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>Indianola (7-14) at Des Moines Lincoln (10-11)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='2419808' first='George' last='Blake'] (16.4) and [player_tooltip player_id='2419810' first='Easton' last='McGraw'] (12.6, 6.9 rebounds) lead an Indianola attack that has done a great job protecting the basketball this season, despite their youth. They average just 8.6 turnovers a game, which has helped offset some of the inefficiency they've had shooting the ball (39-29-66 shooting splits). Ball security will be paramount against an athletic, quick Lincoln team. Lincoln senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1587303' first='Desmon' last='Campbell'] (14.3) and forward Charles Fry (9.9, 8.8 rebounds) will be difference makers in this one for the Railsplitters, who will need to take care of the ball themselves (14.0 turnovers a game) if they want to advance to the semifinals of 4A-1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Waterloo East (8-12) at City High (9-13)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>City High has been playing good basketball down the stretch, winners of six of their last eight heading into this one. The Little Hawks not only get this game at home, but they'll have a pretty sizable advantage in the paint with the trio of [player_tooltip player_id='2731768' first='Christopher' last='Watkins'] (13.5, 6.8 rebounds), [player_tooltip player_id='2721435' first='Jaxton' last='Schroeder'] (13.5, 9.4 rebounds), and [player_tooltip player_id='1433121' first='Parker' last='Sutherland'] (5.6, 6.3 rebounds). Watkins is more of a wing, a slasher with great size and length who can cover a ton of ground, but he contributes on the glass alongside Schroeder and Sutherland, and they should be able to dominate the painted area in this game. East will counter with some hyper-athletic, quick guards who will be looking to attack the rim and get those bigs into foul trouble. Senior guards [player_tooltip player_id='2425885' first='Da'Shaundis' last='Moore'] (17.4, 8.7 rebounds), [player_tooltip player_id='2425909' first='Jeremiah' last='Clark'] (15.3, 7.1 rebounds), and [player_tooltip player_id='2425893' first='Ke'Andre' last='Owens'] (6.5, 5.2 rebounds) are all capable of playing downhill and getting to the bucket for finishes. If they can get the Little Hawks into foul trouble, they could be dangerous here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marshalltown (6-14) at Mason City (9-12)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one may not always be the prettiest game, but it should be a pretty competitive one. Marshalltown is led by junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2413554' first='Kyle' last='Smith'] (17.7, 7.8 rebounds) is a good perimeter shooting threat, and [player_tooltip player_id='2381208' first='Drake' last='Gersema'] (9.1, 4.0 assists) is a talented playmaker. Mason City counters with the tandem of juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2204885' first='Marcele' last='Whitner'] (13.1) and [player_tooltip player_id='2731853' first='Ty' last='Sanchez-Evans'] (11.4, 7.6 rebounds), a pair of players that Marshalltown could struggle to contain. [player_tooltip player_id='2721790' first='Andrew' last='Novak'] (8.4, 7.7 rebounds) could be an impact factor in this game for the Riverhawks with his ability to pound the glass on both ends of the floor. Marshalltown will need to make a concerted effort to take care of the glass, because if there is one thing Mason City does really well, it's offensive rebounding.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Centennial (4-16) at Sioux City North (9-12)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Don't let the 4-16 record fool you, Centennial has been a pretty competitive team this season with a really young, inexperienced roster. The Jaguars have faced the toughest schedule in Class 4A, with seven of their losses coming to teams in the current 4A rankings, and four others (sweeps at the hands of Dowling Catholic and Johnston) coming to teams who spent time in the rankings this season. They're led by sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='2419714' first='Evan' last='Abbott'] (12.3), a skilled three-level scorer, and senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2398006' first='Sean' last='Tunks'] (11.8), a downhill, attacking guard who puts constant pressure on opposing defenses. North counters with a trio of double-figure scorers in Kal Chamberlain (19.8), [player_tooltip player_id='2721787' first='Josh' last='Mogensen'] (14.9), and Dominic Foster (10.9). The Stars can score in bunches at times, but defense has been an issue, allowing 67.7 points per game. Centennial, having gone through the CIML gauntlet, will be happy to see a little softer defense than they've become accustomed to.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Southeast Polk (8-14) at Lewis Central (12-9)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Much like the Centennial/Sioux City North game, there is a massive gap in strength of schedule here - Southeast Polk has played the 9th toughest schedule in the class, while Lewis Central's schedule ranks dead last (48th). Southeast Polk is led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2511578' first='Rex' last='Smith'] (14.1, 6.3 rebounds) and junior guards Grady Braunshweigh-Norris (10.2) and [player_tooltip player_id='1736401' first='Emmanuel' last='Tete'] (10.1). A quick team that shares the ball well and puts pressure on opposing defenses with their speed, Lewis Central may struggle to stay in front of the Rams guards. For the Titans, freshman wing [player_tooltip player_id='2523891' first='Carter' last='Thielen'] (14.3) has been one of the most productive freshmen in the state. He's a strong wing who can create his own shot and create plays for teammates. He's joined by Ramon Ware (9.8), [player_tooltip player_id='2754694' first='Charles' last='Schaben'] (9.8, 7.1 rebounds), and Parker Stessman (9.1, 3.5 assists) to give the Titans several playmakers and scorers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Upset Alert</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Des Moines Lincoln:</strong> As mentioned above, Indianola is a team that takes great care of the ball and they should be able to find some open looks against a Lincoln defense that can at times be a bit leaky. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>City High: </strong>This is an interesting contrast between the speed of East and the size of City High. If the East guards can get downhill and get the size of City into foul trouble, this one could be interesting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sioux City North:</strong> Despite the significant gap in records between these teams, BC Moore's power rankings system actually lists Centennial as about a 16-point favorite in this game. So while this would be an upset by seed, it's probably not actually an upset if the Jaguars go over to Sioux City and advance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lewis Central: </strong>The massive differences in competition faced during the season (Southeast Polk #9 strength of schedule, Lewis Central dead last at #48) is a big factor in this game. Nothing that the Titans throw at the Rams will surprise them or overwhelm them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Picking all 16<br></span>Substate 1: Indianola over Des Moines Lincoln, Norwalk over Council Bluffs Jefferson<br>Substate 2: Urbandale over Ottumwa, Des Moines North over Des Moines East<br>Substate 3: City High over Waterloo East, Iowa City West over Davenport West<br>Substate 4: Mason City over Marshalltown, Waterloo West over Cedar Rapids Washington<br>Substate 5: North Scott over Burlington, Bettendorf over Hempstead<br>Substate 6: Pleasant Valley over Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Davenport North over Liberty<br>Substate 7: Centennial over Sioux City North, Roosevelt over Sioux City West<br>Substate 8: Southeast Polk over Lewis Central, Dallas Center-Grimes over Fort Dodge</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->