Conference Preview: South Central

<p><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>The Teams</strong></span></p> <p><strong>Albia (18-4):</strong> The Blue Demons swept Knoxville last season to gain control of the conference, and should be considered the favorites to take home the league title again this year. The top three scorers return, and 13 of 14 players who scored last year are back. They’re led by do-everything guard [player_tooltip player_id="582225" first="Blake" last="Chance"] (13.7), a 6-4 guard who can stuff the stat sheet and control the game on both ends of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id="796201" first="Brayden" last="Messamaker"] (11.5) is a quality shooter alongside Chance, and Nathaniel Wynn (7.1) can score from anywhere. Look for sophomore big man Drew Chance (6.4) to have a breakout season. He came on really strong late last season as an interior scorer and rebounder, and he should continue improving. The Demons are going to be deep and talented, and should be considered one of the best teams in 2A this year. </p> <p><strong>Centerville (12-10):</strong> The Big Reds have a few big holes to fill with the graduations of [player_tooltip player_id="955317" first="Matt" last="McDonald"] and Quentin Koestner, who combined to average over 31 points a game last year. The good news is that senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="964897" first="Brady" last="Kauzlarich"] (13.3) is back, and he’s a quality piece to build around. A versatile scorer who can fill it up from all three levels, he should see his numbers skyrocket this winter with a lot more shots available. Merrick Mathews (6.2) is the only other returnee who saw significant playing time, so they’ll have a lot of new faces surrounding Kauzlarich. </p> <p><strong>Chariton (12-9):</strong> It’ll be an entirely new-look Chargers team this winter, as the top 11 scorers on last year’s team were all seniors. Only six points are back, so it’ll be interesting to see which newcomers step up and play major roles for Chariton.</p> <p><strong>Clarke (2-20):</strong> Clarke was rarely competitive last year, with only four of their losses coming by 10 or fewer. They bring back their top four scorers from that group, led by senior forward Umar Bulis (16.7, 8.9 rebounds), so perhaps there is some hope for improvement. Dalton Stubbe (12.2) is a solid secondary scoring option, but this group really needs to improve their ball protection after committing more than 19 turnovers a game last season.</p> <p><strong>Davis County (6-15):</strong> The Mustangs lost eight games by single digits last year, and bring back their top seven scorers, so look for this group to be improved. They’re led by the forward tandem of junior [player_tooltip player_id="962691" first="Dalton" last="Reeves"] (16.6) and senior Noah Zmolek (11.1), who combined to average over 15 rebounds a game last season. They don’t have much shooting (nobody shot better than 31.6% from 3 last season), but they’ll have depth and experience, and a pair of forwards who can control the glass and limit second-chance opportunities for opposing teams.</p> <p><strong>Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (9-14):</strong> The Rockets were surprisingly competitive last season after graduating nearly every piece from the 2018-19 team that was very strong. They’ll be led by forward Ethan Davis (11.4, 8.0 rebounds), a threat to average a double-double this year. Thane Alexnader (6.5) should step into the primary ball-handling role, while Jared McCrea (3.1) and Kyle Davis (2.5) got plenty of time last year as role players. </p> [caption id="attachment_1073025" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Kieren-Nichols.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1073025" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Kieren-Nichols-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Nichols[/caption] <p><strong>Knoxville (12-10):</strong> The Panthers got off to a strong 8-1 start last year before going 4-9 down the stretch, including a pair of losses to Albia. They should push the Demons at the top of the league again this year, as the top three scorers return. They’re led by talented guard [player_tooltip player_id="796123" first="Kieren" last="Nichols"] (25.9), one of the state’s top scoring threats. Nichols is cat-quick and can get by his defender consistently and score at the bucket, but he also has a strong mid-range game. His quickness can impact the game on both ends of the floor. Look for a breakout season from senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="964804" first="Spencer" last="Hixson"] (12.1), who transferred to Knoxville from Des Moines Christian before last year and had an up-and-down year shooting the ball. Luke Keitges (7.7) had a strong freshman year and gives them some more shooting on the perimeter. They need to get past Albia if they want to win this league, but the talent is there to do so.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Projected Order of Finish</strong></span><br /> 1. Albia<br /> 2. Knoxville<br /> 3. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont<br /> 4. Centerville<br /> 5. Davis County<br /> 6. Clarke<br /> 7. Chariton</p> <p><strong>Analysis:</strong> The Albia-Knoxville race will come down to their head-to-head meetings, and we have to give the edge to the Demons after they swept the series last year. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Preseason Players of the Year</strong></span></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="582225" first="Blake" last="Chance"], Albia (2021):</strong> 13.7 points. 6.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.5 steals<br /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="796123" first="Kieren" last="Nichols"], Knoxville (2021):</strong> 25.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.2 steals</p> <p>Nichols is one of the state’s best scorers, while Chance is the best player on the league’s best team and has the ability to impact the game in a multitude of ways. They’re both great players, and choosing between them is splitting hairs. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Players to watch</strong></span></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="582225" first="Blake" last="Chance"], Albia (2021)</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="796201" first="Brayden" last="Messamaker"], Albia (2021)</p> <p>Drew Chance, Albia (2023)</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="962691" first="Dalton" last="Reeves"], Davis County (2022)</p> <p>Noah Zmolek, Davis County (2021)</p> <p>Umar Bulis, Clarke (2021)</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="964897" first="Brady" last="Kauzlarich"], Centerville (2021)</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="796123" first="Kieren" last="Nichols"], Knoxville (2021)</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="964804" first="Spencer" last="Hixson"], Knoxville (2021)</p> <p>Ethan Davis, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (2022)</p>