Playoff Preview: 4A-7

<p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/4A-7.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1130456" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/4A-7.png" alt="" width="735" height="704" /></a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> [caption id="attachment_1112860" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/14-Ty-Walker-crop-1866x1225-1610120696.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1112860" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/14-Ty-Walker-crop-1866x1225-1610120696-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Walker[/caption] <p><strong>The favorite: Valley</strong> has been one of the bigger surprises of the season in 4A, and the Tigers earned this substate’s top seed, marching to a 15-4 record in the regular season. They’re led by a dynamic trio in senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="796132" first="Ty" last="Walker"] (19.8, 45.5 3P%) and junior forwards [player_tooltip player_id="962490" first="Eli" last="Raridon"] (18.4, 6.6 rebounds) and <strong>Ruot Bijiek</strong> (13.2, 6.8 rebounds). Walker has been excellent this year as the team’s go-to scoring threat, posting great efficiency numbers and playing very consistently on both ends of the floor. Bijiek already holds a handful of Division I offers and is a major matchup problem at 6-8 with great athleticism and the ability to score inside and out. And Raridon is a great athlete at 6-6 who is one of the more coveted tight end prospects in the country. Valley is always deep, and this year is no exception, and their size can be a major issue for teams. </p> [caption id="attachment_1104494" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/139-Jack-Groeteke-crop-1749x1149-1608586434.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1104494 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/139-Jack-Groeteke-crop-1749x1149-1608586434-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Groeteke[/caption] <p><strong>The biggest threat:</strong> There may not be a more confusing team in 4A than <strong>Dowling Catholic.</strong> The Maroons hold some outstanding wins over Valley, Ames, Centennial, Johnston and Council Bluffs Lincoln. But they’ve also dropped games to Ankeny, Southeast Polk and Urbandale, among others. That type of inconsistency makes them a difficult team to project, but they’re capable of beating just about anyone in the state. They’re a big, physical team that likes to use their size, athleticism and physicality to exert their will on the opposition. [player_tooltip player_id="796103" first="Ryan" last="Riggs"] (15.0, 6.2 rebounds) leads the team in scoring and rebounding, a 6-9 forward who has been strong on both ends of the floor. Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id="964878" first="Matt" last="Riedl"] (13.0, 4.8 assists) is tough on the wing, a long player who can get to the bucket and facilitate, and senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="796134" first="Jack" last="Groeteke"] (9.7, 42.9 3P%) is a 6-10 sniper who can really stretch the floor. When Dowling has it clicking, they’re really tough to beat. </p> <p><strong>The dark horse:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="727901" first="Diondre" last="Taylor"] (26.5) leads a high-scoring group from <strong>Des Moines North</strong> that likes to play up-tempo, and if the Polar Bears are able to dictate the tempo, they can upset some teams. Senior guard <strong>Tharon Locure</strong> (19.9) pairs with Taylor to give North a dynamic one-two punch that can put up points in a hurry. The question for the Polars has always been on the defensive end, and they’ll need to play better on that end of the floor if they want to make a run, but the offensive pieces are certainly in place to make some noise. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Players to watch</span><br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="796132" first="Ty" last="Walker"], Valley<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962490" first="Eli" last="Raridon"], Valley<br /> 2022 Ruot Bijiek, Valley<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="796103" first="Ryan" last="Riggs"], Dowling Catholic<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="964878" first="Matt" last="Riedl"], Dowling Catholic<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="796134" first="Jack" last="Groeteke"], Dowling Catholic<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="727901" first="Diondre" last="Taylor"], North<br /> 2021 Tharon Locure, North<br /> 2022 Wyatt Hatcher, Lewis Central<br /> 2024 Tyron Wright, East<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="964932" first="Dylan" last="Sams"], Urbandale</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;">SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION</h3> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Valley vs. Dowling Catholic</em></p> <p>Dowling beat Valley back on January 12, 56-51, holding the Tigers to 38.6% shooting. The Tigers were just 13-24 from the free-throw line in that loss, while Dowling was 12-16. The more consistent team all year has been Valley, but Dowling holds that head-to-head win. This is a tough one to pick, but we're going to take the more consistent team and take <strong>Valley</strong> to get back to Wells Fargo in the battle of West Des Moines. </p>