Substate Preview: 1A-2
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District 3 The favorite: The highest scoring team in 1A, Lake Mills is looking to reach the state tournament for the fourth time in the last five years. Senior wing Lance Helming Lance Helming 6'5" | PF Lake Mills |…
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Continue ReadingDistrict 3
The favorite: The highest scoring team in 1A, Lake Mills is looking to reach the state tournament for the fourth time in the last five years. Senior wing Lance Helming Lance Helming 6'5" | PF Lake Mills | 2024 State IA (20.1, 47.1 3P%) has been fantastic this season, leading the Bulldogs in scoring and showing the ability to do so from all three levels. Eli Menke Eli Menke 6'4" | SF Lake Mills | 2024 State IA (16.4, 4.2 assists, 42.0 3P%) is a big guard who moves really well without the ball in his hands and can shoot it at a high clip off both the dribble and the catch, and Aiden Stensrud Aiden Stensrud 6'6" | PF Lake Mills | 2025 State IA (16.3, 9.1 rebounds) is an absolute force in the paint as a finisher and rebounder. Those three are as strong a trio as you’ll find in 1A, but they’re far from alone, with Crestwood transfer Jackson Gaul Jackson Gaul 6'1" | PG Lake Mills | 2025 State IA (13.2, 9.0 assists, 42.9 3P%) emerging as a fantastic lead guard who does a great job getting his teammates involved and protecting the ball (6.75 assist-to-turnover ratio). Senior forward Logan Bacon (3.4, 4.5 assists) is another good passer, playmaker, and defender, and his strength and physicality is a game-changer. The ‘Dogs have been a dominant program in recent years, have a ton of talent, four players who can score in bunches, and they have dominated their biggest threats in the district, beating Bishop Garrigan by 20 and 19 points, and Saint Ansgar by 33.
The biggest threat: Bishop Garrigan is young, led in scoring by a freshman and a sophomore, but the Golden Bears have some talent and will get two home games, which should help them here. Freshman guard Michael Joyce Michael Joyce 6'1" | CG Bishop Garrigan | 2027 State IA (14.0, 3.5 assists) and sophomore wing Carter Schwab Carter Schwab 6'2" | PG Bishop Garrigan | 2026 State IA (12.7, 4.4 assists) are a pair of smart, talented players who can play with or without the ball in their hands. Joyce has a chance to be a pretty special player, and this is a team that is building towards the future, but they’ll also be anxious to get a third shot at Lake Mills.
The dark horse: In senior forward Hunter Hillman Hunter Hillman 6'6" | C Saint Ansgar | 2024 State IA (17.1, 11.8 rebounds, 4.4 blocks), Saint Ansgar has one of the most dominant players in the substate on their side. An athletic, physical forward who can impact the game in a major way on both ends of the floor, he’s the type of player who can take over and lead this team to a few wins, if they’re able to limit turnovers for a few games. Senior guard Tyke Remster (14.1, 5.2 assists) is a quick guard who puts pressure on opposing defenses and is a solid complement to Hillman.
Players to watch
2024
Lance Helming
Lance
Helming
6'5" | PF
Lake Mills | 2024
State
IA
, Lake Mills
2024
Eli Menke
Eli
Menke
6'4" | SF
Lake Mills | 2024
State
IA
, Lake Mills
2025
Aiden Stensrud
Aiden
Stensrud
6'6" | PF
Lake Mills | 2025
State
IA
, Lake Mills
2025
Jackson Gaul
Jackson
Gaul
6'1" | PG
Lake Mills | 2025
State
IA
, Lake Mills
2027
Michael Joyce
Michael
Joyce
6'1" | CG
Bishop Garrigan | 2027
State
IA
, Bishop Garrigan
2026
Carter Schwab
Carter
Schwab
6'2" | PG
Bishop Garrigan | 2026
State
IA
, Bishop Garrigan
2024
Hunter Hillman
Hunter
Hillman
6'6" | C
Saint Ansgar | 2024
State
IA
, Saint Ansgar
2024 Tyke Remster, Saint Ansgar
2027
Westley Cole
Westley
Cole
6'2" | PF
Newman Catholic | 2027
IA
, Newman Catholic
2024
Caleb VanLaere
Caleb
VanLaere
6'0" | SG
Newman Catholic | 2024
IA
, Newman Catholic
2027
Thomas McGuire
Thomas
McGuire
6'0" | SG
Newman Catholic | 2027
IA
, Newman Catholic
2025 Johnny Adams, Riceville
2025
Colby Eskildsen
Colby
Eskildsen
6'6" | SF
Northwood-Kensett | 2025
State
IA
, Northwood-Kensett
2025 Kooper Julseth, Northwood-Kensett
2024 Mitchell Smith, West Hancock
2025 Jamison Kramersmeier, North Iowa
2024 Jaxon Zaugg, West Bend-Mallard
District 4
The favorite: Few 1A programs in the state have enjoyed as much success as Remsen, St. Mary’s has in the last seven years, qualifying for the state tournament each of those seasons. Just like in those seven years, the Hawks have been fantastic on the defensive end of the floor, ranking fourth in the class in scoring defense, allowing just 38.6 points a game. They were a pretty young and inexperienced team heading into the year, but they’ve gelled well together and have won nine of their last 10 games. Junior forward Collin Homan Collin Homan 6'5" | PF Remsen, St. Mary's | 2025 State IA (15.7, 7.9 rebounds) is the headliner, a physical and talented forward who impacts the game on both ends of the floor, while Sam Schmillen Sam Schmillen 6'7" | SF Remsen St. Mary's | 2025 State IA (12.9, 6.7 rebounds) gives them a three level scorer on the wing. Landon Waldschmitt (8.54, 5.1 assists) is a reliable ball-handler and playmaker who gets his teammates involved well.
The biggest threat(s): The district semifinal between Akron-Westfield and George-Little Rock is a fascinating (potential) matchup that is really difficult to call. Akron-Westfield won the regular-season meeting, 53-49, but that was way back on December 8. The Westerners are led by a pair of seniors – guard Laytin Koch (17.0) and forward Jackson Marnach (14.5, 8.9 rebounds). Koch is a good perimeter scorer who thrives playing downhill, while Marnach and Kasey Nielsen (4.6, 7.9 rebounds) are both animals on the glass, particularly on the offensive end. George-Little Rock has been one of the best rebounding teams in the state this season, pulling down more than 40 rebounds a game, including nearly 15 offensive. They’re led by senior forwards Drew Denekas Drew Denekas 6'2" | PF George-Little Rock | 2024 State IA (15.0, 8.3 rebounds) and Charlie Hamilton (11.0, 6.6 rebounds). Denekas, a 6-4 big, can stretch the floor a bit as well, an added element to his game this year. Noah Terhark (9.9, 6.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists) is a heady lead guard who stuffs the stat sheet and gives the Mustangs an experienced presence in the backcourt. The ‘Stangs are probably the slightly better team right now, but going on the road to play at Akron-Westfield in the semifinals evens the playing field.
The dark horse: Playing in the loaded Siouxland Conference will have prepared Boyden-Hull well for postseason play. They’ve played just three games against 1A competition this season, sweeping Sibley-Ocheyedan and beating HMS. That’s not great competition at the 1A level, but the Comets have played some good 2A teams tough throughout the year and won’t be intimidated by anyone in this district. Sophomore guard Carter Kleinwolterink Carter Kleinwolterink 6'0" | PG Boyden-Hull | 2026 State IA (17.6, 51.4 FG%) is the headliner of the team, a talented three-level scoring guard who can take over games. He’s flanked by a number of seniors – Blake Moser (11.9), Owen Ribbens (8.3), Nathan Van Otterloo (6.9), and Eric Nilles (6.0) – giving them a lot of veteran leadership.
Players to watch
2025
Collin Homan
Collin
Homan
6'5" | PF
Remsen, St. Mary's | 2025
State
IA
, Remsen, St. Mary’s
2025
Sam Schmillen
Sam
Schmillen
6'7" | SF
Remsen St. Mary's | 2025
State
IA
, Remsen, St. Mary’s
2025 Landon Waldschmitt, Remsen, St. Mary’s
2024
Drew Denekas
Drew
Denekas
6'2" | PF
George-Little Rock | 2024
State
IA
, George-Little Rock
2024 Charlie Hamilton, George-Little Rock
2024 Noah Terhark, George-Little Rock
2024 Gabe Wiltgen, Gehlen Catholic
2026
Carter Kleinwolterink
Carter
Kleinwolterink
6'0" | PG
Boyden-Hull | 2026
State
IA
, Boyden-Hull
2024 Blake Moser, Boyden-Hull
2024 Laytin Koch, Akron-Westfield
2024 Jackson Marnach, Akron-Westfield
2026 Joe DeStigter, Woodbury Central
2024 Drew Kluender, Woodbury Central
2025 Justus Voss, Harris-Lake Park
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Lake Mills vs. Remsen, St. Mary’s
These have been two of the most dominant programs in small school basketball over the last five years, and this would be a fascinating matchup between an elite offensive team (Lake Mills) and a dominant, smothering defensive team in St. Mary’s. Generally in postseason games, which tend to slow down, you side with the defensive-minded team, but we’re going to go with Lake Mills here, punching their fourth ticket to Des Moines in the last five years behind a strong effort from Lance Helming Lance Helming 6'5" | PF Lake Mills | 2024 State IA , Jackson Gaul Jackson Gaul 6'1" | PG Lake Mills | 2025 State IA , and company.