Friday’s (1/30) Games to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2A #2 Kuemper Catholic (14-3) at Lewis Central (11-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite losing star guard [player_tooltip player_id='1765503' first='Brock' last='Badding'] to a season-ending injury, Kuemper has continued to roll along, averaging 77.9 points per game and blasting through their league opponents. [player_tooltip player_id='1765513' first='Ryan' last='Clair'] (16.9) leads a deep stable of scoring threats, controlling the painted area on both ends of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id='2420798' first='Griffin' last='Glynn'] (15.5) and [player_tooltip player_id='2420805' first='Dylan' last='Schon'] (11.8) both average in double figures as well, and this is a group that can beat you from 3 or around the rim, off the dribble or off the catch, in transition or in halfcourt. In nine conference games so far this season, the Knights are winning by an average of 40.7 points per game. The Titans will be their biggest league test.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Lewis Central, everything goes through the tandem of sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='2523891' first='Carter' last='Thielen'] and junior combo forward [player_tooltip player_id='2754694' first='Charles' last='Schaben'], who combine to average 33.7 points and 14.9 rebounds per game. Thielen can score from anywhere on the floor, using his size and athleticism to create opportunities for himself and his teammates, while Schaben is a great athlete who dominates the glass and is really good around the rim. The Titans are able to put a lot of physical athletes around those two, and they'll need to get some big production out of someone else if they want to really push a Kuemper team that is playing at a ridiculously high level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4A #4 Waukee (12-2) at 4A #3 Dowling Catholic (13-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dowling Catholic won the first meeting between these teams, 59-46, back on December 19. In that game, the Maroons held Waukee to just 28% shooting, and while they're a really good defensive team, it's hard to imagine them stifling Waukee like that again. The Maroons are led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2617486' first='Charles' last='Crane'], averaging 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game. He's headed to play his college ball at the Naval Academy. He leads a balanced offensive attack, with five players averaging between 7.8 and 12.9 points per game, which makes Dowling a difficult team to defend as each player is capable of being the guy on any given night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1765524' first='Evan' last='Jacobson'] (15.3) is the headliner for Waukee, and he'll be looking to bounce back from a really rough 3-13 shooting performance in the first meeting. Jacobson, headed to Texas A&amp;M to play both football and basketball, is the type of big, athletic forward that most teams in the state don't have an answer for. In Crane, Dowling is one of the few who does. [player_tooltip player_id='2594655' first='Pete' last='Craig'] (12.4, 7.6 rebounds), a sophomore combo forward, could be the beneficiary of Crane needing to guard Jacobson. Look for Waukee's senior backcourt trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1978110' first='Jaishon' last='White'], [player_tooltip player_id='1765539' first='Max' last='Roach'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2823296' first='Landon' last='Hanson'] to be big, important pieces if they're going to avenge the loss from before the holiday break. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3A #1 Ballard (14-0) at 4A #4 ADM (13-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ballard suffocated ADM in the first meeting between these teams, holding a high-powered Tigers attack to just 33 points and 31.8% shooting. That game was extremely physical, which probably plays more into the Bombers hands than it does ADM, so this rematch could be determined by how it is officiated. Ballard has been stellar on both ends of the floor all year, winning games by an average of 31.7 points per game behind the strong play of [player_tooltip player_id='2419714' first='Evan' last='Abbott'] (19.9, 41.8 3P%), [player_tooltip player_id='1765518' first='Jude' last='Gibson'] (15.4, 4.8 assists), and [player_tooltip player_id='2419750' first='Parker' last='Miller'] (12.1, 57.6 FG%). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1978130' first='Hudson' last='Lorensen'] (21.9) is the headliner for the Tigers, a hyper-efficient scoring guard who recently became ADM's all-time leading scorer. He's shooting 52-47-93 and is capable of taking over games as a scorer. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1978115' first='Trey' last='Bryte'] is a nightly triple-double threat, averaging 14.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game, and both will be looking to play much, much better after uncharacteristically poor games in the first meeting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2A #1 Unity Christian (15-1) at MOC-Floyd Valley (11-4)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Unity Christian has been one of the most impressive teams in the state, regardless of class, this season. The Knights' lone loss came to Sioux Falls Christian, the best team in South Dakota, and only two games have been decided by single digits. The Knights are led by their dynamic trio in the backcourt - seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2413578' first='Dylan' last='Bosma'] (17.3, 41.2 3P%) and [player_tooltip player_id='2413600' first='Austin' last='Wieringa'] (12.8, 7.3 rebounds) and junior Keagan Winterfeld (13.9, 37.3 3P%). All three are capable of playing with or without the ball in their hands, and each is capable of scoring from anywhere on the floor. Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2419800' first='Tyce' last='Van Donge'] (13.3, 9.3 rebounds) holds down the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defending 3A champion MOC-Floyd Valley has been playing really good ball after the holiday break, winning seven of their last nine games. The Dutchmen are big, physical, and athletic, led by [player_tooltip player_id='2758688' first='Jacob' last='Mulder'], who leads the team in both scoring (14.4) and rebounding (8.3). [player_tooltip player_id='2887838' first='Carter' last='Van Gelder'] (12.5), [player_tooltip player_id='3255104' first='Carter' last='Brightwell'] (11.9, 49.5 3P%), and [player_tooltip player_id='1765504' first='Nicolas' last='Ballenger'] (9.5, 38.2 3P%) give them more scoring punch on the perimeter, and [player_tooltip player_id='1978131' first='Draeden' last='Punt'] is one of the most versatile defenders in the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Others to watch</span><br>3A #10 Center Point-Urbana (12-3) at Mount Vernon (11-3)<br>4A #8 Linn-Mar (10-3) at Ankeny (6-6)<br>Des Moines East (10-3) at Roosevelt (11-3)<br>Columbus Catholic (10-6) at 2A #10 Aplington-Parkersburg (12-3)<br>Nashua-Plainfield (13-4) at Osage (10-5)<br>Cascade (11-5) at Monticello (11-4)<br>1A #5 Coon Rapids-Bayard (15-1) at Woodbine (10-6)<br>Denver (12-4) at East Marshall (10-5)<br>Northeast (12-5) at 1A #7 Bellevue (14-2)<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->