Class 1A District Semifinal Preview

<p><em>The district semifinals are Thursday night in Class 1A and 2A. We take a look at some of the top games in Class 1A action here.</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;">The Top Five Games</h3> [caption id="attachment_1166860" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Rhenden-Wagaman.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1166860 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Rhenden-Wagaman-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="962618" first="Rhenden" last="Wagaman"][/caption] <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Springville vs. Lisbon (at Easton Valley)</strong></span></p> <p>These teams met at the beginning of the season, with Springville winning 63-48 behind 20 points each from [player_tooltip player_id="1352977" first="Dylan" last="DeMean"] and [player_tooltip player_id="962643" first="Luke" last="Menster"]. The Orioles forced Lisbon into 16 turnovers in that game, so the Lions will need to focus on that area if they want to win and advance to the district final. </p> <p>Springville wing [player_tooltip player_id="962618" first="Rhenden" last="Wagaman"] (22.2) is a dynamic three-level scorer who creates all sorts of issues with his length, while Menster (17.7) is a quick guard who gets to the rim and gets others involved. For Lisbon, senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="784986" first="Kole" last="Becker"] (13.4) and forward [player_tooltip player_id="962694" first="Tyson" last="Scott"] (13.4, 9.8 rebounds) lead the way. Becker is a hyper-athletic wing who is headed to Iowa State to high jump, while Scott is an undersized but physical forward who dominates the glass. If Springville can force a bunch of turnovers again, they should be able to move on. If Lisbon can control the ball, this could be very fun. </p> [caption id="attachment_1147232" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/Eddie-Burgess-new-crop-2786x1829-1615314807-crop-640x421-1615314816.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1147232 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/Eddie-Burgess-new-crop-2786x1829-1615314807-crop-640x421-1615314816-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="962629" first="Eddie" last="Burgess"][/caption] <p><strong>Montezuma at WACO</strong></p> <p>Defending champion Montezuma hits the road to take on an upstart WACO team that has been one of the biggest surprises in the class this year. The Braves are led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="962629" first="Eddie" last="Burgess"] (17.1, 15.9 rebounds), an absolutely dominant force in the paint who rebounds it extremely well. He’ll have his hands full against a Warriors team that loves to pound the glass. [player_tooltip player_id="956886" first="Masin" last="Shearer"] (14.1, 4.5 assists) has stepped into a primary scoring role on the perimeter, and the Braves are getting good production out of Nik Kotar (12.4) and Gavin Strong (11.2) as well.</p> <p>As we mentioned, WACO loves to pound the glass, pulling down 13.4 offensive rebounds a game, a 46.5% offensive rebounding rate. Sophomore wing Hunter Hughes (12.0, 3.5 assists) leads the team in scoring and assists, and six Warriors average between 4.0 and 9.3 points a game, giving them a number of quality scoring options. No one player stands out, but this is a strong all-around team that loves to play physically and use their athleticism. If Burgess isn’t able to control the glass, WACO will punch their ticket to the district final. If he is able to dominate the glass, this could be one of the best games of the night. </p> <p><strong>Mount Ayr at North Mahaska</strong></p> <p>A young but exciting North Mahaska team that is led by a quartet of juniors is looking to make some noise this postseason, and they’ll have their hands full with Mount Ayr’s junior standout guard [player_tooltip player_id="1167690" first="Jaixen" last="Frost"] (22.3). Frost is a 6-2 guard who can fill it up from all three levels (53-41-85 splits) as well as get others involved. North Mahaska counters with the 6-7 playmaking wing [player_tooltip player_id="1167743" first="Nash" last="Smith"] (20.2, 3.8 assists), a long, lanky wing who can score inside and out, and who creates chaos at the top of the Warhawks halfcourt trapping defense. Look for the Warhawks to apply all sorts of pressure on Frost and the other Raiders, looking to force turnovers and get easy buckets in transition. [player_tooltip player_id="1367407" first="Lane" last="Harmon"] (14.4, 42.2 3P%) is a knockdown shooter, and [player_tooltip player_id="1167746" first="Braden" last="Steel"] (9.5, 9.8 rebounds) controls the glass. Frost is excellent, but North Mahaska is better all around. </p> <p><strong>Coon Rapids-Bayard at Boyer Valley</strong></p> <p>These teams split their regular-season series, with Boyer valley winning 45-42 on January 4, and Coon Rapids-Bayard taking the second meeting a month later, 53-47. Each team won on the other’s home court. CR-B has won nine straight games heading into this one, while Boyer Valley is just 2-2 in their last four games. The Crusaders have a bit more offensive firepower with [player_tooltip player_id="962664" first="Gabe" last="Obert"] (14.0), [player_tooltip player_id="1352935" first="Tanner" last="Oswald"] (13.7), and Lance Clayburg (13.7) leading the way, and the hotter team should come away with the road win and move into the district final. These teams are extremely familiar with each other and this should be tight throughout. </p> <p><strong>Ankeny Christian at Madrid</strong></p> <p>If you like up-tempo basketball, tune into this one, as both of these teams like to get up and down. Madrid beat ACA in the season opener, 74-50, but expect this rematch to be much tighter. The Tigers are paced by freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id="1174816" first="Toryn" last="Severson"] (19.2), who is putting together one of the best freshman seasons we’ve seen. A 6-2 guard who can score from all three levels, he’ll be the best player on the floor here, while his brother, junior [player_tooltip player_id="1155054" first="Kadyn" last="Severson"] (14.8) provides some more scoring punch, and senior big man [player_tooltip player_id="1352890" first="Brady" last="Leonard"] (5.3, 13.0 rebounds) isn’t much of a scorer but will have his way on the glass. [player_tooltip player_id="1352940" first="Logan" last="Fincham"] (13.9) paces four double-figure scorers for ACA, but it’s [player_tooltip player_id="962662" first="Malachi" last="Johnson"] (11.6, 7.0 assists) who will need to be a difference-maker in this game. The 5-10 lead guard is experienced and will need to put some pressure on the younger Tigers if ACA wants to pull the upset. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;">Upset Alert</h3> <p><strong>Gehlen Catholic:</strong> The Jays won the regular-season meeting 63-51 against Woodbury Central, but trailed by 7 at the half in that game before a big 37-18 second half gave them the win. They struggled to slow down senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="1158450" first="Dallas" last="Kluender"] (20.7, 11.6 rebounds), who had 26 points and 9 rebounds in that game for Woodbury Central, and he’s capable of putting together another huge game. In that defeat, the Wildcats shot just 5-26 (19.2%) from behind the arc, and while they’re not a good shooting team by any means, they shouldn’t shoot quite that poorly again. Gehlen is the better team and has two of the three best players on the floor in [player_tooltip player_id="956881" first="Keaten" last="Bonderson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="962690" first="Carter" last="DeRocher"], but Kluender can cause issues for a smaller Jays team.</p> <p><strong>WACO:</strong> As we detailed earlier, Montezuma is certainly capable of going into Wayland and upsetting the Warriors. The Braves have a dominant player in Burgess, and a number of solid perimeter scoring options to put around him. Montezuma’s 2-3 zone could cause some issues for a WACO team that doesn’t shoot it particularly well from the arc. </p> <p><strong>Baxter:</strong> Lynnville-Sully recently lost second-leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="1167730" first="Preston" last="Rodibaugh"] (13.6) to an injury, but the Hawks still have three players averaging in double-figures to carry the offensive load in [player_tooltip player_id="1240095" first="Conner" last="Maston"] (13.8), [player_tooltip player_id="1376719" first="Klayton" last="Van Dyke"] (11.0, 9.7 rebounds), and [player_tooltip player_id="1171666" first="Corder" last="Noun Harder"] (10.8). Maston is a shooter who is capable of getting red hot, and the Hawks have played a more difficult schedule than Baxter has. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Our Picks for All 32</span><br /> District 1: Newell-Fonda over Kingsley-Pierson, Gehlen Catholic over Woodbury Central<br /> District 2: Remsen, St. Mary’s over Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, South O’Brien over George-Little Rock<br /> District 3: Lake Mills over West Hancock, GTRA over North Iowa<br /> District 4: Dunkerton over West Fork, Newman Catholic over North Butler<br /> District 5: North Linn over Maquoketa Valley, Janesville over North Tama<br /> District 6: Edgewood-Colesburg over Kee, Wapsie Valley over Turkey Valley<br /> District 7: Gladbrook-Reinbeck over Belle Plaine, Alburnett over Hudson<br /> District 8: Easton Valley over Bellevue, Lisbon over Springville<br /> District 9: Danville over Notre Dame, Winfield-Mt. Union over Hillcrest Academy<br /> District 10: New London over Iowa Valley, Montezuma over WACO<br /> District 11: Martensdale-St. Marys over Colo-Nesco, Lynnville-Sully over Baxter<br /> District 12: Moravia over Lamoni, North Mahaska over Mount Ayr<br /> District 13: Grand View Christian over Ogden, Madrid over Ankeny Christian<br /> District 14: East Mills over Bedford, St. Albert over Stanton<br /> District 15: AHSTW over Audubon, Exira-EHK over IKM-Manning<br /> District 16: West Harrison over Tri-Center, Coon Rapids-Bayard over Boyer Valley</p>