Friday's Games to Watch

[caption id="attachment_1052563" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/Landon-Wolf.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1052563 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/Landon-Wolf-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Wolf[/caption] 4A #1 Cedar Falls (13-0) at 3A #9 Western Dubuque (13-3) Top-ranked Cedar Falls holds a commanding two-game lead over Western Dubuque in the MVC Mississippi Division, and can essentially wrap up the league title with a win here. The Tigers have been an absolute juggernaut this year, averaging 78.8 points a game, which ranks first in 4A. They’re averaging 87.4 points a game in the last five, led by senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="796127" first="Landon" last="Wolf"] (16.6, 49.0 3P%), a hyper-efficient wing who makes everything look easy. He and fellow senior big man [player_tooltip player_id="796099" first="Chase" last="Courbat"] (11.5, 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 blocks) are both signed to play at Northern Iowa, while junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="682265" first="Trey" last="Campbell"] (15.6, 5.0 assists, 59.0 FG%) recently picked up an offer from the Panthers. Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="796116" first="Carter" last="Janssen"] (9.9, 4.7 assists), sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id="956870" first="Dallas" last="Bear"] (6.7, 45.3 3P%) and senior big man [player_tooltip player_id="727896" first="Joe" last="Knutson"] (7.6, 68.3 FG%) round out an extremely talented top-six. Western Dubuque is led by a pair of talented seniors who have been varsity contributors for a long time in stretch-4 [player_tooltip player_id="796119" first="Dylan" last="Johnson"] (15.2, 7.3 rebounds) and guard [player_tooltip player_id="964860" first="Garrett" last="Baumhover"] (14.6, 5.4 assists). Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="784989" first="Nick" last="Bryant"] (11.3) is another double-figure scorer for the Bobcats, who shoot 39.1% from behind the arc as a team. They’ll need to knock down a bunch of 3s if they want to keep pace with the Tigers high-powered attack.   [caption id="attachment_1066357" align="alignright" width="200"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/121-Douglas-Taylor.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1066357 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/121-Douglas-Taylor-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a> Taylor[/caption] Newman Catholic (17-3) at 1A #3 Lake Mills (20-0) These two Top of Iowa teams don’t meet very often, as they’re in different divisions, but this should be a great game between a pair of contenders in 1A. Newman Catholic has a young roster, with three sophomores and a junior making up their top four scorers. [player_tooltip player_id="956891" first="Douglas" last="Taylor"] (18.1, 7.0 rebounds), a long, athletic, slashing wing, leads the way, while junior James Jennings (12.6) also averages in double figures. Sophomore lead guard [player_tooltip player_id="956889" first="Max" last="Burt"] (9.0, 5.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists) is a talented pure point who thrives on getting others involved, and sophomore forward Noah Hamilton (9.6, 63.8 FG%) is an efficient scorer in the paint. Lake Mills is looking to close out an undefeated regular season. The Bulldogs have been great on both ends of the floor, winning games by an average score of 71.5-39.3. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="964828" first="Dashawn" last="Linnen"] (19.5) is the headliner, a talented scorer who can get red hot and fill it up in a hurry. He’s a big, physical guard who can get to the bucket but is also a high-level 3-point shooter. [player_tooltip player_id="964863" first="Caleb" last="Bacon"] (12.2, 10.4 rebounds) is a physical force in the paint, and junior wing Wyatt Helming (12.5, 6.4 rebounds) has stepped up and become a quality scoring option as well. The ’Dogs aren’t a good free-throw shooting team (57.0% as a team), but they do everything else so well that the free-throw line rarely comes into play.   [caption id="attachment_1066872" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Justin-Recker.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1066872" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Justin-Recker-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Recker[/caption] 3A #3 Monticello (17-0) at West Branch (17-1) Monticello has been dominant on the defensive end this year, allowing just 34.2 points a game, and they’re beating teams by an average of 31 a night. They’re coming off a scare against Camanche, a game they won by just one point, but West Branch should be a team that they match up better with. The Panthers are led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="796120" first="Justin" last="Recker"] (15.0, 6.9 rebounds), a skilled big man who can stretch the floor, handle it a bit and control the glass. The senior backcourt of [player_tooltip player_id="964837" first="Luke" last="Lambert"] (10.4, 4.9 assists) and [player_tooltip player_id="964856" first="Connor" last="Lambert"] (8.5, 2.6 assists), plus sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="956879" first="Tate" last="Petersen"] (12.2, 3.9 assists, 40.3 3P%) are the key pieces for a team that dishes out 21.4 assists against just 9.4 turnovers a game. West Branch had a nearly three-week break in January due to Covid protocols, but the Bears have played really good basketball since coming back from their hiatus, winning eight of nine games, with the one loss coming by one to Wilton, a shocking upset. They clinched the RVC South last night with their win over Mid-Prairie. The Bears are led by the senior forward tandem of [player_tooltip player_id="964899" first="Jeff" last="Bowie"] (13.0) and [player_tooltip player_id="964861" first="Simon" last="Palmer"] (12.9), who combine to average 25.9 points and 13.3 rebounds a game. They rely on the physicality and athleticism that that tandem provides to help control the game on both ends of the floor. Like Monticello, West Branch does a good job protecting the basketball, turning the ball over just 10.6 times a game.   Newell-Fonda (14-5) at Ridge View (15-5) This should be an entertaining non-conference game that will prepare these two teams for postseason play starting next week. Newell-Fonda uses a high-powered, up-tempo attack to outscore opponents, as the Mustangs average 72.3 points a game. Sophomore guard Carter Sievers (17.0) leads the charge, a potent shooter who pairs well with senior [player_tooltip player_id="964935" first="Tanner" last="Gerke"] (9.2, 40.3 3P%) to pace the ’Stangs backcourt. [player_tooltip player_id="962677" first="Trey" last="Jungers"] (12.8) has stepped up as a solid secondary scoring option for this group that thrives on forcing turnovers, averaging 13.1 steals a game. Ridge View likes to slow the game down, ranking fourth in scoring defense in 2A, allowing just 44.0 points a game, so this is an interesting contrast in styles. The Raptors like to crash the offensive glass and use their physicality to wear teams down on both ends of the floor. Senior guard Bo Clausen (16.9) and junior Cade Harriman (14.5) are the leading scorers for this team.