Conference Preview: SEISC North

<h4>The Teams</h4> <p><strong>Columbus (1-18):</strong> The Wildcats lost their top two scorers and rebounders from last year’s team, and bring back just one player who averaged more than 2.8 points a game last season in senior guard Justus Lekwa (5.8). Look for increased production out of sophomore wing Timothy Hills (2.4) after a productive freshman season, and coach Miguel Villagrana has a number of younger players in the system that are expected to contribute this season and for the next four years. It will be another long year in Columbus, but there is some excitement building around the program.</p> <p><strong>Highland (4-10):</strong> Leading scorer and rebounder Chase Schultz (11.2) returns to lead the Huskies. He leads a solid senior class that also brings back Connor Grinstead (5.8), Trevor McFarland (5.6), Brenton Bonebrake (4.4), and Kaige Vonnahme (2.4), giving them an experienced quintet to build around this season. The Huskies struggled with turnovers (17.7 a game) and perimeter shooting (23.2 3P%) last season, and those numbers will need to improve if they want to compete at a higher level this year.</p> <p><strong>Hillcrest Academy (13-8):</strong> The Ravens lost both of their double-figure scorers from last year’s roster, leaving junior wing Grant Bender (5.6) and senior guard Noah Miller (4.7) as the top returnees. Those two are solid ball-handlers and decision-makers who protect the ball fairly well, but they’ll be relied upon to emerge as scoring threats this season. Look for senior forward Aiden Krabill (2.6, 2.9 rebounds), who was a solid contributor off the bench last year, to emerge as an interior presence and rebounder. Hillcrest (formerly IMS) has never had a season below .500 in the QuikStats/VarsityBound era (dating back to the 2006-07 season), and despite the personnel losses, they should be able to re-load and finish above .500 again.</p> <p><strong>Lone Tree (2-17):</strong> The Lions obviously struggled last year, winning just two games, but they were getting more competitive as the season progressed, and they bring back their top four scorers from that team. Senior forward Tyler Bell (8.2, 9.3 rebounds) leads the way, a strong rebounder and their most efficient scoring threat. Cade Shield (7.3), Adam Knock (6.7), and Cade Patterson (6.5) are the other key returnees. Lone Tree pounded the offensive glass hard last season, pulling down nearly 12 offensive rebounds a game, which helps offset some of the low-efficiency numbers.</p> <p><strong>Louisa-Muscatine (8-13):</strong> The Falcons lost their leading scorer from last season’s team, but bring back sophomore forward Ty Northrup (9.0, 4.5 rebounds), an efficient scorer who led the team in rebounding last season. He’ll be the focal point of the program for the next three years and is a great piece for them to start building around. Junior guard Xander Bieri (5.5) and sophomore guard Hunter Fox (3.7) are the team’s top perimeter options. L-M struggled with turnovers last year, turning it over nearly 16 times a game, and that number will need to improve if they want to be more competitive this year.</p> <p><strong>Mediapolis (8-14):</strong> The Bulldogs were 0-7 heading into the holiday break, but turned it around after the hiatus, going 8-7 in the latter part of the season. They bring back the top four scorers, and seven of the top eight, from that team that played better down the stretch, so expect to see this team near the top of the division standings this season. They’re led by a pair of juniors, forward Cole Lipper (11.2, 7.6 rebounds) and guard [player_tooltip player_id="1240099" first="Ben" last="Egan"] (9.4, 3.0 assists). Lipper is a big, physical, and athletic forward who can control the paint on both ends of the floor, and he’s an efficient finisher. Egan led the team in assists and steals last season, while seniors Cory Virgin (5.9) and Kadin Salek (5.4) give them some perimeter shooting. The other key returnee is senior guard Ryan Ensminger (4.6), who isn’t much of a scoring threat, but he’s a good ball-handler and decision-maker who paces the offense. With a number of talented players back, the ’Dogs should be very competitive within the division this season.</p> <p><strong>Pekin (17-3):</strong> The Panthers lost their top three scorers, and four of their top five, to graduation, leaving senior wing Chandler Stull (8.7, 41.1 3P%) as the top returnee. He’s a fantastic shooter, but it will be interesting to see how he fares as a shot creator after playing alongside some talented guards who were able to get him open looks for the last few years. Luke Long (5.0) was a solid contributor last season as well and returns, but those are the only two returnees who saw significant playing time last season. This program has averaged 15.4 wins over the last 10 seasons, and they should be competitive again despite the major personnel losses. </p> [caption id="attachment_1290453" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/60-Maddox-Griffin.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1290453 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/60-Maddox-Griffin-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> Griffin[/caption] <p><strong>Wapello (16-4):</strong> In 6-3/6-4 point guard [player_tooltip player_id="962646" first="Maddox" last="Griffin"] (17.6, 8.2 assists, 7.1 rebounds, 4.2 steals), Wapello has one of the best players in 1A. He has signed to play at Upper Iowa, and as you can tell by his stat line, he impacts the game on both ends of the floor. They lose a lot of production from last year’s team that fell to Easton Valley in the substate semifinals, but having Griffin on their side will keep them competitive. They’ll need someone among the group of returnees - Tade Parsons (4.5), Ryan McDonough (2.0), Jackson Lanz (2.0) - to step up and emerge as a secondary scoring option, but Griffin will win them a number of games in the league and they should be rounding into form by the time postseason play rolls around.</p> <p><strong>Winfield-Mt. Union (9-10):</strong> The Wolves were extremely young last season, led by a pair of talented freshmen, [player_tooltip player_id="1171697" first="Cam" last="Buffington"] (17.2, 9.5 rebounds) and [player_tooltip player_id="1171698" first="Abram" last="Edwards"] (13.5, 9.5 rebounds). Those freshmen are now sophomores and are ready to take over this division. Buffington is a big, physical forward who has already committed to play football at Iowa, while Edwards, the son of WMU coach Klay Edwards, a former Iowa State player, is a high IQ player who can score inside and out, handle it, and protect the rim. Those two combined to account for nearly 65% of the team’s points last year, but some help is on the way in the form of freshman guard Jake Edwards, the younger brother of Abram. There has been some scuttlebutt that Jake may be even more talented than Abram, and if true, watch out over the next four years. With the talent, physicality, size, and athleticism that Winfield-Mt. Union is able to put on the floor this season, they may make a major leap up to the top of the division and become a contender in 1A.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Projected Order of Finish</h4> <p>1. Wapello<br /> 2. Winfield-Mt. Union<br /> 3. Hillcrest Academy<br /> 4. Pekin<br /> 5. Mediapolis<br /> 6. Louisa-Muscatine<br /> 7. Highland<br /> 8. Lone Tree<br /> 9. Columbus</p> <p><strong>Analysis:</strong> This was probably the most difficult division to project so far. Wapello has the league’s best player in [player_tooltip player_id="962646" first="Maddox" last="Griffin"], but doesn’t bring much else back. Winfield-Mt. Union has a very talented young roster, but they’re still learning how to win, while Hillcrest and Pekin are both good programs that re-load. Mediapolis brings back a lot and should be competitive.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Preseason Player of the Year</h4> <p><strong>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962646" first="Maddox" last="Griffin"], Wapello:</strong> A 6-3 lead guard who does a great job playing with pace, Griffin is always under control, lets the game come to him, and he stuffs the stat sheet in a major way. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Players to Watch</h4> <p>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962646" first="Maddox" last="Griffin"], Wapello<br /> 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1171697" first="Cam" last="Buffington"], Winfield-Mt. Union<br /> 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1171698" first="Abram" last="Edwards"], Winfield-Mt. Union<br /> 2023 Cole Lipper, Mediapolis<br /> 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1240099" first="Ben" last="Egan"], Mediapolis<br /> 2022 Cory Virgin, Mediapolis<br /> 2022 Chase Schultz, Highland<br /> 2022 Connor Grinstead, Highland<br /> 2024 Ty Northrup, Louisa-Muscatine<br /> 2022 Chandler Stull, Pekin<br /> 2022 Tyler Bell, Lone Tree<br /> 2022 Cade Shield, Lone Tree<br /> 2022 Adam Knock, Lone Tree<br /> 2022 Cade Patterson, Lone Tree<br /> 2022 Justus Lekwa, Columbus<br /> 2023 Grant Bender, Hillcrest Academy</p>