Substate Preview: 2A-8

<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/2A-15.png"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-1383310" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/2A-15-1024x306.png" alt="" width="1024" height="306" /></a> <h4>District 15</h4> The favorite: Van Meter is the only team in 2A to rank within the top 10 in both scoring offense (69.7, 8th) and defense (43.6, 5th). The Bulldogs only two losses have come to Winterset, a current top-5 team in 3A, and a Pella Christian team that has been ranked all year in 2A, and they own a head-to-head win over ACGC, their likely district final foe. [player_tooltip player_id="784980" first="Chris" last="Schreck"] (12.1, 3.8 assists) leads a balanced offensive attack that has three-double figure scorers and three others averaging between 6.0 and 9.0 points. Schreck is one of three big-time senior contributors, a quick lead guard who is a pest on the defensive end as well. [player_tooltip player_id="1158438" first="Clark" last="Fiala"] (11.9, 3.1 blocks) is a great rim protector who allows the ’Dogs guards to play a bit more aggressively on the perimeter, knowing they have an eraser at the back end, and [player_tooltip player_id="1158469" first="Casey" last="Trudo"] (10.6, 40.5 3P%) is an efficient three-level scorer on the perimeter. This team is able to comfortably go deep into their bench, they play excellent defense, and they have a ton of scoring options and athleticism. They’re looking for their sixth state tournament appearance in the last seven years, and should be considered a fairly heavy favorite in this district. The biggest threat: Getting to play their semifinal game at home should be an advantage for ACGC, a team that likes to play up-tempo and feed off a crowd. The Chargers are led by senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1161172" first="Miles" last="Kading"] (18.9, 4.7 assists), who leads the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals. He has really improved as a versatile scoring option and facilitator this year, and his improvement has been huge for a team that lost a good chunk of production off of last year’s strong unit. Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id="1367402" first="Ben" last="Marsh"] (15.9) is a solid secondary playmaker and perimeter scorer, while junior forward Austin Kunkle (11.6) has been really efficient as a scorer. They do a good job limiting turnovers and they have a number of strong scoring options. The dark horse: Panorama lost a lot of production off of last year’s team and it took them a little while to get going, but they’ve played pretty good basketball after the holiday break, including a road win over ACGC, their semifinal opponent. The Panthers have gotten great production out of senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="1234978" first="Jared" last="Wasson"] (16.1, 10.2 rebounds), who has stepped up and been an excellent player in the paint. He has good hands and feet, and can occasionally stretch the floor. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id="1256305" first="Braylon" last="Dawes"] (12.1) is a quality off-ball guard, while Brice Taylor (9.4, 5.4 assists) has done a great job getting others involved. This group split their regular-season meetings with ACGC, and the loss came by just a point, so they were close to pulling off a sweep there. They know that they can beat the Chargers and get to the district final. Players to watch 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="784980" first="Chris" last="Schreck"], Van Meter 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158438" first="Clark" last="Fiala"], Van Meter 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158469" first="Casey" last="Trudo"], Van Meter 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1161172" first="Miles" last="Kading"], ACGC 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1367402" first="Ben" last="Marsh"], ACGC 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1234978" first="Jared" last="Wasson"], Panorama 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1256305" first="Braylon" last="Dawes"], Panorama 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158503" first="Kale" last="Day"], Interstate 35 2023 Brody Nardini, Woodward-Granger   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/2A-16.png"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-1383313" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/2A-16-1024x325.png" alt="" width="1024" height="325" /></a> <h4>District 16</h4> The favorite: It doesn’t matter what they have coming back, Treynor is always going to be good. The Cardinals returned just 26% of their scoring from last year’s 19-win team, and they still won 18 regular-season games and earned the top seed in a district. This program has averaged 20.8 wins over the last 15 years, and their three losses this year have come to AHSTW (twice, by 1 and 7) and Grand View Christian. Those teams spent the majority of the year as the top-2 teams in 1A. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="962645" first="Thomas" last="Schwartz"] (13.6) leads a trio of double-figure scorers. He leads the team in scoring and assists. He was asked to step into a bigger scoring role this year, and he has done that admirably, while still maintaining his play as a distributor. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id="1376717" first="Jace" last="Tams"] (12.0, 41.2 3P%) is a sharpshooter alongside Schwartz, and [player_tooltip player_id="1367406" first="Ethan" last="Dickerson"] (11.5, 3.1 blocks) is a rim-protecting junior forward. This team isn’t as potent offensively as previous iterations of Treynor have been, but they have been excellent defensively, allowing just 40.7 points a game, 2nd in 2A. The biggest threat: Underwood lost both meetings against Treynor this season, by those losses came by 9 and 4 points, so they’ve been close contests. The Eagles are led by a trio of sophomores in Mason Boothby (12.5), Jack Vanfossan (11.4, 11.8 rebounds), and Josh Ravlin (10.0), with junior Alex Ravlin (9.0) also contributing on the perimeter. A young team with some athleticism, they do a good job crashing the offensive glass and forcing turnovers, which helps offset the 26.1% that they shoot from behind the arc as a team. The dark horse: Red Oak has played pretty good ball since the holiday break, winning 11 of 14 games down the stretch. Like Underwood, they have some sophomores leading the charge in [player_tooltip player_id="1376714" first="Max" last="DeVries"] (16.6) and Hunter Gilleland (11.8), the team’s top two scorers. DeVries’ efficiency has dropped a bit this year, but he’s a dangerous three-level scorer who can get hot and carry the Tigers, while Gilleland is leading the team in assists and has been a reliable ball-handler for them. They crash the offensive glass hard (12.3 a game), but have struggled with turnovers (15.5), which could be a deciding factor in tight games in the postseason. Players to watch 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962645" first="Thomas" last="Schwartz"], Treynor 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1376717" first="Jace" last="Tams"], Treynor 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1367406" first="Ethan" last="Dickerson"], Treynor 2024 Mason Boothby, Underwood 2024 Jack Vanfossan, Underwood 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1376714" first="Max" last="DeVries"], Red Oak 2024 Hunter Gilleland, Red Oak 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158487" first="Drew" last="Brown"], Clarinda 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1352982" first="Cole" last="Staska"], Missouri Valley   <h3 style="text-align: center;">SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION</h3> Van Meter vs. Treynor These have been two of the most successful programs in 2A over the last decade, and if this substate final emerges, it will be a defensive battle. We’ll side with Van Meter here, as the Bulldogs have a few more offensive weapons, with the quickness of [player_tooltip player_id="784980" first="Chris" last="Schreck"] being a deciding factor on both ends of the floor. The Bulldogs win a low-scoring, tight game, and make their sixth trip to Wells Fargo Arena in the last seven years.