Substate Preview: 4A-4
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[player_tooltip player_id="956877" first="Kenzie" last="Reed"] The favorite: Kennedy has to be considered one of the biggest favorites in any 4A substate. The Cougars just had a 15-game winning streak snapped by Cedar Falls, but they have been absolutely rolling after a…
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Continue ReadingThe favorite: Kennedy has to be considered one of the biggest favorites in any 4A substate. The Cougars just had a 15-game winning streak snapped by Cedar Falls, but they have been absolutely rolling after a 3-2 start. They have the third-highest scoring offense in the class, putting up 70.7 points a game behind a fantastic quartet of guards – juniors Colby Dolphin Colby Dolphin 5'10" | PG Kennedy | 2023 State IA (14.2, 42.0 3P%) and Kenzie Reed Kenzie Reed 5'11" | PG Kennedy | 2023 State IA (12.7, 7.2 assists), senior Carson Blietz Carson Blietz 5'11" | SG Cedar Rapids Kennedy | 2022 State IA (9.3, 42.2 3P%), and sophomore Cyrus Courtney Cyrus Courtney 6'1" | SG Kennedy | 2024 State IA (7.5, 2.6 steals). Dolphin and Blietz are fantastic perimeter shooting threats, and Dolphin is a tough, physical guard who finishes through contact and really gets after it defensively. Reed is one of the best pure point guards in the state, a great passer with court vision and pace, and Courtney is an X-factor, a long and athletic wing who can dominate games on both ends of the floor in spurts. Put those four guards with bigs Jackson Bowman Jackson Bowman 6'7" | PF Cedar Rapids Kennedy | 2022 State IA (10.8) and Craig Mills Craig Mills 6'5" | PF Kennedy | 2022 State IA (7.9, 7.1 rebounds), who each have strengths of their own, and you have one of the best teams in the state. They swept Washington by 20 and 8 points, split with Linn-Mar, and blasted Liberty by 33 points this season.
The biggest threat: Linn-Mar has a tricky opening round game against an always tough defensively North Scott team, but the Lions are the only team in this substate that has beaten Kennedy this year, and their loss to the Cougars came by just four points a month ago. The Kennedy/Linn-Mar rivalry is huge, and the Lions would love to ruin a magical Kennedy season by upsetting them in the semifinals. Senior guard Jaxson Young Jaxson Young 6'0" | SG Linn-Mar | 2022 State IA (15.0, 2.2 steals) is a physical and athletic guard who can get to the rim and has an excellent mid-range game. Freshman big Davis Kern Davis Kern 6'8" | PF Linn-Mar | 2025 State #244 Nation IA (10.2, 1.2 blocks) is a stretch-4 with high upside who has really played well lately, and the Lions have a slew of athletic options that they can throw out on the floor. They play Kennedy tough and know that they can beat the Cougars.
The dark horse: Expectations were high for Washington coming into the year, and at times, they’ve looked like the team we anticipated they would be. Consistency has been the key for this group, and will be the key for them throughout their postseason run and heading into next year. Three juniors lead the team in scoring, led by Traijan Sain Traijan Sain 6'5" | SF Cedar Rapids Washington | 2023 State IA (17.2) and Jesse Sellers Jesse Sellers 5'10" | PG Cedar Rapids Washington | 2023 State IA (11.3). Sain is a long, athletic 6-5 wing who can take over games on both ends of the floor, while Sellers, Jaden Harris Jaden Harris 6'0" | PG Cedar Rapids Washington | 2023 State IA (6.9, 3.8 assists), and Willie Hodges Willie Hodges 6'2" | PG Aplington-Parkersburg | 2024 IA (4.2, 3.0 assists) give the Warriors a ton of athleticism and speed in the backcourt. The Warriors are capable of winning this substate and making noise in Des Moines – this is a really talented team. They just need to put it all together for a few games in a row.
Players to watch
2023
Colby Dolphin
Colby
Dolphin
5'10" | PG
Kennedy | 2023
State
IA
, Kennedy
2023
Kenzie Reed
Kenzie
Reed
5'11" | PG
Kennedy | 2023
State
IA
, Kennedy
2022
Carson Blietz
Carson
Blietz
5'11" | SG
Cedar Rapids Kennedy | 2022
State
IA
, Kennedy
2024
Cyrus Courtney
Cyrus
Courtney
6'1" | SG
Kennedy | 2024
State
IA
, Kennedy
2022
Jaxson Young
Jaxson
Young
6'0" | SG
Linn-Mar | 2022
State
IA
, Linn-Mar
2025
Davis Kern
Davis
Kern
6'8" | PF
Linn-Mar | 2025
State
#244
Nation
IA
, Linn-Mar
2023
Traijan Sain
Traijan
Sain
6'5" | SF
Cedar Rapids Washington | 2023
State
IA
, Washington
2023
Jesse Sellers
Jesse
Sellers
5'10" | PG
Cedar Rapids Washington | 2023
State
IA
, Washington
2022
Oliver Hughes
Oliver
Hughes
5'11" | PG
North Scott | 2022
State
IA
, North Scott
2023
Da’Shon Fisher
Da’Shon
Fisher
6'2" | SG
Liberty | 2023
IA
, Liberty
2022
Kaden Johnson
Kaden
Johnson
6'3"
Davenport Central | 2022
IA
, Davenport Central
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Kennedy vs. Washington
Add another chapter to a great Cedar Rapids rivalry. Kennedy has won each of the meetings this year, forcing 32 turnovers and shooting 52.1% from the floor in those wins. It’s a good matchup for the Cougars, with their number of talented guards blitzing Washington’s younger guards and forcing them into mistakes. After a four-year absence, Kennedy makes a trip to Wells Fargo Arena, where they’ll be a contender for the 4A title.