Substate Preview: 3A-6

[player_tooltip player_id="682270" first="Cole" last="Glasgow"] The favorite: Dallas Center-Grimes earned the top seed in the substate, and for the most part, they’ve been excellent this season, holding great wins over Des Moines Christian, Indianola, Pella Christian, and Pella, among others. They’re…

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[player_tooltip player_id="682270" first="Cole" last="Glasgow"]

The favorite: Dallas Center-Grimes earned the top seed in the substate, and for the most part, they’ve been excellent this season, holding great wins over Des Moines Christian, Indianola, Pella Christian, and Pella, among others. They’re led by a dynamic trio in the backcourt in seniors Cole Glasgow Cole Glasgow 6'3" | SG Dallas Center-Grimes | 2022 State IA (14.6), Jacob Runyan Jacob Runyan 5'9" | PG Dallas Center-Grimes | 2022 State IA (11.2, 5.1 assists), and Bo Huston Bo Huston 5'10" | SG Dallas Center-Grimes | 2022 State IA (10.5, 38.9 3P%). Glasgow, who will play his college ball at Kansas City, is a fantastic athlete on the perimeter who can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. Runyan, a Johnston transfer, has stepped into the role that Luke Rankin had last year and been excellent, putting his teammates in great positions to score, and he has been a reliable 3-point shooting threat as well (41.4%), while Huston is a knockdown sharpshooter who moves well without the ball in his hands. Jackson Jones Jackson Jones 6'3" | SG Dallas Center Grimes | 2022 IA (9.0, 40.0 3P%) has shot it at a high level this year and is a good perimeter defender. The Mustangs don’t have much size and could be vulnerable on the glass against some bigger teams, but they won’t really run into many big teams in this substate. We’ll have a better idea how this substate will shake out after tomorrow night’s game between DCG and Ballard, but for now, we’ll side with the Mustangs and their backcourt trio.

[player_tooltip player_id="962491" first="Ashton" last="Hermann"]

The biggest threats: Ballard got off to a strong 8-1 start to the season before a three-game losing streak out of the holiday break. The Bombers are led by sensational senior guard Ashton Hermann Ashton Hermann 6'4" | SG Ballard | 2022 State IA (27.6), a dominant scorer who can carry this team. Senior big man Kale Krogh Kale Krogh 6'6" | C Ballard | 2022 State IA (10.9, 9.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks) is a physical presence in the paint on both ends of the floor. He’s an Iowa football commit who is also wrestling for the Bombers this year. Mason Gorsh Mason Gorsh 6'2" | SG Ballard | 2023 State IA (8.7) has provided some perimeter shooting, while Jacob Ihle Jacob Ihle 6'1" | SG Ballard | 2022 State IA (7.4) and Colby Calvert Colby Calvert 5'10" | SG Ballard | 2022 State IA (6.3) are solid role players. The Bombers do a good job pounding the offensive glass (11.4 a game) and they have a dominant scorer who can take over games in Hermann.

Newton has had an up-and-down year, but the Cardinals have beaten some teams like Pella, Nevada, and Norwalk this season and have been strong defensively (50.6 points a game) while playing in the always tough Little Hawkeye Conference. The Cardinals have a balanced scoring attack with four players averaging between 8.6 and 10.7 points a game, led by Adam Mattes Adam Mattes 6'3" | SG Newton | 2022 State IA , a physical power wing who can get to the rim for finishes and is a solid playmaking threat. Jake Ingle Jake Ingle 5'7" | PG Newton | 2023 State IA (9.3, 35.5 3P%) and Brody Bauer Brody Bauer 6'2" | SG Newton | 2023 State IA (8.9, 35.0 3P%) are both quality shooting threats, while Cole Plowman Cole Plowman 6'4" | PF Newton | 2023 State IA (8.6) has provided some much needed size and rim protection.

The dark horses: Despite a 16-5 record, Nevada got pegged as the fifth seed in this substate, largely due to playing against a majority of 2A schools this season. Still, there is something to be said for winning the games put in front of you, and the Cubs enter the postseason on a seven-game winning streak. James Edwards (13.3, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists) leads a trio of double-figure scorers, joined by Jacob Khounsourath (10.8) and Ty Dittmer (10.2), while junior forward Carson Rhodes (9.8, 9.3 rebounds, 2.8 blocks) is the type of interior presence who could make things interesting against DCG if they met in the semifinals.

At the bottom of the bracket, Boone could be a team that makes some noise. The Toreadors have won five of their last seven, including wins over Dallas Center-Grimes, Carroll, and North Polk. Junior point guard Nathaniel Winter Nathaniel Winter 6'4" | PG Boone | 2023 State IA (13.9) is a long guard who can control the game on both ends of the floor with his length and talent. Evan Behn (12.4) provides some more scoring, and Colby Dotzler (8.3, 6.6 rebounds) is a strong presence in the paint. They’ve posted some quality wins down the stretch and should be a team that isn’t taken lightly.

SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION

Dallas Center-Grimes vs. Ballard

These teams will play each other in the regular-season finale tomorrow night, which may give us a better idea of how it will play out. DCG has more balance and a really strong backcourt, but Krogh could give them some issues in the paint, both on the glass and with his rim protection, while the Mustangs may struggle to contain Ashton Hermann Ashton Hermann 6'4" | SG Ballard | 2022 State IA . The Mustangs are probably the better all-around team, but call it a gut feeling, we’ll take Ballard to return to Des Moines behind a huge Hermann game.