Conference Preview: River Valley South

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alburnett (16-6 last season, 40.5% of scoring returning): </strong>The Pirates join the RVC this season, coming over from the Tri-Rivers Conference, a league that they had gotten too big for. While they lost a pair of big scorers to graduation, they do bring back a pair of very experienced players to help with the transition in senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2886808' first='Caiden' last='Bueckers'] (10.8, 3.5 assists, 42.8 3P%) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2754658' first='Laken' last='Caves'] (9.8, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists). That tandem will give them one of the best backcourts in the division, and should win them plenty of games. Bueckers will step into the primary scoring role after finishing second on the team last season. He's a knockdown shooter from 3-point range and is a reliable secondary playmaker. Caves is a tough, hyper-athletic guard who can play downhill and attack, and he's a really good playmaker with the ball in his hands. Hayden Gustafson (3.7) is the only other returnee with much experience, so there will be a lot of new faces on the floor, but with Bueckers and Caves leading the way, they should be pretty good.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Durant (4-18, 14.0%):</strong> The Wildcats lost a ton of production from last year's team, losing the top three, and six of the top seven, scorers. The lone returnee who averaged more than 0.9 points per game last season is sophomore wing Owen DeLong (5.1), who had a pretty good freshman season. He'll be the focal point for the program the next several years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mid-Prairie (18-5, 58.9%): </strong>One of the top returning scorers in the state will be suiting up for the Golden Hawks in [player_tooltip player_id='2520036' first='Bryce' last='Henry'] (21.3, 36.7 3P%), a skilled shooter and secondary playmaker who will probably have the ball in his hands more than season following the graduation of their assists leader. They lost two other double-figure scorers to graduation, but do bring back four role players with plenty of experience in junior guard Brooks Weber (7.1, 37.1 3P%), senior forwards Kaden Kos (5.4) and Hudson Ehrenfelt (4.6), and junior wing Kale Miller (3.2). With five rotation pieces returning, and one of the best players in 2A on their side, the Golden Hawks will once again be a conference title threat and have a real chance to make a run to Des Moines come February.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Regina Catholic (19-4, 82.8%):</strong> The Regals are going to have a pretty overwhelming size advantage over just about any team they play this winter. Junior forwards [player_tooltip player_id='2419815' first='Will' last='Litton'] (16.8, 8.9 rebounds) and [player_tooltip player_id='2419768' first='Tate' last='Wallace'] (16.2, 5.4 rebounds) are both 6-4/6-5, athletic big men who run the floor well, finish at the rim through contact, and can impact the game defensively. Then they have sophomore center [player_tooltip player_id='2523886' first='Ben' last='Wade'] (4.4, 1.6 blocks), a 6-10/6-11 big man who already holds offers from Drake and Northern Iowa. He's a long, athletic rim protector who will patrol the paint and block or alter a ton of shots. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2886831' first='Drew' last='Greve'] (9.8, 5.8 assists) was really good as a playmaker and shot creator last season, and he'll be boosted by the addition of [player_tooltip player_id='2103624' first='Emmett' last='Burke'], who averaged 15.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.9 steals per game at Lone Tree last season. Burke also shot 38.5% from the 3-point line last season, which will be a big boost for a Regals team whose biggest weakness last season was 3-point shooting. This is the team to beat in the South, and a real state title contender in 2A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tipton (11-11, 13.3%): </strong>The Tigers lost their top four scorers, and five of the top six, to graduation, leaving junior Oakley Kruse (6.2) as the top returnee. Kruse is a capable 3-point shooter and can get to the rim. He'll be tasked with handling the ball more this winter. There will be a lot of new faces taking the floor for Tipton this season, and you can expect them to take a bit of a step back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Branch (11-13, 71.4%):</strong> New coach Kaleb Duwa will have a pair of double-figure scorers returning to lead the way in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2731645' first='Jayden' last='Harris'] (18.8, 39.4 3P%) and [player_tooltip player_id='2887864' first='Brandon' last='Pedersen'] (10.0). Harris had a breakout junior year as a scorer and playmaker and should be one of the best players in the league this winter. Brennen Dale (5.0, 4.2 assists) will lead the backcourt after leading the team in assists last season. He does a nice job setting the table for his teammates, and senior forwards Lincoln Naber (4.5) and Michael Montgomery (3.0) will give the Bears some needed size and physicality in the paint. This will be an experienced, pretty deep team that will have a chance to finish in the top 2-3 in the division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Liberty (11-13, 13.5%): </strong>There will be a ton of new faces taking the floor this winter for the Comets following the graduations of their top four, and six of the top seven, scorers. Junior Joseph Delgado (5.0) is the top returning scorer, but the breakout to watch here will be sophomore big man [player_tooltip player_id='2917315' first='Camden' last='Crees'] (3.0, 3.3 rebounds). He's a big, 6-7/6-8 forward with soft hands, good touch around the rim, and he could develop into a force on both ends of the floor for this group. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wilton (7-15, 90.2%): </strong>The Beavers bring back some real scoring punch with the returns of juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2419757' first='Bryer' last='Putman'] (23.6, 12.9 rebounds, 3.2 blocks), [player_tooltip player_id='2419764' first='Oaklan' last='Jirak'] (18.0, 37.3 3P%), and [player_tooltip player_id='2425334' first='Quincy' last='Sawvell'] (11.0, 37.4 3P%). Putman is one of the most explosive scorers in the state. A 6-5 wing who can score from anywhere on the floor, he's a tough, physical wing who stuffs the stat sheet in a variety of different ways. Jirak and Sawvell are both quality shooting threats who can play with or without the ball in their hands. Senior lead guard Briggs Oien (4.2, 4.7 assists) also returns, giving them a solid lead guard who can set the table for his teammates. Offense isn't going to be a concern here. Defensive improvement will determine how far this group can go, however. They had 11 games last season in which they allowed 73 or more points. That number has to improve.</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. Regina Catholic<br>2. Mid-Prairie<br>3. Alburnett<br>4. West Branch<br>5. Wilton<br>6. West Liberty<br>7. Tipton<br>8. Durant</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>Regina is going to be one of the best teams in 2A this season and is the pretty clear favorite here. That said, Mid-Prairie, Alburnett, and West Branch will all be formidable and capable of beating just about anyone, while Wilton can score in bunches and if they improve defensively, they could be interesting and dangerous.</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>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419757' first='Bryer' last='Putman'] (Wilton):</strong> Putman is one of the most explosive scorers and all-around playmakers in the state, putting up massive numbers as a sophomore for the Beavers. He should be even better as a junior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419757' first='Bryer' last='Putman'] (Wilton)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419764' first='Oaklan' last='Jirak'] (Wilton)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2425334' first='Quincy' last='Sawvell'] (Wilton)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2520036' first='Bryce' last='Henry'] (Mid-Prairie)<br>2027 Brooks Weber (Mid-Prairie)<br>2026 Kaden Kos (Mid-Prairie)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731645' first='Jayden' last='Harris'] (West Branch)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2887864' first='Brandon' last='Pedersen'] (West Branch)<br>2026 Brennen Dale (West Branch)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419815' first='Will' last='Litton'] (Regina)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419768' first='Tate' last='Wallace'] (Regina)<br>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2523886' first='Ben' last='Wade'] (Regina)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2886831' first='Drew' last='Greve'] (Regina)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2103624' first='Emmett' last='Burke'] (Regina)<br>2027 Oakley Kruse (Tipton)<br>2028 Owen DeLong (Durant)<br>2027 Joseph Delgado (West Liberty)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->