Substate Preview: 3A-6

<!-- wp:image {"id":2348309,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3A-6.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/3A-6.png?w=611" alt="" class="wp-image-2348309" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The favorite:</strong> Nobody in the state, regardless of class, is as prolific from behind the arc as the top seeded team in this substate, <strong>Waverly-Shell Rock</strong>. As a team, the Go-Hawks are shooting 43.4% from 3-point range this season, knocking down 230 of their 530 attempts, and it's not just one player doing a significant chunk of the damage here. Four players have made at least 33 3-pointers this season, and the lowest percentage of the frequent snipers is 43.9%, so good luck trying to slow this attack down. [player_tooltip player_id='1759905' first='Luke' last='Frazell'] (18.5, 7.2 rebounds, 53.8 3P%) is the team's leading scorer, but any of the four can explode on any given night. [player_tooltip player_id='1751095' first='Noah' last='Frazell'] (17.1, 52.3 3P%), Luke's older brother, has buried 69 3-pointers, tops on the team. [player_tooltip player_id='1376675' first='Cole' last='Marsh'] (16.2, 43.9 3P%), a future Iowa tight end, is a physical combo forward who can play inside and out. And [player_tooltip player_id='1751097' first='Benny' last='Ramker'] (13.2, 4.1 assists, 47.1 3P%) is a jitterbug of a point guard who flies all over the court and gets his teammates involved at a high clip. This is a team that loves to get up and down the floor and hoist up 3s in bunches, and with their multitude of shooting options they'll be tough to stop, especially getting their first two games at home, where they play extremely well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The biggest threat: Nevada</strong> earned the #2 seed in the district by compiling a 17-3 record (at time of writing, still have a game against Clear Lake to play), and they'll be rewarded by getting two games at home. The Cubs are a balanced offensive team, with four players averaging in double figures - [player_tooltip player_id='1751185' first='Jacob' last='Khounsourath'] (15.9, 4.3 assists, 41.8 3P%), [player_tooltip player_id='1765535' first='John' last='Nelson'] (15.1, 7.2 rebounds, 2.5 blocks), [player_tooltip player_id='1758643' first='Alec' last='Higgins'] (11.9, 6.9 rebounds), and Easton Gray (11.5), giving them four high quality scoring threats who can do so in a variety of ways. Khounsourath is an athletic guard who can score from all three levels and create off the dribble for his teammates. Nelson is a physical forward who protects the rim, controls the glass, and has shown a penchant for stepping out and helping stretch the floor (45.3 3P%). Higgins and Gray are both better inside the arc, but are also capable of stretching the floor a bit. The Cubs have struggled at times with turnovers (14.2 a game), but they pound the offensive glass (12.0 a game), which helps offset that a bit. Khounsourath is the type of athletic guard who can take over games, and they have a number of weapons around him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The dark horses: </strong>The move to the WaMaC proved to be a fruitful one for <strong>Grinnell</strong>, who compiled a 14-7 regular-season record. The Tigers are led by a trio of double-figure scorers in [player_tooltip player_id='2511568' first='Ryan' last='McIlrath'] (16.3, 54.5 FG%), Cole Blackford (14.2, 4.3 assists), and [player_tooltip player_id='2721799' first='Derek' last='Doty'] (10.3), while Carson Penyich (9.3, 7.4 rebounds) and Braden Johnson (6.7, 6.1 rebounds) have been forces on the glass on both ends of the floor. The Tigers have done a really good job protecting the ball this season, averaging less than 11 turnovers a game, and they're a team that rebounds well. With their bevy of scoring options, they're a team that could make some noise here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you were to go solely off of BC Moore's rankings system, <strong>Gilbert </strong>would actually be the #2 seed in this substate. The Tigers are ranked 16th in that system, so Waverly-Shell Rock will be getting a stiff test if and when they run into them in the semifinals. Since the holiday break, Gilbert has gone 10-4, with good wins over Nevada, Bondurant-Farrar, and Humboldt included, and they enter postseason play riding a five-game winning streak. Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2325344' first='Truman' last='Kruckenberg'] (15.8) leads the offensive attack, a three-level scorer who can get to the rim or knock down shots off the catch. [player_tooltip player_id='1413686' first='Brody' last='Hague'] (13.0) is the other player averaging in double figures, with five others average between 5.4 and 9.0 points a game, giving the Tigers seven viable scoring threats. [player_tooltip player_id='1765542' first='Preston' last='Stensland'] (9.0, 3.1 assists) and [player_tooltip player_id='1765544' first='William' last='Terrones'] (5.4, 4.3 assists) have given them a solid backcourt, and both are sophomores, so the future is bright for this program. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Players to watch<br></span>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1759905' first='Luke' last='Frazell'], Waverly-Shell Rock<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1751095' first='Noah' last='Frazell'], Waverly-Shell Rock<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1376675' first='Cole' last='Marsh'], Waverly-Shell Rock<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1751097' first='Benny' last='Ramker'], Waverly-Shell Rock<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1751185' first='Jacob' last='Khounsourath'], Nevada<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765535' first='John' last='Nelson'], Nevada<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1758643' first='Alec' last='Higgins'], Nevada<br>2025 Easton Gray, Nevada<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2511568' first='Ryan' last='McIlrath'], Grinnell<br>2024 Cole Blackford, Grinnell<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2721799' first='Derek' last='Doty'], Grinnell<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='2325344' first='Truman' last='Kruckenberg'], Gilbert<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1413686' first='Brody' last='Hague'], Gilbert<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765542' first='Preston' last='Stensland'], Gilbert<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2420640' first='Brady' last='Hicks'], Saydel<br>2025 Hunter Reed, Saydel<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1945658' first='Shyne' last='Lo'], Saydel<br>2024 Tommy Tyynismaa, South Tama<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765539' first='Max' last='Roach'], Oskaloosa<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1261860' first='Aidan' last='Scholes'], Oskaloosa<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2886875' first='Jacoby' last='Johnson'], Vinton-Shellsburg</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Waverly-Shell Rock vs. Nevada</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After qualifying for the state tournament seven times in an eight-year stretch from 2011-18, <strong>Waverly-Shell Rock</strong> has gone five years without a trip to Des Moines. That changes this year, with their explosive offensive attack overwhelming the rest of the competition in this substate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->