Substate Preview: 4A-3

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/4A-3.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/4A-3.png?w=781" alt="" class="wp-image-2779275" /></a></figure>   The favorite: Cedar Falls has been extremely impressive throughout the course of this regular season, posting some truly ridiculous wins - a 27-point win over Linn-Mar, a 38-point win over Iowa City West, a 16-point win over Valley, a 14-point win over Senior, a 35-point win over Xavier. They've just routinely blasted high-level teams throughout the year, and their two losses came on the road to the #2 team in the state (Linn-Mar, by 8), and the #10 team (Prairie, by 1). The Tigers are deep, balanced, and LOADED with shooting, with all five starters shooting at least 37% from the arc. Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1765553' first='William' last='Gerdes'] (16.3, 67.2 FG%) is a potential high-major forward with size, length, and athleticism. [player_tooltip player_id='1777914' first='Jaydon' last='Kimbrough'] (13.1, 41.9 3P%), a junior sharpshooter, is a high-level shotmaker who moves really well without the ball. [player_tooltip player_id='1199979' first='Anthony' last='Galvin'] (12.8, 41.9 3P%), a senior lead guard, can create quality looks off the dribble for himself and his teammates. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1759953' first='Keegan' last='Steege'] (9.3, 41.3 3P%) is a dynamic on-ball defender. [player_tooltip player_id='1765549' first='Leyton' last='Wolf'] (8.3), a junior wing with great size, may be the highest upside player of the entire bunch. Then role players [player_tooltip player_id='2886908' first='Trey' last='Reuter'] (4.6), [player_tooltip player_id='1381423' first='Jordan' last='Townsend'] (4.5), Carsey Gary (2.6), and Aiden Donahue (1.7) round out a strong and deep rotation. The Tigers are one of two teams in the class to rank within the top 6 in scoring offense and defense, can beat you in a variety of ways, and it would be a true shock if they didn't come out of this substate.   The biggest threat: The best individual player in the substate resides at Iowa City West in senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1381414' first='Jack' last='McCaffery'] (21.6, 7.7 rebounds), the future Butler wing. McCaffery can score inside and out, create quality looks for his teammates, and protect the rim defensively. He's the type of player who can drop 30+ on any given night, and that makes this team dangerous. [player_tooltip player_id='1765527' first='Julian' last='Manson'] (11.7, 7.2 rebounds) is an athletic junior wing who can control the game with the ball in his hands, and there are a lot of athletic, physical players around McCaffery. This is a team that features a lot of standouts from the Trojans' football team, so they're going to play with some physicality and athleticism, that they have a lot of size. They were swept by Cedar Falls in the regular season, losing by 38 early in the year, but they played the Tigers to just a 7-point game in early February, so they'd love to get a third crack at them.   The dark horse: Davenport Central is the #2 seed in the substate and will not only get the first-round bye, but will get to host Iowa City West in the semifinals. The Blue Devils are led by a talented backcourt of senior [player_tooltip player_id='1951794' first='Elias' last='Vargas'] (14.0, 6.0 assists) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1978112' first='Carter' last='Light'] (16.8), a pair of skilled guards who can create off the dribble, knock down shots off the catch, and play solid on-ball defense. [player_tooltip player_id='1484414' first='Jordan' last='Smith'] (7.9), Darrien Manning (7.8), and [player_tooltip player_id='2419947' first='Zayne' last='Bowen'] (6.8) are also viable scoring options. The big concern for this group is consistency, as they just suffered a loss to Clinton, ending a 66-game losing streak for the River Kings. Central went 15-6 during the regular season and has some really high highs, but that is an extremely concerning loss.   Players to Watch 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765553' first='William' last='Gerdes'] (Cedar Falls) 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1777914' first='Jaydon' last='Kimbrough'] (Cedar Falls) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1199979' first='Anthony' last='Galvin'] (Cedar Falls) 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1978112' first='Carter' last='Light'] (Davenport Central) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951794' first='Elias' last='Vargas'] (Davenport Central) 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731768' first='Christopher' last='Watkins'] (City) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2721435' first='Jaxton' last='Schroeder'] (City) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2617492' first='Da'Shaundis' last='Moore'] (Waterloo East) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2425909' first='Jeremiah' last='Clark'] (Waterloo East) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1381414' first='Jack' last='McCaffery'] (Iowa City West) 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765527' first='Julian' last='Manson'] (Iowa City West) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2230499' first='Elijah' last='Reid-Scott'] (Davenport West) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2721785' first='Keylin' last='Lacourse'] (Davenport West)   SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION   Iowa City West at Cedar Falls   West will have the best individual player on the floor in McCaffery, and they played the Tigers to a much, much closer game the second time around. But Cedar Falls has been fantastic all year, and their depth, balance, and talent edge throughout the rest of the roster gives them the advantage here.