Substate Preview: 4A-3

Tony Roe February 19, 2022 @ 08:00 AM

<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/4A-3.png"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-1384071" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/4A-3-1024x304.png" alt="" width="1024" height="304" /></a> The favorite: Two of the three hottest teams in 4A reside in this substate in Valley and Cedar Falls. A lot of people thought that Valley’s season might be done when they lost [player_tooltip player_id="962490" first="Eli" last="Raridon"] to an ACL injury, taking away their leading scorer and a dominant inside-out threat and intimidating presence in the paint. But they’ve won 12 straight games and are one of just three teams to rank within the top-10 in 4A in scoring offense (66.9, 6th) and defense (49.9, 4th). A long, athletic, and physical team, they’ve been led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="1158260" first="Ruot" last="Bijiek"] (16.2), who has been playing at an exceptional level since Raridon’s injury. A rangy 6-9 forward who can score inside and out, run the floor, and protect the rim, he’s the type of big, long athlete who could give Cedar Falls some trouble. [player_tooltip player_id="1381422" first="Curtis" last="Stinson Jr"] (9.8) and [player_tooltip player_id="1381407" first="Kiki" last="Deng"] (6.4), a pair of freshmen contributors, have been excellent on the perimeter, and the Tigers are getting great production out of role players like [player_tooltip player_id="1234966" first="Cade" last="Grevengoed"] (6.8), [player_tooltip player_id="784973" first="Mason" last="Morrow"] (6.2), and Trevian Carson (5.3), while they also have defensive weapon [player_tooltip player_id="784972" first="Kir" last="Diew"] (2.4) coming off the bench, another rangy 6-7/6-8 forward who can switch. The Tigers physical and athletic guards can give Cedar Falls trouble, and Valley’s trip through the CIML has been a bit more difficult than Cedar Falls going through an MVC that is slightly down this year. [caption id="attachment_1177345" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Dallas-Bear.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1177345 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Dallas-Bear-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="956870" first="Dallas" last="Bear"][/caption] The biggest threat: Cedar Falls has won 14 straight games heading into the postseason, and is one of the three aforementioned teams that rank within the top-10 in both scoring offense (62.3, 9th) and defense (52.2, 9th). Northern Iowa signee [player_tooltip player_id="682265" first="Trey" last="Campbell"] (24.8, 4.1 assists) leads the team in nearly every major category and has been absolutely dynamic on both ends of the floor for the Tigers. He’s long, lightning-quick, and playing with remarkable efficiency, posting 56-41-86 shooting splits. Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id="956870" first="Dallas" last="Bear"] (14.0, 6.2 rebounds) is a long sharp-shooting wing who can get hot in a hurry, and sophomore forward [player_tooltip player_id="1171693" first="Cade" last="Courbat"] (6.6, 2.3 blocks) has been excellent as a rim protector. The Tigers got off to a bit of a slow start (by their standards at least) as they broke in a number of new faces, but they’re peaking at the right time and are a viable state championship contender. The dark horse: Trivia time! Which team played juggernaut Waukee the closest in postseason play last year? The answer is Marshalltown, who lost to the Warriors by just six last season, while no other team came within single digits. The Bobcats brought back a lot from that roster, and while they’re had an up-and-down year, they know that they can compete with really good teams. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="682291" first="Armonniey" last="Thomas"] (21.4, 4.0 assists) is a lightning-quick lead guard who can get to the bucket at will, and they’re able to flank him with a pair of sharpshooting guards in [player_tooltip player_id="1167711" first="Drake" last="Kapayou"] (10.9, 36.9 3P%) and Jaxson Eisenbarth (5.6, 49.1 3P%). Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id="1167669" first="Prince" last="Jallah"] (14.0) has taken his game to another level, showing increased playmaking skills and he has the length and athleticism to cause issues on the defensive end. Players to watch 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158260" first="Ruot" last="Bijiek"], Valley 2025 [player_tooltip player_id="1381422" first="Curtis" last="Stinson Jr"], Valley 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="682265" first="Trey" last="Campbell"], Cedar Falls 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="956870" first="Dallas" last="Bear"], Cedar Falls 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="682291" first="Armonniey" last="Thomas"], Marshalltown 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167669" first="Prince" last="Jallah"], Marshalltown 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1288869" first="Si’Marion" last="Anderson"], Waterloo West 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1367438" first="Keishaun" last="Pendleton"], Waterloo West 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1352882" first="Ayrondus" last="Hodges"], Cedar Rapids Jefferson 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962659" first="Andreas" last="Williams"], Cedar Rapids Jefferson 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167741" first="Kewone" last="Jones"], Waterloo East 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167721" first="Martez" last="Wiggley"], Waterloo East   <h3 style="text-align: center;">SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION</h3> Valley vs. Cedar Falls If this is the substate final that we get, it may be the best of the bunch in 4A. We’ll side with Valley here, as the Tigers in orange and black have the tough, athletic, and physical guards that can give the Tigers in red and white some issues, and they have a big man in [player_tooltip player_id="1158260" first="Ruot" last="Bijiek"] who can create some major issues on both ends of the floor.