Class 1A District Final Picks

<table style="height: 357px; width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse;" border="y"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Game</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Location</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>The Pick</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Reasoning</strong></span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">St. Mary’s vs. Newell-Fonda</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Sioux City East</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">St. Mary’s</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Interesting contrast in styles with St. Mary’s leaning on a slower game and their strong defense, while Newell-Fonda likes to fly around. Postseason games generally slow down a bit, advantage Hawks. </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Gehlen Catholic vs. Woodbury Central</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Bishop Heelan</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Gehlen Catholic</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Like many of these games, this is a rematch from a regular-season game, handily won by Gehlen, 84-57. Jays advance behind dynamic one-two punch of [player_tooltip player_id="962690" first="Carter" last="DeRocher"] and [player_tooltip player_id="956881" first="Keaten" last="Bonderson"]. </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Lake Mills vs. Bishop Garrigan</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Clear Lake</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Lake Mills</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Bishop Garrigan is hot and has the best individual player on the floor in [player_tooltip player_id="796104" first="Angelo" last="Winkel"] (28.8), but Lake Mills dominated the regular-season meeting, 61-38, at the beginning of the month. Bulldogs have a much better 1-5 than the Golden Bears. </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">West Fork vs. Janesville</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Charles City</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">West Fork</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Janesville has a player in [player_tooltip player_id="962655" first="Wiley" last="Sherburne"] (23.0) that West Fork may struggle to defend, but the Warhawks have more options, more experience in big games, and have played a significantly tougher schedule. Big games from [player_tooltip player_id="964830" first="Kayden" last="Ames"] and [player_tooltip player_id="964833" first="Jakob" last="Washington"] carry West Fork to the substate final.</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Gladbrook-Reinbeck vs. Maquoketa Valley</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Independence</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Gladbrook-Reinbeck</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Maq Valley comes in off an upset over Dunkerton, Gladbrook-Reinbeck has won 12 of 13. Rebels get a big night from sophomore William Kiburis and escape a scare from the Wildcats.</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">South Winneshiek vs. Edgewood-Colesburg</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Central Elkader</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">South Winneshiek</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">South Winn coming in off of upset of defending champion Wapsie Valley, looking to keep momentum going. Warriors have a tough matchup for Ed-Co in junior forward Trey Kriener (13.1, 10.0 rebounds). His size proves to be the difference-maker on both ends of the floor.</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Easton Valley vs. Wapello</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Clinton</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Easton Valley</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Should be one of the better games tonight. Wapello junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="962646" first="Maddox" last="Griffin"] is a handful, but do the Indians have an answer for the interior play of [player_tooltip player_id="796176" first="Kaleb" last="Cornilsen"]? It doesn’t seem like it. Big Cornilsen game sends EV to the substate final in a great game.</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Springville vs. New London</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">West Liberty</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Springville</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Arguably the game of the night. Springville’s experience will be key here. New London has the best player on the floor in sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id="956871" first="Blaise" last="Porter"] (22.5), but Springville’s depth, balance, experience, and versatility are key here. Orioles survive and advance in a fantastic game.</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">North Linn vs. Alburnett</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Vinton-Shellsburg</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">North Linn</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">The Lynx won the regular-season meeting handily, 59-37, on February 9, with their constant pressure forcing 22 Pirates turnovers. Expect more of the same as North Linn cruises into the substate final.</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Grundy Center vs. Meskwaki Settlement</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">West Marshall</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Grundy Center</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Major edge in strength of schedule gives Spartans an edge here. Strong defensive team has the horses to slow down standout guard [player_tooltip player_id="796181" first="Taurice" last="Grant"]. Big shooting night from [player_tooltip player_id="962675" first="Brayden" last="Sawyer"] (14.2, 48.2 3P%) sends Grundy Center to Saturday night.</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Montezuma vs. Keota</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Williamsburg</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Montezuma</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Montezuma has been rolling since big man [player_tooltip player_id="962629" first="Eddie" last="Burgess"] (13.7) re-joined the lineup following a football injury, including an 80-46 win over Keota. They’ve won all 13 games with him playing, by an average of 30.6 points a game. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="796108" first="Trey" last="Shearer"] (26.8, 58-48-76 shooting splits) is the most dynamic player in 1A basketball.</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Mount Ayr vs. Moravia</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Central Decatur</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Mount Ayr</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Great backcourt matchup here between Mount Ayr’s Jaixen Frost (22.4) and Moravia’s [player_tooltip player_id="964904" first="Carson" last="Brown"] (23.5). The supporting cast of Mount Ayr is better, giving them the edge here.</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Martensdale-St. Marys vs. Earlham</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Interstate 35</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Martensdale-St. Marys</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Major strength of schedule edge for Earlham here, but Martensdale-St. Marys has a major experience advantage. All five Blue Devils starters played at State last year, giving them an edge here. Earlham needs a big game from senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="796156" first="TJ" last="Harkins"] if they want to pull the upset.</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Tri-Center vs. Riverside</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Red Oak</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Tri-Center</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Tri-Center rolled in the regular-season meeting, 56-29, holding Riverside to 23.4% shooting. Trojans win comfortably here, advancing to Saturday night.</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Grand View Christian vs. Coon Rapids-Bayard</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Woodward-Granger</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Grand View Christian</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Coon Rapids-Bayard enters off of back-to-back upsets, but they’re running into a buzzsaw here. No answer for [player_tooltip player_id="962674" first="Manny" last="Hammonds"], Josh Baucum on the perimeter, or [player_tooltip player_id="956875" first="Daniel" last="Tobiloba"] in the paint. This one could get ugly.</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">St. Albert vs. West Harrison</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Lewis Central</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">St. Albert</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">West Harrison has no answer for St. Albert forward [player_tooltip player_id="796165" first="Sam" last="Rallis"], an efficient scoring forward. Hawkeyes will need to make it rain from 3 if they want to pull off this upset.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>