Substate Preview: 2A-4

District 7 [player_tooltip player_id="751418" first="Jayden" last="Mackie"] The favorite: The high-flying Falcons of Aplington-Parkersburg have to be considered a very heavy favorite in this district, considering they hold a 22-point win over the district’s #2 seed, and 27 and 39-point wins…

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District 7

[player_tooltip player_id="751418" first="Jayden" last="Mackie"]

The favorite: The high-flying Falcons of Aplington-Parkersburg have to be considered a very heavy favorite in this district, considering they hold a 22-point win over the district’s #2 seed, and 27 and 39-point wins over their probable semifinal opponent. They’re averaging 82.4 points a game, tops in 2A, behind the stellar play of senior guard Jayden Mackie Jayden Mackie 6'2" | PG Aplington-Parkersburg | 2022 State IA (21.7), who paces their potent offense with his ability to get to the rim at will. He’s also armed with a strong mid-range game and has really improved as a perimeter shooter over the last two years. Junior Garrett Hempen Garrett Hempen 6'1" | PG Aplington-Parkersburg | 2023 State IA (15.6, 42.2 3P%, 5.0 assists) and sophomore Gavin Thomas Gavin Thomas 6'0" | SG Aplington-Parkersburg | 2024 State IA (13.8, 40.4 3P%) give them an elite trio of perimeter options. Each of the three guards are capable of scoring in bunches from all three levels, and each is a strong ball-handler and decision-maker who can run the offense. Senior big Christian Haugstad Christian Haugstad 6'7" | C Aplington-Parkersburg | 2022 State IA (12.7, 10.8 rebounds) has really developed as a scoring threat in the paint and is a great rebounder, and Cooper Hoff (7.1, 45.5 3P%) comes off the bench to give them even more shooting. This team is loaded with offensive options, and they’re very athletic. It would be a major upset if they don’t make it out of this district.

The biggest threat: Grundy Center recently got senior wing Dayne Zinkula (11.0, 6.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists) back from injury, which is a big boost for the Spartans, who have been excellent on the defensive end, allowing just 45.0 points a game. Senior guard Brayden Sawyer Brayden Sawyer 5'10" | SG Grundy Center | 2022 State IA (11.6, 48.0 3P%) is an elite shooter, while freshman forward Jalen Kirkpatrick (10.2) has put together a really strong debut season and gives them some additional scoring. The Spartans are a good defensive team, and they pound the offensive glass hard, pulling down 15.5 offensive boards a game, a 52.5% offensive rebounding rate. They’ll try to slow their game with A-P down (easier said than done), pound the offensive glass, and hope that Sawyer can knock down enough 3-pointers to keep them competitive heading into the fourth quarter.

The dark horse: Since they won’t have to face A-P until the district final, South Hardin is our pick here. The Tigers are led by a trio of double-figure scorers in Mason Sheldahl Mason Sheldahl 6'4" | PF South Hardin | 2022 State IA (15.9, 7.2 rebounds), Ryan Walters Ryan Walters 6'0" | PG South Hardin | 2023 State IA (14.6, 4.9 assists), and Jake Teske (10.8). The shoot the 3 fairly well (35.1%) and crash the offensive glass. If they’re able to catch Grundy Center on an off night, they may be able to pull off the upset and reach the district final against A-P.

District 8

The favorite: Behind a high-powered offensive attack that ranks 4th in 2A at 75.4 points a game, Jesup is riding a 13-game winning streak heading into postseason play. The J-Hawks lost to Denver in the second game of the year, 74-66, but have been playing excellent ball down the stretch and, in our minds, are the favorite in this district despite being the #2 seed. Senior forward Carson Lienau Carson Lienau 6'4" | PF Jesup | 2022 State IA (21.3, 11.0 rebounds) is an efficient scorer around the bucket, a 6-5 forward shooting 68.8% from the floor and dominating on the glass. Corbin Fuelling (17.0, 37.1 3P%), Jack Miller Jack Miller 6'1" | PG Jesup | 2024 State IA (14.8, 38.7 3P%), and Parker McHone Parker McHone 5'8" | PG Jesup | 2022 State IA (10.1, 5.7 assists) are three strong guards to put around Lienau, and this is a group that has done an excellent job protecting the ball and sharing the wealth. A talented offensive team with a number of different options, Jesup is our pick to take home this district.

The biggest threat: The district’s top-seeded team is Denver, another high-powered offensive team that is averaging 68.5 points a game. Unlike Jesup, however, a majority of the Cyclones’ scoring punch comes from a pair of players – seniors Caylor Hoffer Caylor Hoffer 5'11" | SG Denver | 2022 State IA (22.7, 46.0 3P%) and Mitchell DeVries Mitchell DeVries 6'1" | SF Denver | 2022 State IA (15.3, 9.0 rebounds). Hoffer was a key piece for last year’s team and has stepped into a primary scoring role admirably this year, showing his ability to fill it up from all three levels at a high clip. DeVries has really emerged as a strong secondary scorer, primary ball-handler, and a dominant rebounder on the defensive end. In Hoffer and DeVries, the Cyclones have a pair of stars who could carry this team to a district title.

The dark horse: New Hampton has had an up-and-down season, but the Chickasaws have two of the best players in the district in senior wing Drake Wemark Drake Wemark 6'3" | SF New Hampton | 2022 State IA (18.7, 7.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists) and junior guard Carter Steinlage Carter Steinlage 6'3" | SF New Hampton | 2023 State IA (14.4). They don’t shoot it well from the arc (23.9% as a team), but Wemark is a physical player who can get to the rim seemingly at will, and he does a great job getting others involved as well.

SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION

Aplington-Parkersburg vs. Jesup

Aplington-Parkersburg won the regular-season meeting between these teams by 26 points back on December 10. We don’t expect to see a similar blowout here, but the end result will be the same – Aplington-Parkersburg and their bevy of offensive weapons lead the Falcons back to Des Moines, where they’ll be considered one of the top three contenders to take home the 2A crown.