Playoff Preview: 3A-4

<p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/3A-4.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1130414" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/3A-4.png" alt="" width="777" height="697" /></a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> [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] <p><strong>The favorite:</strong> Despite the fact that they play in a 2A league, we like <strong>Monticello</strong> in this substate. After qualifying for the 2A state tournament last year, the Panthers brought back all five starters from that group and they’ve been on a mission this year, winning games by an average of 31 points a game. Buoyed by a strong defense and a disciplined, efficient offense, the Panthers aren’t going to beat themselves. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="796120" first="Justin" last="Recker"] (15.2, 7.2 rebounds) leads the team in scoring and rebounding, while all five starters are key contributors in sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="956879" first="Tate" last="Petersen"] (12.0, 39.7 3P%), and seniors [player_tooltip player_id="964837" first="Luke" last="Lambert"] (10.3, 4.8 assists), [player_tooltip player_id="964856" first="Connor" last="Lambert"] (8.3) and [player_tooltip player_id="964892" first="Ty" last="Kehoe"] (4.3). Freshman <strong>Preston Ries</strong> (7.5) has given them some additional scoring off the bench. This veteran group is on a mission, is elite defensively, and isn’t going to back down from anyone. In a strong substate, they’ll have to work hard to make their way back to Des Moines, but this is the team to beat, despite being seeded 2nd in this group.</p> <p><strong>The biggest threat:</strong> Another strong defensive team in this substate is top-seeded <strong>Solon</strong>, who has a 17-2 record at the time of this writing. New coach Jared Galpin, who came over from Regina, has really gotten this athletic group to buy-in on the defensive end of the floor, and his group has responded, allowing just 49.6 points a game. [player_tooltip player_id="796195" first="David" last="Bluder"] (15.3) leads the offensive attack, with three others - <strong>Kinnick Pusteoska</strong> (9.3), [player_tooltip player_id="964917" first="Carson" last="Shive"] (9.5) and [player_tooltip player_id="964913" first="Ben" last="Cusick"] (9.6) - just under double-figures. They’ve played a more difficult schedule this year, but Monticello’s group has more postseason experience. </p> <p><strong>The dark horse(s): Central DeWitt</strong> has some strong wins this year against teams like Solon, Davenport North, North Scott and Assumption. The Sabers can be a bit inconsistent, but they’ve proven that they can beat good teams this year, and 6-6 junior big man <strong>Shawn Gilbert</strong> (14.9, 6.9 rebounds) is a matchup problem. Gilbert is a huge young man with great touch and the ability to stretch the floor, and smaller teams could have a real issue trying to defend him. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="964921" first="Henry" last="Bloom"] (14.3, 37.5 3P%) is a solid contributor as well for this group. The other team to watch in this substate is <strong>West Delaware</strong>, led by senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="796121" first="Kyle" last="Kelley"] (20.6), who is a threat to score 30+ and take over a game. [player_tooltip player_id="784988" first="Blake" last="DeMoss"] (9.4) and [player_tooltip player_id="964922" first="Logan" last="Woellert"] (8.3) pair with Kelley to give the Hawks an experienced backcourt that could make some noise. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Players to watch</span><br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="796120" first="Justin" last="Recker"], Monticello<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="964837" first="Luke" last="Lambert"], Monticello<br /> 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="956879" first="Tate" last="Petersen"], Monticello<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="796195" first="David" last="Bluder"], Solon<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="964913" first="Ben" last="Cusick"], Solon<br /> 2022 Shawn Gilbert, Central DeWitt<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="964921" first="Henry" last="Bloom"], Central DeWitt<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="796121" first="Kyle" last="Kelley"], West Delaware<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="784988" first="Blake" last="DeMoss"], West Delaware<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="964857" first="Trey" last="Johannes"], Center Point-Urbana<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="796184" first="Caiden" last="Atienza"], Maquoketa</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;">SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION</h3> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Solon vs. Monticello</em></p> <p>Don't expect a lot of scoring if this is the substate final, but this would be one of the most competitive games around the state. With this pair of great defensive teams, we're going with the more postseason-experienced <strong>Monticello</strong> group to make it back to State, this time in 3A.</p>