1A District Semifinal Preview

The district semifinals are Thursday night in Class 1A and 2A. We take a look at some of the top games in Class 1A action here.   <h3 style="text-align: center;">The Top Five Games</h3>   Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn at Newell-Fonda Expect plenty of fireworks in this one, as these are two potent offensive teams that like to get up-and-down. In 6-4 sophomore forward Lance Berends (16.1, 10.0 rebounds), HMS has a player that Newell-Fonda could struggle to match up with. His ability to dominate the offensive glass could be a key factor here if HMS is going to pull off an upset. Newell-Fonda thrives on turning defense into offense, with a defensive unit that averages nearly 14 steals a game. Sophomore guard Carter Sievers (17.3) and junior wing [player_tooltip player_id="962677" first="Trey" last="Jungers"] (12.9) pace an offensive attack that puts up just under 72 points a night.   [caption id="attachment_1053128" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/Angelo-Winkel-3-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1053128" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/Angelo-Winkel-3-1-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Winkel[/caption] Bishop Garrigan vs. North Iowa (at Newman Catholic) North Iowa was exceptional in their upset win over 17-5 Newman Catholic on Monday night, shooting 33-56 (58.9%) from the floor in the 80-66 win. The Bison had four players score in double-figures in that win, led by senior [player_tooltip player_id="964891" first="Dominyk" last="Price"], who had 25 points and 8 rebounds. Future Augstana forward [player_tooltip player_id="796104" first="Angelo" last="Winkel"] was dominant in Bishop Garrigan’s win over GTRA, going off for 28 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks. These teams met on February 8, with Garrigan coming away with an 81-80 win behind 49 points from Winkel. The Bison don’t have anyone on the roster who can slow him down, but they can certainly score on the Golden Bears.   North Mahaska at Keota These teams played as close a game as you can play back on January 8, with Keota winning 51-50. Neither team is good at the free-throw line, with Keota shooting 55.5% as a team on the year, and North Mahaska 55.9%. That played out in the first meeting, with Keota going 13-23 (56.5%) and North Mahaska 8-17 (47.1%). Keota is led by a pair of senior guards, Luke Hammen (16.6, 45.3 3P%) and Carson Sprouse (16.1), while North Mahaska is led by a pair of sophomore forwards, Braden Steel (13.5, 8.8 rebounds) and Nash Smith (13.5, 7.9 rebounds). Whichever duo has a better game should take this one and advance to the district final.   [caption id="attachment_1086716" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Blaise-Porter.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1086716" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Blaise-Porter-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Porter[/caption] New London at Notre Dame These teams split their regular season meetings, with Notre Dame winning 75-71 on January 5 and New London taking the rematch 72-63 on February 4. Both wins came on the road. New London had a rough game against Lisbon in the first round, escaping with a 44-40 win against a team that really slowed the game down. In the New London win over Notre Dame, sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id="956871" first="Blaise" last="Porter"] was unguardable, going off for 39 points on 13-18 shooting. The super talented, quick guard already holds an offer from Bryant and is averaging 22.8 points and 5.0 assists on the year. Fellow standout sophomore, forward [player_tooltip player_id="956872" first="Kade" last="Benjamin"], averages 18.2 points and 8.8 rebounds for the Tigers. Notre Dame is led by a pair of seniors, forward Josh Smith (16.8) and guard Matt Johnson (15.3). The Nikes will need to come up with a gameplan to contend with Porter, or he’ll end their season.   Nodaway Valley at Earlham Earlham beat Nodaway Valley back on January 30, 52-47, and that win came despite star guard [player_tooltip player_id="796156" first="TJ" last="Harkins"] (14.2, 40.7 3P%) going just 1-10 from the floor and scoring just 3 points. Jackson Vandever (10.3, 44.4 3P%) gives the Cardinals another good shooting threat. Nodaway Valley is led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="964879" first="Toby" last="Bower"] (17.4, 10.0 rebounds), a versatile threat who can score inside and out. Like Harkins, Bower had an off game in the regular-season meeting, scoring just 7 points on 3-10 shooting. Whichever star player plays more like their normal self in this one probably has the edge.   <h3 style="text-align: center;">Teams on Upset Alert</h3> St. Mary’s: St. Mary’s swept the season series, 53-48 and 51-35, but these are two teams that are very familiar with each other, and it’s tough to beat a team three times in one year. The 2-3 zone that South O’Brien plays can be tough on opponents, and if the Hawks have a poor shooting night, the Wolverines could pull off this upset. Woodbury Central: The Wildcats have a tough matchup against River Valley and star scorer [player_tooltip player_id="796178" first="Garrett" last="Trapp"], who averages over 23 points a game. They’ll need to come up with a game-plan to either limit him or take away everyone else on the Wolverines. Dunkerton: If Maquoketa Valley is able to dictate the tempo and get this game played in the 40s, the Wildcats would hold a major edge at the free-throw line in a tight game. Dunkerton is the better team, but they need to create some distance early in this one. Bishop Garrigan: The Golden Bears need to be careful in their game against North Iowa. They beat them by just one point 10 days ago, despite star [player_tooltip player_id="796104" first="Angelo" last="Winkel"] going off for 49 points. If the Bison can find a way to contain him a little bit, North Iowa could be moving into the district final. Notre Dame: The Nikes will have their hands full with New London guard [player_tooltip player_id="956871" first="Blaise" last="Porter"], who had 39 points against them in their last meeting. Despite Notre Dame being the higher seed and getting this game at home, New London is the more talented team. Keota: They beat North Mahaska by just one in the regular season, and the Warhawks have the type of size and physicality that can give the Eagles problems.   Our Picks for All 32 Games District 1: St. Mary’s over South O’Brien, Newell-Fonda over Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn District 2: Gehlen Catholic over Siouxland Christian, River Valley over Woodbury Central District 3: Lake Mills over West Hancock, Bishop Garrigan over North Iowa District 4: West Fork over AGWSR, Janesville over North Butler District 5: Gladbrook-Reinbeck over Tripoli, Dunkerton over Maquoketa Valley District 6: Wapsie Valley over South Winneshiek, Edgewood-Colesburg over Turkey Valley District 7: Easton Valley over Prince of Peace, Wapello over Calamus-Wheatland District 8: Springville over Danville, New London over Notre Dame District 9: North Linn over Hillcrest Academy, Alburnett over Belle Plaine District 10: Grundy Center over BCLUW, Meskwaki Settlement over North Tama District 11: Montezuma over Lynnville-Sully, North Mahaska over Keota District 12: Mount Ayr over Murray, Moravia over Lamoni District 13: Martensdale-St. Marys over Lenox, Earlham over Nodaway Valley District 14: Tri-Center over Sidney, CAM over Riverside District 15: Grand View Christian over Madrid, Ogden over Coon Rapids-Bayard District 16: St. Albert over Woodbine, Boyer Valley over West Harrison