Conference Preview: Tri-Rivers West

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alburnett (19-4 last season, 34.4% of scoring returning):</strong> The Pirates have had a really nice run of success lately, but they lost a ton of production from last year's 19-win team, leaving just senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2397976' first='Matthew' last='Neighbor'] (14.6, 7.1 rebounds, 66.2 FG%) among the top five scorers from last year's team. Neighbor is a great player to start building around, though, with his motor and ability to control the glass as well as score efficiently around the bucket. Rylen Rozek (4.5) started 22 games last season and knows how to play his role on both ends of the floor, while junior Josiah Steen (4.2) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2754658' first='Laken' last='Caves'] (2.7) should be ready to step into bigger roles. A community that churns out pretty good athletes on a yearly basis, they should be able to find some pieces to put alongside Neighbor that will keep the program very competitive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Central City (9-13, 41.2%): </strong>The Wildcats lost a ton of production off of last year's team but bring back leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id='1759950' first='Matthew' last='Klostermann'] (17.5, 3.8 assists), who led the team in assists as well. He's a quick, athletic guard who can score from all three levels, play solid defense, and create for his teammates. Jason Rose (6.1, 58.7 FG%) was a solid contributor last season and will be asked to step into a bigger role, and after that there will be a lot of new faces in the rotation. Klostermann will be one of the better players in the division, but it will be difficult for this group to replicate last year's 9-win season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East Buchanan (5-17, 55.9%):</strong> The Pirates lost leading scorer Trystin Russell to graduation, but bring back seniors Kaden Conrad (10.9) and Westin Moses (8.4, 6.5 rebounds) to lead a team that should win a handful of games again. Unless there is significant improvement on the defensive end, they'll struggle to compete against the mid-and-top-tier teams in the division. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Edgewood-Colesburg (5-19, 79.8%): </strong>Five of the top six scorers return for the Vikings, a team that should be improved this season if they can cut down on the turnovers (23.4 a game last season). Seniors Pryce Rochford (14.2, 8.7 rebounds, 3.7 steals) and Will Wiskus (8.0) are the headliners of the group. Rochford could emerge as one of the best players in the conference this season with his ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor, and this team should have solid depth. Look for them to be one of the most improved teams in the conference and they could push to double their win total.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Maquoketa Valley (19-5, 32.9%):</strong> The Wildcats had their best season in the Bound era last year, winning 19 games and reaching the district finals before falling to Dunkerton. They lost their top two scorers, and three of the top four, from that group, leaving junior [player_tooltip player_id='2731675' first='Brady' last='Wall'] (11.4) as the lone returnee among the group. Wall is a talented guard who can score from all three levels as well as get his teammates involved, and he'll be asked to do a lot for Maq Valley this season. Classmates Anderson Holtz (4.0), Dylan Knipper (3.2 rebounds) and Preston Salow will be asked to step into bigger roles alongside Wall, as will senior Tate Intorf (2.1). There should still be enough talent on the roster to prevent the bottom from falling out, but they probably won't be competing with North Linn or Alburnett at the top.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>North Linn (26-1, 51.4%):</strong> Long-time assistant Travis Griffith takes over in Troy Mills following the surprising departure of Hall of Fame coach Mike Hilmer, who resigned to take the superintendent job within the Bellevue School District. Griffith has a ton of familiarity with the program, obviously, and will continue to keep this program rolling behind star senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1484418' first='Mason' last='Bechen'] (21.3, 5.6 assists, 3.0 steals, 51.8 FG%). He's the most dynamic player in 1A basketball, a quick but powerful guard who can dominate the game even when he isn't scoring with his ability to create off the dribble or create chaos on the defensive end. [player_tooltip player_id='2398044' first='Cole' last='Griffith'] (6.9), the coach's son, returns after knocking down nearly 38% of his 3-point attempts last season, and he may be the team's top defender on the perimeter. He'll need to step into a bigger scoring role as a senior, as will forward Drew Ries (6.1), who can score inside and out. This year's version of the Lynx will lack some of the size and length that they've had in recent years following the graduation of Ty Pflughaupt, but no program in the state, regardless of class, has put together the type of run North Linn has over the last decade. This is a program that has gone 213-7 (four state title game losses) in the last 220 games, with three state titles thrown in. Griffith will have some work to do finding new pieces to fill in alongside Bechen, Griffith, and Ries, but no program in 1A is better equipped to do so than this one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Springville (11-11, 94.6%):</strong> If you're looking for a potential surprise team to jump up and attempt to push North Linn at the top of the division, it could be the Orioles, who bring back their top five scorers and all but one player from last year's roster. They're led by a quartet of players who each averaged at least 9.4 points a game in seniors Jayce Ernzen (12.2), [player_tooltip player_id='2721744' first='Evan' last='Haefner'] (12.0, 38.1 3P%), [player_tooltip player_id='2440642' first='Connor' last='Williams'] (10.1, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks), and junior Mason Hoy (9.4). This is a quartet whose skill sets complement each other well, with Williams holding down the painted area on both ends of the floor, and the other three surrounding him on the perimeter. Improvement at the free-throw line (56.6%) will be paramount if they want to make significant improvement this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Starmont (5-19, 51.5%):</strong> Leading scorer Kyle Sherman (9.7) returns to lead the Stars, while junior Jack Thole (4.4) and senior Nick Willfong (3.7) each saw a fair amount of playing time last season as well. This is a team that struggled to compete against the middle-and-top-tier teams in the league, but they should be able to grab a handful of wins again this season in the non-conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Projected Order of Finish</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. North Linn<br>2. Alburnett<br>3. Springville<br>4. Maquoketa Valley<br>5. Edgewood-Colesburg<br>6. Central City<br>7. East Buchanan<br>8. Starmont</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis:</strong> It's North Linn's division until proven otherwise, and that probably won't be proven otherwise this year. Bechen is the best player in small school basketball, and he should carry this group to another division title. Alburnett should continue to be strong, while Springville will be much improved. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Preseason Player of the Year</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1484418' first='Mason' last='Bechen'] (North Linn):</strong> This is perhaps the easiest selection in any conference or division in the state this season. The best player in 1A basketball, Bechen is a dominant two-way player who will be looking to lead the Lynx to another state title this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1484418' first='Mason' last='Bechen'] (North Linn)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2398044' first='Cole' last='Griffith'] (North Linn)<br>2025 Drew Ries (North Linn)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1759950' first='Matthew' last='Klostermann'] (Central City)<br>2025 Jason Rose (Central City)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2397976' first='Matthew' last='Neighbor'] (Alburnett)<br>2025 Pryce Rochford (Edgewood-Colesburg)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2440642' first='Connor' last='Williams'] (Springville)<br>2025 Jayce Ernzen (Springville)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2721744' first='Evan' last='Haefner'] (Springville)<br>2026 Mason Hoy (Springville)<br>2026 Conlin Rouse (Springville)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731675' first='Brady' last='Wall'] (Maquoketa Valley)<br>2025 Kaden Conrad (East Buchanan)<br>2025 Westin Moses (East Buchanan)<br>2025 Kyle Sherman (Starmont)<br>2025 Will Wiskus (Edgewood-Colesburg)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->