrepfer (2020, Clear Creek-Amana)
Tyler Schrepfer was a big reason for 7-seed Clear Creek-Amana’s upset win over 2-seed Mount Vernon. The senior guard conducted the tempo, pushing in transition and fueling the Clippers’ methodical offense. Schrepfer finished wtih a team-high 16 points. He’s got a pretty nice shot from deep, too. Schrepfer leads Clear Creek-Amana with 45.8 percent shooting from 3-point range. He made one of his two attempts from deep on Tuesday. Schfrepfer moves incredibly well without the ball. He had some of the best off-ball cuts of the tournament so far, resulting in easy baskets. He’s a quality passer as well, finishing with three assists.
Ballard’s [player_tooltip player_id="796112" first="Connor" last="Drew"] scored 13 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in the win over Center Point-Urbana.Connor Drew Connor Drew 6'6" | PF Ballard | 2021 State IA (2021, Ballard) and Kale Krogh (2022, Ballard)
Ballard gets some love with a double header in this section. Drew (6′ 6″) and Krogh (6′ 5″) completely owned the paint against Center Point-Urbana. The two muscled their way to dominate on the boards and forced Center Point-Urbana to play outside.Drew tied for the team lead in points (13), grabbed six rebounds, and dished two assists. Meanwhile, Krogh scored six points, tallied seven rebounds, and blocked five shots (!!) in the win.
Monticello’s [player_tooltip player_id="796120" first="Justin" last="Recker"] scored a team-high 21 points in the loss to Camanche.Justin Recker Justin Recker 6'6" | PF Monticello | 2021 State IA (2021, Monticello)
Recker led Monticello with 21 points in the loss to Camanche on Tuesday. He was the Panthers’ consistent offense, finding ways to score from all over the court. Recker runs the floor fairly well and, while he’s not uber-athletic or twitchy-quick, he’s a solid scorer. He doesn’t force shots.
Recker isn’t necessarily a sharpshooter from 3-point range, but he’s got a decent shot. Heading into the tournament, he averaged essentially one attempt per game from downtown. Against Camanche, Recker took seven shots from 3-point range, making three.
[player_tooltip player_id="576971" first="Caleb" last="Delzell"] scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the win over Monticello.Caleb Delzell Caleb Delzell 6'8" | SF Camanche | 2020 State IA (2020, Camanche)
Delzell scored 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished three assists, and blocked a pair of shots in his team’s win over Monticello. At 6′ 8,” he’s got fairly decent footwork, showing off once with a nice spin move leading to a layup. Delzell looked to find teammates often. He’s a prime candidate for double teams with his size, but teams have to respect his passing ability. Monticello ran a bit of zone, and while it faired better than its man-to-man defense, Delzell and his teammates still found success.