Substate Preview: 4A-5

Tony Roe February 22, 2025 @ 04:00 PM

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/4A-5.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/4A-5.png?w=785" alt="" class="wp-image-2779277" /></a></figure>   The favorite: Senior is the top seed in the substate, but this is one of the toughest substates in the class, with arguments to be made for four teams. The Rams will, if they reach it, get the substate final at home, which makes them the favorite here, but this one is fairly open. Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1172887' first='Tevin' last='Schultz'] (19.6, 63.1 FG%) is the headliner of the group. He's a big, physical, and athletic 6-7 forward who can score inside and out, rebound well on both ends of the floor, and create plays out of the high post area. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1765555' first='Drake' last='Medinger'] (13.9, 52.9 3P%) has fought through some adversity this season but been outstanding as a three-level scorer. [player_tooltip player_id='1765536' first='Cooper' last='Porter'] (7.6), [player_tooltip player_id='1381411' first='Jalen' last='Johnson'] (6.7), Drew Francois (5.8), [player_tooltip player_id='2820081' first='Mahdi' last='Al-Atabi'] (5.7), and [player_tooltip player_id='1288904' first='Mekyael' last='Hall'] (5.4) are all viable scoring threats as well, but what separates the Rams from other teams in this substate is their ability get after it on the defensive end. THey're deep, athletic, and fly all over the floor on that end.   The biggest threat: On Thursday night, Prairie went up to Senior and came away with a 55-53 win to clinch their division of the MVC. The Hawks have been great in the second year under Todd Kuntz, with really good wins over Kennedy, Decorah, Cedar Falls, and Senior on the resume. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2419791' first='Austin' last='Joens'] (12.5, 43.1 3P%) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2023719' first='Will' last='Wehr'] (11.7, 47.4 3P%) are the team's top two scorers, providing a ton of shooting and floor spacing. [player_tooltip player_id='2397337' first='Jace' last='McDermott'] (9.9, 35.6 3P%) is another quality shooting threat, and sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='2419754' first='Quantae' last='Alexander'] (7.9, 3.1 assists) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2731874' first='David' last='Fason'] (7.3, 4.8 assists) give them some playmaking and shot creation in the backcourt. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1951800' first='Devin' last='Ikeda'] (7.8, 5.3 rebounds) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2419840' first='Cayden' last='Larson'] (6.8) give them some size in the paint, making this a really balanced, well-put together team that can beat you inside and out.   The dark horse(s): Four seniors who were key pieces for last year's state qualifying team at Bettendorf lead the Bulldogs in scoring in [player_tooltip player_id='2397255' first='Cole' last='Odefey'] (18.4, 7.0 rebounds, 39.2 3P%), [player_tooltip player_id='1951786' first='Ben' last='Kerkhoff'] (15.3), [player_tooltip player_id='1484416' first='Amari' last='Washington'] (11.3), and [player_tooltip player_id='2511528' first='Jackson' last='Laver'] (5.2), giving them a lot of big-game experience. The Bulldogs have won six of their last seven heading into postseason play and with that type of experience, strength, and physicality returning, they're going to be a dangerous team.   North Scott is a ridiculously young team that is oozing with talent, and with youth comes inconsistency. The Lancers are led by sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='2309944' first='Josiah' last='Harrington'] (18.9, 37.8 3P%), who has already committed to play his college ball at Iowa State. Their top six scorers are comprised of three sophomores - Harrington, [player_tooltip player_id='2754678' first='Michael' last='Gordon'] (8.4, 41.3 3P%), and [player_tooltip player_id='2107245' first='Zane' last='Rus'] (8.0, 42.6 3P%) - and three freshmen - [player_tooltip player_id='2595605' first='MarQwan' last='Morgan'] (13.3), [player_tooltip player_id='2595698' first='Marcus' last='Morgan Jr'] (6.7), and [player_tooltip player_id='2523928' first='Vasaun' last='Wilmington'] (4.9). There's an old adage in sports that the young teams may be "too naive" to know the stakes, and maybe that's the case here. With so much talent on the roster, it's hard to ever count a team like this out.   Players to Watch 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1172887' first='Tevin' last='Schultz'] (Senior) 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765555' first='Drake' last='Medinger'] (Senior) 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419791' first='Austin' last='Joens'] (Prairie) 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2023719' first='Will' last='Wehr'] (Prairie) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2397337' first='Jace' last='McDermott'] (Prairie) 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2309944' first='Josiah' last='Harrington'] (North Scott) 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2595605' first='MarQwan' last='Morgan'] (North Scott) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951799' first='Nehemiah' last='Lewis'] (Burlington) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2397255' first='Cole' last='Odefey'] (Bettendorf) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951786' first='Ben' last='Kerkhoff'] (Bettendorf) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1484416' first='Amari' last='Washington'] (Bettendorf) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1759932' first='Reed' last='Strohmeyer'] (Hempstead)   SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION   Prairie at Senior   Yes, Prairie just went up to Senior and won. But to do that twice in a two-week span is asking a lot. The Hawks are certainly capable of doing so, they have a ton of talent and versatility, and offense generally comes easier to them than it does to Senior. That said, in a tight game, we'll side with the home team that has the best individual player on the floor in [player_tooltip player_id='1172887' first='Tevin' last='Schultz']. Senior sneaks past Prairie, advancing to Des Moines in a nail-biter.