The Rundown – December 8

<p><em>On Tuesday we had plenty more competitive basketball games than we had the previous day. There were several undefeated matchups that lived up to the hype, and some breakout performances from players who started the season slow for their standards. Let's dive in.</em></p> <p><strong>The Dutch stay unbeaten</strong></p> <p><strong>Ryan Mace</strong>’s 16 point, 12 rebound, and 5 assist performance led the Dutch to an overwhelming victory over Washington. Josh Warner nearly matched his teammate with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists. Pella stays unbeaten, which sets them up for a matchup this Friday against Norwalk, the defending 3A champions. After losing to a talent-laden Ballard squad in the first game of the year, Norwalk and their senior-led team have regrouped. <strong>Ethan Carlson</strong>, <strong>Cole Tunender</strong>, and <strong>Max Juergens</strong> will be a test for the Dutch</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Tightly contested Top 10 battle</strong></p> <p>1A #4 Wapsie Valley emerged victorious over 2A #6 Dike-New Hartford, 73-68. Wapsie Valley saved their best basketball for the final frame, outscoring Dike-New Hartford 24-17. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="956883" first="Mason" last="Harter"]</strong> led the Warriors in scoring with 20 points, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="964868" first="Blayde" last="Bellis"]</strong> added in 18 of his own. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="964882" first="AJ" last="Wegener"] </strong>performed well in defeat. He provided most of the shot-creation for Dike-New Hartford, and finished the night with 17 points and 5 assists. Wapsie Valley remains unbeaten, and likely won’t be tested again until December 15th when they face off against Aplington-Parkersburg.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Battle between the unbeaten</strong></p> <p>Spencer traveled to Spirit Lake last night to take on the Indians. Spencer had a difficult time settling into the offense and slowing down Spirit Lake, and at halftime, Spencer trailed by nine. They whittled that lead down methodically throughout the second half. By the end of the third quarter, Spencer only trailed by four. It was a hotly contested final quarter and Spencer made a great run, but their early offensive woes proved too much to overcome, and Spirit Lake escaped with a 66-64 win. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962615" first="Vance" last="Katzfey"]</strong>’s hot shooting carried over into this one, where he posted 24 points and 6 rebounds.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Quick Hits</strong></p> <ul> <li>Sumner-Fredericksburg picked up their first win of the season last night behind <strong>Peyton Schmitz</strong>’s huge night. The junior scored 30 points on 10/21 shooting. He moved the ball well and ended with 6 assists, as well.</li> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="796138" first="Noah" last="Miller"]</strong> (Forest City) had his first offensive eruption of the 2020 season. Forest City doubled North Union’s score, and Noah had 31 of their 76 total points. He shot 10/13 from the field, 6/9 from three, and he didn’t miss from the free throw line.</li> <li>Dubuque Senior picked up a win in their first game this season. They defeated West Delaware 63-62, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="964846" first="Jim" last="Bonifas"]</strong> led the way with 21 points and 7 rebounds.</li> </ul>