Playoff Preview: 3A-7

<p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/3A-7.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1130424" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/3A-7.png" alt="" width="789" height="708" /></a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> [caption id="attachment_1073019" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Connor-Drew.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1073019 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Connor-Drew-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Drew[/caption] <p><strong>The favorite: Ballard</strong> opened the season as the top-ranked team in 3A, and the Bombers have spent more time atop the rankings than any other team this year. Their lone loss came to a top-5 Carroll team, by one, in overtime, and they’ve absolutely dominated the rest of the schedule, with only one other game decided by fewer than 11 points. A state semifinalist last year, Ballard returned their top four scorers from that group and picked up right where they left off, with 3A’s top offense (72.3 points a game) and #2 defense (43.2). They’re led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="796112" first="Connor" last="Drew"] (15.1, 8.6 rebounds), a versatile combo forward who can score inside and out, handle the ball and dominate the glass. He’ll play college ball at Winona State. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="962491" first="Ashton" last="Hermann"] (16.1, 3.7 steals) is the leading scorer, a dynamic, athletic player on both ends of the floor who can score from all three levels, and they’ve gotten improved offensive production out of senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="964880" first="Mason" last="Murphy"] (12.0, 4.8 assists, 37.3 3P%), who has emerged as a solid shooting threat and a great facilitator. Junior big man [player_tooltip player_id="962630" first="Kale" last="Krogh"] (7.8) will be one of the more coveted offensive line prospects in the state and is a big, physical presence in the paint with great hands. This group is excellent on both ends of the floor and has gone 10-0 against teams within this substate. It would be a major, major upset for the Bombers not to come out of this group. </p> <p><strong>The biggest threat: Winterset</strong> has limped to the finish line of this season, losing four straight heading into postseason play, but the Huskies gave Ballard one of their closest games of the year a week ago, losing 69-58. A young team led by three juniors, they’re led in scoring by <strong>Levi Gurwell</strong> (17.0, 3.1 assists). [player_tooltip player_id="784978" first="Dawson" last="Forgy"] (11.9, 5.1 assists) is a talented lead guard who distributes it well, and <strong>Nathan Avery</strong> (10.6) has given them some solid production on the perimeter as well. This group shares the ball well (18.0 assists a game), but they’ll need to play a pretty much flawless game to beat Ballard. </p> <p><strong>The dark horse:</strong> Efficient sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id="956874" first="Colby" last="Collison"] (18.8, 59.4 FG%) leads a <strong>Bondurant-Farrar</strong> team that split with Winterset, their likely semifinal opponent. The Bluejays were dominated by Ballard in both meetings this year, but anything can happen in postseason play, and if they could slow the game down with long possessions, they could make something happen. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Players to watch</span><br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="796112" first="Connor" last="Drew"], Ballard<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962491" first="Ashton" last="Hermann"], Ballard<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="964880" first="Mason" last="Murphy"], Ballard<br /> 2022 Levi Gurwell, Winterset<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="784978" first="Dawson" last="Forgy"], Winterset<br /> 2022 Nathan Avery, Winterset<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="682289" first="Jevin" last="Sullivan"], North Polk<br /> 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="956874" first="Colby" last="Collison"], Bondurant-Farrar<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="796143" first="Tanner" last="Henningsen"], Gilbert<br /> 2022 Colin Memmer, Nevada</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;">SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION</h3> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Ballard vs. Winterset</em></p> <p>This is one of the easiest picks in any class. Ballard is the top-ranked team in 3A, and they’ve swept Winterset this year, winning handily in both games. It would take a Herculean effort for the Huskies to notch this upset. <strong>Ballard</strong> gets to Des Moines for the third straight year, with their eyes on Friday night. </p>