Class 4A Substate Quarterfinal Preview

Class 4A postseason action gets started tonight, with 32 teams taking the court, while 16 others enjoy the perks of a first-round bye. We’ll be down to 32 teams in a matter of hours. We take a look at some of the top games, teams who should be on upset alert and pick each of the 16 games.   <h3 style="text-align: center;">The Top Five Games</h3> [caption id="attachment_1290380" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/7-Trovary-Cavil.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1290380 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/7-Trovary-Cavil-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1171658" first="Trovary" last="Cavil"][/caption] Mason City at Des Moines Lincoln These teams met in the regular-season finale on Friday night, a 70-59 Mason City win. The Mohawks held Lincoln to 19-56 shooting (33.9%) while shooting 23-43 (53.5%) on their own. They forced 21 turnovers and got 20 points from star guard [player_tooltip player_id="784975" first="Corey" last="Miner"] (14.7) on efficient 6-9 shooting. They also did a solid job on Lincoln standout guard [player_tooltip player_id="1171658" first="Trovary" last="Cavil"] (16.9, 5.3 assists), who they limited to just eight shot attempts in the game. If they’re able to contain Cavil again, they can certainly pull off another win and advance to the semifinals. [caption id="attachment_1290437" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/47-Simarion-Simmy-Anderson.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1290437 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/47-Simarion-Simmy-Anderson-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1288869" first="Si’Marion" last="Anderson"][/caption] Cedar Rapids Jefferson at Waterloo West BC Moore’s power rankings system has these two teams separated by 0.03 points, so this is a legitimate coin-flip of a game. Jefferson won the first meeting between these teams, 58-52, less than two weeks ago. The J-Hawks shot 10-20 from behind the arc in that win, significantly higher than their 31.2% as a team during the year. Jefferson is able to put several quick guards on the floor, led by seniors [player_tooltip player_id="1352882" first="Ayrondus" last="Hodges"] (15.5) and [player_tooltip player_id="962659" first="Andreas" last="Williams"] (15.4), and they’ll look to apply some pressure on a West backcourt that can be a little loose with the ball at times. The Wahawks put a lot of athleticism and quickness on the floor themselves with the junior tandem of wings [player_tooltip player_id="1288869" first="Si’Marion" last="Anderson"] (15.4) and [player_tooltip player_id="1367438" first="Keishaun" last="Pendleton"] (15.1) leading the way. If Jefferson shoots it like they did in the first meeting again, they’ll win. If not, we’ll have a good game. [caption id="attachment_1290499" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/93-Jaxson-Young.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1290499 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/93-Jaxson-Young-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="962642" first="Jaxson" last="Young"][/caption] North Scott at Linn-Mar BC Moore’s power rankings system has Linn-Mar as a 13.5-point favorite in this game, but I expect it to be much closer. North Scott coach Shamus Budde is one of the best defensive coaches in the state, and he’ll certainly have the Lancers ready to play tough defense on Linn-Mar’s star guard [player_tooltip player_id="962642" first="Jaxson" last="Young"] (15.0). North Scott doesn’t have a dominant scoring threat, but they have five players averaging between 7.4 and 9.4 points a game, so they have a bunch of players who can beat you on a given night. They’ll need to get some production out of senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1158424" first="Oliver" last="Hughes"] (9.4, 43.8 3P%) and junior [player_tooltip player_id="956882" first="Cole" last="Kilburg"] (8.6, 45.5 3P%), who will need to knock down some perimeter shots to prevent the Lions from just packing it in and making life really difficult. The X-factor here may be 6-7 freshman [player_tooltip player_id="1381412" first="Davis" last="Kern"] (10.2, 5.7 rebounds), a long and athletic stretch-4 who can score inside and out for Linn-Mar. North Scott doesn’t have the size to slow him down. City at Davenport West This should be an entertaining game between a pair of teams that are a bit undersized and guard-heavy, but that like to get up and down and play with tempo. City is led by a trio of double-figure scorers in [player_tooltip player_id="784977" first="Jamari" last="Newson"] (13.8, 3.9 assists), [player_tooltip player_id="1240089" first="Shamar" last="Benton"] (11.4), and [player_tooltip player_id="1256297" first="TaeVeon" last="Stevens"] (10.5). Newson is an athletic lead guard who can get to the rim and get others involved, Benton is a long and athletic wing who likes to play downhill, and Stevens has unlimited range and even more confidence in his stroke. West counters with a strong trio of guards of their own in seniors [player_tooltip player_id="962634" first="Jermaine" last="Gardner"] (13.2) and [player_tooltip player_id="962640" first="NaZion" last="Caruthers"] (11.0), and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1376725" first="Jermilyn" last="Gardner"] (8.8). Both teams can get a bit sloppy with the ball at times, and it may not be the cleanest game played tonight, but expect to see an entertaining, up-tempo game that should be decided late. [caption id="attachment_1254565" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Caden-Wilkins.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1254565 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Caden-Wilkins-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1171682" first="Caden" last="Wilkins"][/caption] Senior at Bettendorf This is an interesting matchup between a pair of young teams with bright futures. Senior is led by sophomore forward [player_tooltip player_id="1376678" first="Jacob" last="Williams"] (11.3), and five of their top six scorers will be back next year. The Rams have a young and athletic core to build around, and they’ll be looking to use their athleticism to speed up the game against the Bulldogs a bit. They’ll have their hands full with Bettendorf sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1171682" first="Caden" last="Wilkins"] (16.1), the top-ranked 2024 in the state. Wilkins is an athletic 6-7 wing who can score from all three levels, and he’s improving as a playmaker. Like Senior, the Bulldogs are young, with four of their top six returning next season. Both of these programs will be looking to make a little bit of a run this year to gain some momentum heading into next season. <h3 style="text-align: center;">Upset Alert</h3> Des Moines Lincoln: They just lost to the team that they’re playing by 11 points despite pulling down 17 offensive rebounds. Mason City’s efficiency was too much for Lincoln to handle. Will being back on their home floor make up the difference? We’ll see tonight. Linn-Mar: Shamus Budde is a fantastic defensive coach, and he’ll have North Scott ready to go with a gameplan to slow down [player_tooltip player_id="962642" first="Jaxson" last="Young"]. But can the Lancers score enough to pull off the upset? Davenport West: West is playing better basketball down the stretch, but the Little Hawks do have some guards in Newson and Stevens that could be difficult for the Falcons to match up with. Newson is a bigger athletic guard, while Stevens has incredible range. Bettendorf: The Bulldogs have the best player on the floor in Wilkins, but Senior is an interesting matchup for them, as the Rams have a slew of hyper-athletic wings and forwards that they can throw at Wilkins. If the ’Dogs don’t get enough production from the role players, Senior can go into the Quad Cities and come away with a win.   Picking all 16 Substate 1: Sioux city West over Sioux City North, Waukee over Council Bluffs Jefferson Substate 2: Mason City over Des Moines Lincoln, Hoover over Fort Dodge Substate 3: Waterloo West over Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Marshalltown over Waterloo East Substate 4: Linn-Mar over North Scott, Liberty over Davenport Central Substate 5: Davenport West over City, Burlington over Muscatine Substate 6: Senior over Bettendorf, Hempstead over Clinton Substate 7: Southeast Polk over Ottumwa, Urbandale over Des Moines East Substate 8: Norwalk over Roosevelt, Dowling Catholic over Des Moines North