Substate Preview: 2A-1

<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/2A-1-1.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-1383246 size-large" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/2A-1-1-1024x330.png" alt="" width="1024" height="330" /></a> <h4>District 1</h4> The favorite: A dynamic offensive team from Central Lyon earned the district’s top seed behind the strength of a 19-1 record. The Lions are winning games by an average of 20.6 points and putting up 79.2 points a game. A highly efficient attack is paced by junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1253020" first="Zach" last="Lutmer"] (20.5, 6.0 assists), a dynamic three-level scorer who can also dominate games on both ends of the floor even when he isn’t scoring. Senior sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id="962637" first="Mason" last="Gerleman"] (17.9, 47.1 3P%) moves incredibly well off the ball and is an elite shooter who is a perfect fit next to Lutmer, and junior forward [player_tooltip player_id="1367399" first="Andrew" last="Austin"] (14.4) has given them a strong tertiary scoring option. The Lions do a great job sharing the ball and have rolled through a good Siouxland Conference, with their lone loss coming to Boyden-Hull by 6. This is a fantastic team that should be considered a heavy favorite in this district. The biggest threat: West Sioux earned a first-round bye, and just beat likely semifinal opponent Hinton by 21 points. The Falcons like to play up-tempo, using their athleticism and quickness to force turnovers and get to the bucket. Three juniors lead the team in scoring, and only two seniors see significant playing time, so this is a strong building year for the program. [player_tooltip player_id="956885" first="Mason" last="Coppock"] (17.3, 5.6 assists) leads the team in scoring and assists and is a good three-level scorer who can take over games. Carter Bultman (10.8) is an efficient scorer inside the arc, as is Booker Walsh (9.3). If they want to pull off an upset in the district final, they’ll need big games from Coppock and senior wing Blake Van Ballegooyen (8.3, 35.2 3P%), the team’s top two perimeter shooting threats. They’ll need to knock down shots if they want to keep pace with Central Lyon. The dark horse: In senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="962600" first="Caleb" last="Holmes"] (23.4), Hinton has one of the state’s best scorers, which makes them a dangerous team. On any given night, Holmes could go off for 30-35 points and carry the Blackhawks to a few wins. Carson Pierce (11.0, 36.8 3P%) has shown himself to be a solid shooter, and they do a good job limiting turnovers (10.3 a game). Beating both West Sioux and Central Lyon is a tall task, but Holmes is a dynamic player. Players to watch 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1253020" first="Zach" last="Lutmer"], Central Lyon 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962637" first="Mason" last="Gerleman"], Central Lyon 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1367399" first="Andrew" last="Austin"], Central Lyon 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="956885" first="Mason" last="Coppock"], West Sioux 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962600" first="Caleb" last="Holmes"], Hinton 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1367439" first="Landon" last="Blatchford"], West Monona 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158498" first="Shane" last="Brouwer"], Sheldon   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/2A-2-1.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-1383249 size-large" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/2A-2-1-1024x307.png" alt="" width="1024" height="307" /></a> <h4>District 2</h4> [caption id="attachment_1147361" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/Ty-Van-Essen-crop-2786x1829-1615320637-crop-518x340-1615320649.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1147361 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/Ty-Van-Essen-crop-2786x1829-1615320637-crop-518x340-1615320649-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="962616" first="Ty" last="Van Essen"][/caption] The favorite: The defending 2A champions Western Christian lost early in the season to Estherville Lincoln Central but have won 17 straight since that setback, with only two games decided by single-digits. The Wolfpack have been dominant on both ends of the floor, averaging 73.9 points and giving up just 48.6 a night. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="962616" first="Ty" last="Van Essen"] (18.7, 7.9 rebounds) paces a highly efficient attack, posting 62-46-78 shooting splits. At 6-5/6-6, he’s a difficult matchup with his size and ability to score inside and out. [player_tooltip player_id="1158437" first="Wyatt" last="Gulker"] (13.7, 44.6 3P%) is an excellent perimeter shooting threat, as is Tate VanRegenmorter (11.7, 41.9 3P%), while [player_tooltip player_id="1158490" first="Eli" last="Van Essen"] (8.3, 4.0 assists) and [player_tooltip player_id="1167724" first="Ashtin" last="Van’t Hul"] (5.8, 4.2 assists) have given them a reliable tandem of ball-handlers who limit turnovers. Western Christian plays the game the right way, sharing the ball, moving off the ball, and playing highly efficient basketball (54-40-74 shooting splits as a team). A balanced team that can score in bunches and dominates teams defensively, this is the team to beat in 2A. The biggest threat: While Cherokee has played a significantly tougher schedule, OABCIG only has to win one home game to reach the district final, which makes them the biggest threat in this district. The Falcons are headlined by junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1167707" first="Beckett" last="DeJean"] (19.4, 4.3 assists), an athletic lead guard who gets others involved and is a terror when he’s attacking the rim. Easton Harms (7.7, 4.3 assists) pairs with DeJean in the backcourt to give them a pair of solid ball-handlers, and this is a team that shares the ball well. That said, it’s hard to see anyone not named Western Christian coming out of this district. The dark horse: The second-highest ranked team in BC Moore’s power rankings system is Cherokee. The Braves are led by senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="1234970" first="Wil" last="Lugar"] (18.5), who is an efficient scoring threat, while [player_tooltip player_id="1235026" first="Joe" last="Benson"] (8.9), Jacob Hodgdon (7.2), and Levi Pingel (6.5) give them a veteran group that has played a lot together. However, they’ve lost to Western Christian twice this year by a combined 85 points. Anything can happen in a district final, but they’ve got a tall task in front of them. Players to watch 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962616" first="Ty" last="Van Essen"], Western Christian 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158437" first="Wyatt" last="Gulker"], Western Christian 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167707" first="Beckett" last="DeJean"], OABCIG 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1234970" first="Wil" last="Lugar"], Cherokee 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1156190" first="Cade" last="Harriman"], Ridge View 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158443" first="Tyler" last="Schmitt"], East Sac County 2022 Tanner Randall, Alta-Aurelia   <h3 style="text-align: center;">SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION</h3> Central Lyon vs. Western Christian It’s really too bad that this is a substate final, as this could have potentially been the state championship game on Friday, March 11 if these teams were placed in different substates. These are two of the top three teams in our rankings in 2A (Western Christian 1, Central Lyon 3), and this should be an absolute classic of a game. Western Christian has won a state-record 10 state championships, and they’re the favorite to add another trophy to their overflowing trophy case. Behind a big effort from [player_tooltip player_id="962616" first="Ty" last="Van Essen"], the Wolfpack earn their way back to Des Moines again in a fantastic substate final.