Substate Preview: 1A-6

<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/1A-11.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1383232" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/1A-11.png" alt="" width="1008" height="423" /></a> <h4>District 11</h4> The favorite: If you look at BCMoore’s power rankings system, the top three teams in this district are separated by just 0.79 points. Since they won’t have to play the other two teams until the district final, we’ll make Martensdale-St. Marys the favorite in the district. Their two losses have come to 2A teams Kuemper Catholic and Central Decatur. The top five scorers for the Blue Devils are seniors, led by guard [player_tooltip player_id="962666" first="Hogan" last="Franey"] (19.6, 6.8 assists), a good shooter and distributor who is the lone returnee who saw significant playing time on the last few state qualifying teams. [player_tooltip player_id="1352931" first="Gavin" last="Stott"] (16.4) has provided some needed perimeter shooting, while Chase Boelling (10.5), Tyler Baker (6.6), and Matt Hughes (5.4) have been strong on the glass. The Devils do a good job limiting turnovers (11.2 a game), and they’ll have the easiest path to the district final as the district’s top seed. The biggest threat: Lynnville-Sully has been hot following the holiday break, winning 10 of their last 11 games, with the lone loss coming by one point to a really good Montezuma team. The Hawks are a young team, with two juniors and two sophomores as their top four scorers, each averaging in double-figures. [player_tooltip player_id="1167730" first="Preston" last="Rodibaugh"] (13.6) and [player_tooltip player_id="1240095" first="Conner" last="Maston"] (13.6) are the team’s top scorers, although Rodibaugh hasn’t played since January 25th, and his status heading into the postseason is unknown to us. [player_tooltip player_id="1171666" first="Corder" last="Noun Harder"] (11.3, 5.7 assists) is a solid lead guard who does a great job getting others involved, and [player_tooltip player_id="1376719" first="Klayton" last="Van Dyke"] (10.2, 9.7 rebounds) has been a force in the paint on both ends of the floor. They are another team that limits turnovers (10.5 a game), and they hold a 3-point win over Baxter, their likely semifinal opponent. The dark horse: Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id="1240107" first="Carson" last="Scroggins"] (16.3) leads a balanced attack for Baxter, with three players averaging in double-figures. Treyton Travis (11.1) and Nate McMinamen (10.2) are the other big scoring threats, but junior point guard Cody Damman (9.1, 5.0 assists) may be the team’s most important piece on both ends of the floor. He’s a heady point guard who limits turnovers (1.3, the team has just 7.0 a game), and is a pest on the defensive end. The Bolts have a number of scoring options and recently played Lynnville-Sully to a 3-point game, so they know that’s a team that they can beat and get to the district final. Players to watch 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962666" first="Hogan" last="Franey"], Martensdale-St. Marys 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1352931" first="Gavin" last="Stott"], Martensdale-St. Marys 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1240095" first="Conner" last="Maston"], Lynnville-Sully 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1171666" first="Corder" last="Noun Harder"], Lynnville-Sully 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1240107" first="Carson" last="Scroggins"], Baxter 2023 Cody Damman, Baxter 2024 Lucas Frohwein, Colo-Nesco 2023 Luke Huntrods, Collins-Maxwell 2022 Weston Kahler, Collins-Maxwell 2022 Mykel Ratliff, GMG 2023 Jack Williams, Southeast Warren 2023 Owen Suntken, Melcher-Dallas   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/1A-12.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1383234" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/1A-12.png" alt="" width="984" height="418" /></a> <h4>District 12</h4> [caption id="attachment_1258990" align="alignright" width="190"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/08/AD3D3A97-1FCF-4B01-9B1C-108EA8B6DC99.jpeg"><img class="wp-image-1258990 size-full" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/08/AD3D3A97-1FCF-4B01-9B1C-108EA8B6DC99.jpeg" alt="" width="190" height="266" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1167743" first="Nash" last="Smith"][/caption] The favorite: North Mahaska has one of the most potent offensive attacks in the state, ranking 9th in 1A, averaging 68.7 points a night. The Warhawks are a young but talented team that is led in scoring by four juniors - [player_tooltip player_id="1167743" first="Nash" last="Smith"] (20.4, 7.0 rebounds), [player_tooltip player_id="1367407" first="Lane" last="Harmon"] (14.3), [player_tooltip player_id="1167746" first="Braden" last="Steel"] (9.8, 10.0 rebounds), and Ethan Huffman (7.9). Smith is the most talented player in this district, a 6-5/6-6 wing who can handle it, pass, and score from all three levels. He uses his length effectively on the defensive end at the top of their press and in their halfcourt trap, and with his size and talent, he’s a difficult matchup. Harmon is a good shooter who moves really well off the ball and is a reliable ball-handler and distributor, and Steel is an animal on the offensive glass and is the type of passer that allows the offense to run through him. The Warhawks are maybe a year ahead of schedule, but this team has talent, length, and they play with physicality. They can make some noise here. The biggest threat: In junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1167690" first="Jaixen" last="Frost"] (22.5, 7.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists), Mount Ayr has one of the most dynamic players in the class. Frost is a skilled 6-2 combo guard who is a threat to go off for 30+ points on any given night, posting 53-41-87 shooting splits, and he’s also a gifted passer who can get others involved. Junior forward Braydon Pierson (12.9) has stepped into a secondary scoring role, but this team is going to go how Frost goes. The dark horse: A young team from Moravia earned the top seed in the district from the coaches and will get to play their first two games at home as a result. The Mohawks top seven scorers are either juniors or sophomores, and they’ve been impressive this season, compiling a 17-2 record as of this writing and winning games by an average of 26.9 points a game. They’re led by junior wings [player_tooltip player_id="1367453" first="Gage" last="Hanes"] (15.6) and [player_tooltip player_id="1367459" first="Riley" last="Hawkins"] (15.4), while four others average between 5.9 and 8.2 points. This team does a good job forcing turnovers (14.4 steals a game), and they pound the offensive glass, with an offensive rebounding rate of 47.8%. The question with this team is how tested they have been, as their schedule ranks 141st out of 148 1A teams this season. Players to watch 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167743" first="Nash" last="Smith"], North Mahaska 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1367407" first="Lane" last="Harmon"], North Mahaska 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167690" first="Jaixen" last="Frost"], Mount Ayr 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1367453" first="Gage" last="Hanes"], Moravia 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1367459" first="Riley" last="Hawkins"], Moravia 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1139259" first="Brayden" last="Olson"], Lamoni 2022 Remington Newton, Mormon Trail 2022 Kayden Snowden, Seymour 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158511" first="Devin" last="Arkema"], Twin Cedars 2024 Rayce Snyder, Wayne   <h3 style="text-align: center;">SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION</h3> Martensdale-St. Marys vs. North Mahaska Since making four straight state tournament appearances from 2003-2006, North Mahaska hasn’t been back to Des Moines. That changes this year, as their talented quartet of juniors leads the Warhawks to the state tournament with an impressive win over Martensdale-St. Marys.