Conference Preview: SICL East

<h4>The Teams</h4> <p><strong>Belle Plaine (13-10):</strong> The Plainsmen bring back three of their top four scorers from last season, headlined by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="962683" first="Ben" last="DeMeulenaere"] (18.7, 13.0 rebounds). DeMeuelenaere is an undersized big at 6-2/6-3, but he has great hands, a relentless motor, and he has a nose for the ball. He’s a highly efficient scorer (62.5 FG%) with good footwork and touch, and his work on the glass is rivaled by very few players around the state. Eli Ehlen (7.8, 39.7 3P%) returns to lead the charge on the perimeter, while Brooks DeMeulenaere (6.2) can score inside and out. This program has averaged 15 wins a year over the last six seasons, and they should be right in that area again this year, led by the walking double-double DeMeulenaere.</p> <p><strong>English Valleys (12-10):</strong> The Bears had only won double-digit games once in the QuikStats/VarsityBound era (10 games in the 2008-09 season) before last year, and their 12-10 finish was the only time they’ve finished above .500 in that time. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="962678" first="Kaden" last="Hall"] (19.7, 12.5 rebounds) is a walking double-double, an athletic forward who plays with a relentless motor. He’s an efficient scorer and great rim protector who controls the glass on both ends of the floor. Beau Flander (6.9) is another solid scoring option inside the arc, while junior guard Reese Bender (4.0) returns to lead the charge on the perimeter. He will be relied upon to be a primary ball-handler for this team after they lost their top three ball-handling options. In Hall, the Bears have one of the most dominant players in the conference, and that should be enough to keep them near the top of the division and another above .500 finish.</p> [caption id="attachment_1027063" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Brody-Ward-1.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1027063 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Brody-Ward-1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> Ward[/caption] <p><strong>Iowa Valley (12-8):</strong> Before last season, the Tigers hadn’t finished above .500 since the 2007-08 season, when they went 13-8. In fact, their 12 wins last season were only four less than they had in the previous three seasons combined. With their top three scorers returning, they have an excellent chance at building on last year’s success and potentially making a run in the postseason this year. They’re led by senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1158460" first="Brody" last="Ward"] (23.0), the top returning scorer in 1A. Ward is a high-level scorer from all three levels, and he’s also capable of getting others involved and making an impact on the defensive end (3.5 steals a game). All three key returnees averaged at least 3.0 steals a game, giving them a dynamic trio of defenders. Senior Peyton Loffer (11.3) and junior Evan Kearney (8.9) are the other key returnees for this group. Kearney led the team in assists last season, and Loffer is a capable threat from the arc and an efficient scorer inside it. The Tigers will lack traditional size, and could struggle against teams like Belle Plaine and English Valleys on the glass, but they’ll be able to score with anyone in the conference.</p> <p><strong>Keota (20-3):</strong> Two of the Eagles losses came to 1A champion Montezuma, and the other to an athletic 2A team from Cardinal. Unfortunately, they lose the top six scorers from that roster, leaving senior Dakota Detweiler (1.5) as the top returning scorer. With 95% of their scoring output from last season graduated, it’s difficult to project Keota. That said, this is a program that has averaged 18.4 wins a year over the last 15 seasons, and despite the heavy personnel losses, they should remain competitive within the division.</p> <p><strong>Sigourney (9-13):</strong> It was a tale of three seasons for the Savages, who got off to a slow 1-5 start before the holiday break, then won six of their first seven games out of the break. They then ended the year by losing seven of their last nine. They bring back four of the top five scorers from that group, so expect to see them become a little more consistent this season. A pair of double-figure scorers return in seniors Levi Crawford (11.0) and Ethan Shifflett (10.8), while seniors Bo Schmidt (6.5) and Cade Molyneux (5.5) also return. Shifflett led the team in rebounding last season, while Crawford led the team in scoring. The Savages actually did a fairly good job protecting the ball last season, turning it over 12.9 times a game, but they'll need to improve their efficiency (33.7 FG%) if they want to find themselves near the top of the division.</p> <p><strong>Tri-County (0-21):</strong> The winless Trojans lost their top two scorers to graduation, but bring back five players who averaged between 2.3 and 5.3 points a game, so they'll have some experience. Junior forward Eli Molyneux (5.3) is the top returnee, while senior forward Scott Rivot (3.5) is the top returning rebounder.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Projected Order of Finish</h4> <p>1. Iowa Valley<br /> 2. Belle Plaine<br /> 3. Keota<br /> 4. English Valleys<br /> 5. Sigourney<br /> 6. Tri-County</p> <p><strong>Analysis:</strong> Iowa Valley brings back their top three scorers from a team that was much improved last season. You could put the top four in any order and it wouldn't surprise us. Keota brings back nothing, but is the strongest program in the division, while Belle Plaine and English Valleys both have dominant forwards who can control games on both ends of the floor.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Preseason Player of the Year</h4> <p><strong>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962683" first="Ben" last="DeMeulenaere"], Belle Plaine:</strong> This should be one of the more intriguing POY races throughout the year. DeMeulenaere pulled down 299 rebounds last season and is a walking double-double, but great arguments can be made for [player_tooltip player_id="1158460" first="Brody" last="Ward"] or [player_tooltip player_id="962678" first="Kaden" last="Hall"] for this honor as well.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Players to Watch</h4> <p>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962683" first="Ben" last="DeMeulenaere"], Belle Plaine<br /> 2022 Eli Ehlen, Belle Plaine<br /> 2023 Brooks DeMeulenaere, Belle Plaine<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962678" first="Kaden" last="Hall"], English Valleys<br /> 2022 Beau Flander, English Valleys<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158460" first="Brody" last="Ward"], Iowa Valley<br /> 2022 Peyton Loffer, Iowa Valley<br /> 2023 Evan Kearney, Iowa Valley<br /> 2022 Ethan Shifflett, Sigourney<br /> 2022 Levi Crawford, Sigourney<br /> 2022 Bo Schmidt, Sigourney<br /> 2022 Cade Molyneux, Sigourney<br /> 2023 Eli Molyneux, Tri-County<br /> 2022 Kobe Riffel, Tri-County</p>