Substate Preview: 2A-2

<!-- wp:image {"id":2774498,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/2A-3.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/2A-3.png?w=617" alt="" class="wp-image-2774498" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>District 3</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The favorite: </strong>The highly athletic and physical Wildcats of <strong>West Lyon</strong> are the #1 seed in the district, and they shouldn't have too many issues getting through it. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1759936' first='Carson' last='Hoogeveen'] (17.2, 3.6 assists, 46.2 3P%) is one of the top guards in the class and the best player in the substate. A skilled guard who can create quality looks for himself and his teammates, and score from all three levels, he's in complete control of the game on both ends of the floor. Athletic forwards Jorden Meyer (14.6, 54.5 FG%) and [player_tooltip player_id='2397298' first='Easton' last='Jacobson'] (8.3, 57.5 FG%) help pace a 'Cats attack that is ridiculously efficient, shooting 52.7% from the floor and 39.1% from the 3-point line. If there is one hiccup with this group, they aren't excellent at the free-throw line as a team, but Hoogeveen (84.8%), the one who will likely have the ball in his hands to ice away close games, is.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The biggest threat: Cherokee</strong> has put together a solid season, going 13-7 to date with good wins over Emmetsburg and Manson-Northwest Webster, and they'll enter postseason play hot, winners of five of their last six. Five players average at least 8.2 points per game, led by junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2731759' first='Coy' last='Lewis'] (16.1, 8.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks), an efficient interior scorer and solid rim protector. [player_tooltip player_id='1978145' first='Jaxon' last='Paulsrud'] (13.3, 4.2 assists) is the top playmaker, and Jacob Hurd (10.2) gives them an additional ball-handler and playmaker. The Braves don't shoot it well (28.6 3P%), but use their height, strength, and athleticism to their advantage by getting to the rim. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The dark horse: </strong>Another team featuring some scoring depth is <strong>South Central Calhoun</strong>, a group that has five averaging at least 8.1 points, led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2721807' first='Cole' last='Higgins'] (16.1, 8.8 rebounds). Higgins is the type of versatile scorer who can take over a game on both ends of the floor and carry his team to wins, but West Lyon, should they meet in the district final, will have plenty of lengthy, strong, athletic defenders to throw at him. Like Cherokee, the Titans don't shoot it well from 3 (28.8%), but they are strong at the line (70.2%) if they're able to keep the game close. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Players to Watch<br></span>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1759936' first='Carson' last='Hoogeveen'] (West Lyon)<br>2026 Jorden Meyer (West Lyon)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731759' first='Coy' last='Lewis'] (Cherokee)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1978145' first='Jaxon' last='Paulsrud'] (Cherokee)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2721807' first='Cole' last='Higgins'] (South Central Calhoun)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731640' first='Owen' last='Mills'] (Sioux Central)<br>2026 Koen Glover (Sioux Central)<br>2025 Harry Spicer (MVAOCOU)<br>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2523907' first='Jake' last='Scott'] (MVAOCOU)<br>2028 Karson Welander (Pocahontas Area)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2774501,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/2A-4.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/2A-4.png?w=614" alt="" class="wp-image-2774501" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>District 4</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The favorite: Ridge View</strong> got off to a 17-0 start before a shocking, and frankly bad, loss to Lawton-Bronson in their conference tournament 10 days ago. The Raptors have been strong defensively, allowing just 44.5 points per game, and while some of that can certainly be attributed to a weaker schedule (SOS ranked 89th of 96 2A teams), they're also a well-coached, disciplined group on that end of the floor. The Raptors are balanced and can comfortably go eight deep, which will give them an edge over most of the other teams in this district. Senior forward Kellen Jensen (13.8) and junior Carter Todd (10.0, 4.0 assists, 7.3 rebounds) are the headliners of the group, but this is a team with a lot of different options, and they do a nice job using their defense to spark the offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The biggest threat: Manson-Northwest Webster</strong> is actually the highest ranked team at BC Moore in this district, but they'll have a tougher semifinal game than Ridge View, making them the threat instead of the favorite. The Cougars have a pair of big-time scorers in the backcourt in [player_tooltip player_id='2398114' first='Logan' last='Moline'] (20.4, 8.3 rebounds) and [player_tooltip player_id='1587314' first='Kelan' last='Koval'] (14.3). Both are strong, attacking guards who like to play downhill and put pressure on opposing defenses, while Matt Condon (7.7, 4.4 assists) is the one to put them in the right spots offensively. They pound the glass hard on both ends of the floor (35.9 rebounds per game, 11.9 offensive), and they have a few notable wins this year over Humboldt and South Central Calhoun (twice).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The dark horse: </strong>The toughest strength of schedule in the district belongs to <strong>South Hardin</strong>, a team that has taken some lumps throughout the year against high-quality teams in the North Iowa Cedar League, but that should have prepared them well for postseason play. The Tigers have four viable scoring threats in [player_tooltip player_id='2511486' first='Traven' last='Wheeler'] (11.5, 7.0 rebounds), [player_tooltip player_id='2617513' first='Jake' last='Balvanz'] (10.2), Sam Benson (10.2), and Jaxson Drury (9.2), giving them the opportunity to spread the wealth a bit. They'll need to take better care of the ball (16.7 turnovers per game) if they want to make some real noise in the district, but there's a real chance that they've already played three or four teams who are better than what they'll run into in this district. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Players to Watch<br></span>2025 Kellen Jensen (Ridge View)<br>2026 Carter Todd (Ridge View)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2398114' first='Logan' last='Moline'] (Manson-Northwest Webster)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1587314' first='Kelan' last='Koval'] (Manson-Northwest Webster)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2511486' first='Traven' last='Wheeler'] (South Hardin)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2617513' first='Jake' last='Balvanz'] (South Hardin)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2721465' first='Kale' last='Kalous'] (Iowa Falls-Alden)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2721751' first='Abraham' last='Lin'] (Eagle Grove)<br>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2238293' first='Jaxon' last='Morris'] (Eagle Grove)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2754727' first='Luke' last='Thoreson'] (Roland-Story)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Lyon vs. Ridge View</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ridge View has had a great season, and this is nothing to take away from them, but if this is the matchup in the substate final, it would be a pretty monumental upset if <strong>West Lyon</strong> didn't advance to the state tournament. The Wildcats look poised to get to Des Moines for just the second time in school history. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->