Names to Watch 1A I-II Final 4’s

<p>The 1A basketball state tournament is off to a roaring start with guys stepping up big time for their clubs. Let’s take a look at some names to watch as we narrow down the fields to 4 teams a piece in the 1A D1 and the 1A D2 pools.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>1A D1</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1080195" first="Makaen" last="Hastings"], 5’10 PG, 2023, Solomon: His playmaking expanding in the passing and creating game for others off the bounce this year culminated in the first round of the state tournament with a great rip drive baseline to find his teammate in the middle of the painted area for the game winning bucket. Solomon spreading the love around putting the ball in the basket could help separate them in these last games, and Hastings did a good job of that tonight. Him and 2024 G [player_tooltip player_id="1269981" first="Spencer" last="Coup"] have meshed well in big games coming up in the clutch moments scoring and distributing.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Joseph Dyck, 5’10 G, 2024, South Gray: Has been the spark plug for South Gray off the bench for them. Brings a scoring punch from the perimeter and plays off his teammates really well. Can get his shot off on the catch and plays with tremendous energy. Had 19 points in a big sub state win.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Derek Hoelting, 6’ G, 2022, Olpe: A tough guard who is a tremendous defender on and off the ball. Really buys into Olpe’s extreme ball pressure and high level defense, and provides great offense to compliment the defensive prowess. Hoelting is tough with the ball in his hands off the bounce and gets into the paint with a wide variety of moves.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1213186" first="Ryan" last="Kuckelman"], 6’5 W/F, 2023, Macksville: Brings a force with him on the basketball court and very tough. Rebounds and finds the ball extremely well and influences games on the glass a ton. Has done it on the season at almost 10 boards a game and is a solid scorer in a variety of ways. Has scored it at 11 points per game this season. He has played his best basketball on the season down the stretch, he is a name to watch.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Keagan Dimler, 6’1 G, 2022, Hanover: Jueneman rightfully get’s a lot of deserved attention, but the other senior leader Dimler has been a stat sheet stuffing, game influencing, and pivotal player for Hanover on their quest to repeat. Dimler has great size and poise, can create off the dribble, causes disruption on the defensive end, and he is a great guard in transition. Is a big time perimeter shooter.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1195621" first="Bailey" last="Sides"], 6’1 PG, 2022, Northern Valley: As dynamic as a PG as they come regardless of classification. Sides’s IQ is off the charts running the show, understands the game flow, when to go get his and when to get guys shots. Sides is a bull dog of a point guard who also plays with great pace and fluidity. </p>