Class 4A Substate Quarterfinal Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Top Five Games</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hempstead (7-14) at Davenport North (11-10)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hempstead has won just once in their last 10 games, but the Mustangs have a dynamic scorer in junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1759932' first='Reed' last='Strohmeyer'] (16.5), who could be the type of player to take over a postseason game and lead his team to a road win. Strohmeyer is a versatile three-level scorer who can do a little bit of everything, and the Wildcats will have their hands full with him. Davenport North doesn't have anyone averaging in double figures, but four average between 8.7 and 9.9 points a game, giving them a number of players to account for on the offensive end. [player_tooltip player_id='1476986' first='Tsuirad' last='Moore'] (9.9), Chris Moss (9.8), [player_tooltip player_id='2511598' first='Tenerick' last='Brady'] (9.4), and [player_tooltip player_id='1484415' first='DeAndre' last='Smith'] (8.7) are all good athletes who can create for themselves and their teammates. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>City (6-15) at Ottumwa (12-8)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>City got off to a nice 3-0 start this season but have gone just 3-15 since that start. [player_tooltip player_id='1738961' first='AJ' last='Wright'] (10.5), [player_tooltip player_id='1381427' first='Trey' last='Wright'] (10.2), and [player_tooltip player_id='2325297' first='Jameer' last='James'] (9.3) give them a trio of athletic, slashing guards who can break down the defense and get to the rim, and they'll put pressure on Ottumwa's guards. On the other side, however, Ottumwa junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1951797' first='Trae' last='Brown'] (18.3, 8.3 rebounds) is the best player on the floor in this game. A 6-4 power wing who can score from all three levels as well as create for his teammates, he can dominate this game on either end of the floor. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2325471' first='Rahsha' last='Pope'] (13.0, 3.4 assists) is a quick guard who can get to the rim as well, and City will need to play disciplined defense against Brown and Pope if they want to pull off the upset. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marshalltown (9-12) at Southeast Polk (6-16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These teams met in Marshalltown on the last night of the regular season, a 59-50 Southeast Polk win, and now the Rams get to play the Bobcats on their home court, which should give them the edge again. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1288891' first='Bode' last='Goodman'] (21.1) is one of the best pure scorers in the state, a three-level guard who can create off the dribble, is a pest on the defensive end, and while his jumper is streaky, he can get scorching hot and knock down a bunch of 3s in a hurry. [player_tooltip player_id='1476966' first='Jaxen' last='Barton'] (9.0) provides some strength in the paint, and [player_tooltip player_id='2325535' first='AJ' last='Schafer'] (7.4), Jamari Williams (7.0), Trey Lust (6.5), and Grady Braunshweigh-Norris (5.2) have all been solid role players for SEP. Marshalltown has a really good lead guard in [player_tooltip player_id='1751107' first='Treshaun' last='Brooks'] (12.5, 3.9 assists) and a solid scorer in sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2413554' first='Kyle' last='Smith'] (13.7), but they'll need the rest of the rotation to step up in this rematch if they want to pull the upset. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Waterloo West (6-16) at Liberty (10-11)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liberty won the regular-season meeting between these teams a few weeks ago, 69-51, so can West learn some things from that game and make it a bit more competitive this time around? The Wahawks shot just 28.8% from the floor in that loss, a number that will obviously need to improve tremendously if they want to pull off the upset. In junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1381413' first='Jahlil' last='Manago'] (19.0, 7.9 rebounds), West may actually have the best player on the floor, which makes them a dangerous team, but he'll need to get help from [player_tooltip player_id='1440839' first='Joseph' last='Hudson'] (10.8), [player_tooltip player_id='1765505' first='Parker' last='Berns'] (9.4), and [player_tooltip player_id='2511607' first='Bryce' last='Westemeier'] (7.6) if they're going to beat the Lightning. The size of Liberty, in particular [player_tooltip player_id='1288908' first='Gage' last='Kampman'] (7.4, 2.9 blocks) and [player_tooltip player_id='1288878' first='Cooper' last='Webb'] (8.0) may be too much for West to overcome. [player_tooltip player_id='1376683' first='Trey' last='Hughes'] (11.9) is a dynamic shooter, and the backcourt of [player_tooltip player_id='1288921' first='Maddoc' last='Coapstick'] (7.1) and [player_tooltip player_id='2118611' first='Jerimiah' last='Washpun'] (6.8) set the table for a deep Lightning team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Waterloo East (9-12) at Cedar Rapids Washington (7-15)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Neither team is playing very good basketball heading into the postseason, with East having lost seven of their last nine, and Washington dropping nine in a row heading into this one. But somebody has to win, right? East is led by juniors Jeremiah Clark (10.5) and Da'Shaundis Moore (9.5), a pair of athletic wings who can get to the bucket for finishes. The Trojans have six players averaging at least 6.9 points a game, which bodes well for them here. Washington has three double-figure scorers in seniors J'Quari Willis (12.9), [player_tooltip player_id='2325294' first='Landyn' last='Mitvalsky'] (11.3), and [player_tooltip player_id='2325292' first='Kwae' last='China'] (10.5), and getting this game at home should give them the edge here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Upset Alert</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Davenport North:</strong> The 'Cats have been the better team over the course of the year, but Hempstead has the best player on the floor in this one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cedar Rapids Washington: </strong>Washington is probably the better team and has better overall talent on their roster, but the Warriors aren't playing well down the stretch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ottumwa: </strong>The Bulldogs have the best player on the floor, but there is certainly a difference between MVC competition and the competition Ottumwa gets in the Iowa Alliance. Will that come into play or is [player_tooltip player_id='1951797' first='Trae' last='Brown'] too good?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Picking all 16<br></span>Substate 1: Des Moines North, Ames<br>Substate 2: Urbandale, Norwalk<br>Substate 3: Davenport North, Davenport West<br>Substate 4: Cedar Rapids Washington, Linn-Mar<br>Substate 5: Davenport Central, Prairie<br>Substate 6: Ottumwa, Dowling Catholic<br>Substate 7: Southeast Polk, Council Bluffs Lincoln<br>Substate 8: Liberty, Roosevelt</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->