Tuesday Games to Watch (12/19)

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>1A #5 West Fork (5-0) at Osage (8-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both of these teams sit at 5-0 in the East Division of the Top of Iowa Conference, making this a huge game in regards to ultimately earning the division crown. West Fork is led by a pair of dynamic scoring guards in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1476981' first='Cayde' last='Eberling'] (25.2, 8.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists) and [player_tooltip player_id='1454905' first='Sage' last='Suntken'] (20.8, 6.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists), who are one of the highest scoring tandems in the state, regardless of class. Eberling is a big wing who can shoot it from deep, but is at his best when he's playing downhill and getting to the rim, while Suntken is a fantastic perimeter shooter (45.8 3P%) and skilled playmaker with the ball in his hands. The Warhawks have gotten good production out of fellow seniors Gavin Cronk (11.0, 7.2 rebounds) and Edison Maske (8.7), stepping into key roles alongside the star tandem.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Osage counters with a trio of talented scoring guards of their own in junior [player_tooltip player_id='1759935' first='Madden' last='Uhlenhopp'] (18.3), sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1765543' first='Quinn' last='Street'] (17.1), and senior [player_tooltip player_id='1376718' first='Max' last='Knudsen'] (13.5). All three are three-level scorers who can create looks for themselves and their teammates, and all three are pretty solid on the defensive end as well. The Green Devils will need to focus on keeping Eberling out of the paint and off the glass if they want to protect their home floor and grab the edge in the division. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>4A #3 Linn-Mar (5-0) at 4A #6 Senior (5-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Based purely on resumes to this point in the season, perhaps no team in 4A basketball has put together a better one than Linn-Mar. The Lions already hold road wins over Bettendorf, Waukee, and Xavier, as well as an impressive home win over Iowa City West. They'll have another chance to pick up a big-time win with their trip to Nora Gymnasium here. This is a group that only goes about six deep (only seven players have appeared in a game to this point), and Senior, a pretty deep team, may look to up their pressure even more than usual in an effort to get the Lions to go deeper into their bench. Linn-Mar is led by junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1381412' first='Davis' last='Kern'] (19.2, 8.0 rebounds, 3.4 blocks), a dominant two-way player who can score inside and out and protect the rim defensively. He was held in check in their meeting last season (7 points on 2-12 shooting) and will be looking to have a better showing this time around. Junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1514455' first='Mason' last='Matson'] (13.4) gives them a different dimension in the backcourt, an athletic, quick guard who can get to the bucket or knock down shots from deep, and [player_tooltip player_id='1587751' first='Owen' last='Havlik'] (12.2, 4.0 assists) has been rock solid in the backcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rams counter with a rotation that can go ten deep, led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1376678' first='Jacob' last='Williams'] (20.0, 8.6 rebounds), who is having a tremendous start to his senior season after a great summer. He's a bouncy big man with a great second jump that he uses to control the glass and protect the paint, and he's a great interior scoring threat and finisher, shooting 72% from the floor. Sophomore big [player_tooltip player_id='1172887' first='Tevin' last='Schultz'] (11.4) is one of the best 2026s in the state, a skilled big who can stretch the floor and score at the rim. [player_tooltip player_id='1381404' first='Josh' last='Brauer'] (7.6), [player_tooltip player_id='1765536' first='Cooper' last='Porter'] (7.2), [player_tooltip player_id='1381411' first='Jalen' last='Johnson'] (6.5), [player_tooltip player_id='1765555' first='Drake' last='Medinger'] (5.8), and [player_tooltip player_id='1198430' first='Nicholas' last='Kennedy'] (5.0) are all solid two-way players who offer a lot of versatility for Wendell Eimers as well. The Rams have been outstanding on the defensive end, allowing just 46.0 points a game, fourth in Class 4A. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Montezuma (6-1) at 1A #7 Keota (8-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Given the fact that these two teams are in different divisions of the South Iowa Cedar League, this game probably doesn't have the same implications that some of the others here do, but it should be a really fun, entertaining 1A game between a pair of teams that can really fill it up. Montezuma is led by sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1765506' first='Brady' last='Boulton'] (26.1, 4.0 assists), who has been outstanding this season. He's a quick guard who can get to the rim or pull up from 25 feet and knock down shots, and he has taken on a primary playmaking role this season as well. Max Anderson (13.9) and Garrett Watts (13.3, 7.4 rebounds) have been really good to start the season for the Braves as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Keota comes into this one off a huge win over Lynnville-Sully that elevated them into the 1A rankings. The Eagles have four players averaging in double figures, led by senior guards [player_tooltip player_id='1376716' first='Sawyer' last='Stout'] (21.4) and Cole Kindred (12.4, 5.4 assists). [player_tooltip player_id='2511617' first='Billie' last='Kindred'] (11.1, 9.9 rebounds) and Evan Vittetoe (10.3, 6.1 rebounds) have been good in the paint and on the glass, and the Eagles have done a tremendous job protecting the ball through their first eight games, posting a 2.06 assist-to-turnover ratio. This is a team that is filled with good athletes who play with toughness, which has contributed to them pulling down nearly 17 offensive rebounds a game, an area that may separate them from Montezuma here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Nevada (7-0) at 2A #6 Roland-Story (6-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Roland-Story has won the last six meetings between these teams, but four of those games were decided by single digits. Nevada has been able to ease into the season so far, playing against a fairly easy schedule and allowing them to build some more chemistry and gain some confidence. The Cubs have three players averaging in the 14-point range in junior Easton Gray (14.7), sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1765535' first='John' last='Nelson'] (14.3, 7.6 rebounds, 2.7 blocks), and senior [player_tooltip player_id='1758643' first='Alec' last='Higgins'] (14.1), while last year's leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id='1751185' first='Jacob' last='Khounsourath'] appeared in his first game of the season last week and will provide even more scoring punch on the perimeter. Nelson has been outstanding as a rim protector this season and will have his hands full with a Roland-Story team that features one of the best downhill attackers in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That aforementioned attacker is senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1171681' first='Jonovan' last='Wilkinson'], who is averaging 25.3 points and 9.8 rebounds a game to lead the Norsemen. Wilkinson is a tough, physical wing who can get to the rim seemingly at will, and he's armed with an elite mid-range game as well. He has stepped into the primary scoring role this season and been outstanding, shooting 54% from the floor and also creating looks for his teammates, dishing out 4.0 assists a game. Fellow senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1288880' first='Boaz' last='Clark'] (11.8) has been a menace on the defensive end, averaging over four steals a game, so ball security will be of utmost importance for the Nevada guards in this one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>3A #10 Maquoketa (5-1) at 1A #10 Bellevue (6-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Expect to see some fireworks in this one, as these teams played a pair of high-scoring tilts last season (90-78 Maquoketa, 83-53 Bellevue). Standout guard [player_tooltip player_id='1751093' first='Tyler' last='Hinz'] suffered a terrifying injury against Cascade earlier this season and is still sidelined for Maquoketa, but the Cardinals have a trio of big-time scorers who have stepped up in his absence in [player_tooltip player_id='1376691' first='Tye' last='Hardin'] (19.7, 9.7 rebounds), [player_tooltip player_id='1376709' first='Carter' last='Meyer'] (16.7), and [player_tooltip player_id='2413548' first='Nolan' last='Ehlinger'] (10.2). Coach Matt Hartman is one of the better offensive coaches in the area and always has a pretty high-powered attack with free-flowing, balanced offenses with great ball movement. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bellevue counters with four double-figure scorers of their own in senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1751111' first='Hunter' last='Putman'] (17.3) and sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='1765510' first='Cameron' last='Casel'] (11.9, 5.5 assists), [player_tooltip player_id='2413487' first='Spencer' last='Abbott'] (11.3), and [player_tooltip player_id='2413480' first='KeShawn' last='DeShaw'] (10.5). Casel is the straw that stirs the drink, a quick and talented point guard who gets his teammates involved at a high clip, while Putman is the best perimeter scoring threat on the team, and one of the best in the River Valley Conference. The loser of this game will have an uphill battle in the RVC North Division, as Monticello and Cascade are already above them in the division standings. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Other notable games<br></span>Maquoketa Valley (5-1) at 1A #1 North Linn (7-0)<br>Carroll (5-1) at Bondurant-Farrar (3-2)<br>North Union (7-2) at 1A #2 Lake Mills (7-0)<br>Emmetsburg (6-2) at Estherville Lincoln Central (6-2)<br>3A #2 Assumption (5-1) at Pleasant Valley (2-2)<br>1A #4 Madrid (6-1) at Ogden (5-2)<br>Bettendorf (4-2) at 4A #9 North Scott (5-1)<br>MOC-Floyd Valley (6-2) at 2A #9 Unity Christian (7-0)<br>4A #10 Ankeny (6-1) at Centennial (4-2)<br>Grundy Center (5-2) at Aplington-Parkersburg (5-2)<br>Algona (4-2) at 3A #4 Clear Lake (5-0)<br>Van Meter (4-2) at 2A #7 Des Moines Christian (5-2)<br>4A #5 Dallas Center-Grimes (5-0) at Johnston (3-4)<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->