1A District Final Preview

Class 1A postseason picks record: 26-6   District 1: Sibley-Ocheyedan (15-8) at MMCRU (23-1)   These teams played each other back on January 9, a 72-32 MMCRU win. In that game, the Royals shot 58% from the floor and recorded 25 steals. Expect a little better effort from Sibley-Ocheyedan this time around, but this is still a game that [player_tooltip player_id='3255100' first='Kamden' last='Bork'], Michael Schmillen, [player_tooltip player_id='3041731' first='Wyatt' last='Alesch'], and crew should control from start-to-finish.   The pick: MMCRU   District 2: North Union (14-9) at Belmond-Klemme (17-5)   Belmond-Klemme swept the season series, winning both games by nine points - 63-54 on December 16, and 78-69 on January 27. In those two games, the Broncos won the rebounding battle by a combined 75-45. [player_tooltip player_id='2754716' first='Brody' last='Heifner'] pulled down 31 rebounds on his own for Belmond-Klemme, and unless North Union is able to find a way to keep him off the offensive glass, expect to see much of the same - Broncos domination on the glass, and a Broncos win.   The pick: Belmond-Klemme   District 3: Nashua-Plainfield (18-6) at Bishop Garrigan (21-2)   With no player in the regular rotation taller than 6-2, Nashua-Plainfield will struggle to compete on the glass with the athleticism and non-stop motor of [player_tooltip player_id='2731752' first='Amaury' last='Thomas'], who averages more than 13 rebounds per game. [player_tooltip player_id='2243086' first='Michael' last='Joyce'] (17.3, 4.0 assists, 36.0 3P%) and [player_tooltip player_id='1781875' first='Carter' last='Schwab'] (14.6, 5.9 assists) will be tough for the Huskies to slow down here as well, but it's Thomas who is the ultimate difference maker, leading the Golden Bears to the district title.   The pick: Bishop Garrigan   District 4: South Winneshiek (20-3) at Wapsie Valley (17-7)   Wapsie Valley won the regular-season meeting, 78-61, snapping a four-game losing streak in the process. South Winn had no answer for senior big man [player_tooltip player_id='1884756' first='Tanner' last='Bergmann'], who had 32 points on 16-20 shooting with 10 rebounds. Wapsie nearly doubled up South Winn on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 35-18. If that doesn't get much, much closer, Wapsie Valley should control this matchup yet again.   The pick: Wapsie Valley   District 5: Maquoketa Valley (19-5) vs. Bellevue (20-3) [at Maquoketa]   There is a significant edge here for Bellevue in terms of strength of schedule, with the Comets having played the second toughest schedule in 1A, while Maquoketa Valley's SOS ranks 70th in the class. The Comets don't shoot it well from the 3-point line, but they have the athleticism to throw a number of different looks at Wildcats' standout [player_tooltip player_id='2731675' first='Brady' last='Wall'], and their physicality should control this game on the defensive end and on the glass.   The pick: Bellevue   District 6: Baxter (19-5) at East Marshall (17-6)   This is another game with a massive difference in strength of schedule - Baxter's ranking 116th and East Marshall's 12th. Baxter has a star wing in [player_tooltip player_id='1460951' first='Eli' last='Dee'], a 30+ point scorer who can take over a game, but can the Bolts get stops against the Mustangs high-powered attack, ranking second in 1A in points per game (75.5)? That doesn't seem likely. [player_tooltip player_id='2809470' first='Jackson' last='Bidwell'] (18.0), Blake Neuroth (10.9), and crew cruise.   The pick: East Marshall   District 7: Montezuma (20-4) at Lynnville-Sully (23-0)   Lynnville-Sully won a tightly contested contest against their SICL foe back on January 13, 58-51 at Montezuma. The third-ranked scoring defense in 1A held the Braves to just 34% shooting and forced them into a ton of 3-point attempts (9-31, 29.0%). If Montezuma star guard [player_tooltip player_id='1765506' first='Brady' last='Boulton'] can get hot, the Braves are certainly capable of pulling off the upset. That said, they'll need to make a concerted effort to limit second chances after the Hawks pulled down 14 offensive rebounds in the first meeting. The physicality and toughness of Lynnville-Sully wins out, but this should be one of the best games of the night.   The pick: Lynnville-Sully   District 8: Springville (15-6) at Marquette Catholic (21-2)   The back-to-back runner-up Defenders have been pretty dominant this season, winning games by an average of 31.3 points per game. A high-powered offensive team, averaging 76.8 points per game, they use their constant pressure defense to spark the offense. Springville enters the game hot, winning 11 of their last 12, but they can struggle with turnovers (more than 15 a game), and if they're giving it away consistently, things could get out of hand.   The pick: Marquette Catholic   District 9: Holy Trinity Catholic (16-7) at Notre Dame (22-2)   Notre Dame dominated both regular season meetings, winning by 16 on December 19 and by 26 on January 23. Not many teams have an answer for him, but HTC really doesn't have an answer for Notre Dame senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1978106' first='Shay' last='Stephens']. The future Western Illinois lead guard has scored 47 points on 21-32 shooting with 16 rebounds and 17 assists in those two games. The Nikes have good talent around him in [player_tooltip player_id='3343991' first='LJ' last='Harris'], [player_tooltip player_id='3453701' first='Griffin' last='Kies'], and [player_tooltip player_id='3453740' first='Kellan' last='Porter'], but they'll go as Stephens goes, and he should control this matchup yet again.   The pick: Notre Dame   District 10: Hillcrest Academy (20-4) at Calamus-Wheatland (22-2)   Cal-Wheatland is having their best season in a long time and has a real chance to win a district title here. The Warriors, like Marquette, use their defense to spark the offense, averaging 74 points per game. [player_tooltip player_id='2887794' first='Chase' last='Klatt'] (20.3, 4.8 assists) is the headliner of the group, but the Warriors have six players averaging at least 7.2 points per game, so they can beat you in a number of ways. In [player_tooltip player_id='2519950' first='Rowan' last='Miller'], Hillcrest Academy has a really talented lead guard who can protect the ball, and if the Ravens don't give it away, they have the firepower to keep pace.   The pick: Calamus-Wheatland   District 11: Martensdale-St Marys (18-6) at Madrid (19-4)   In sophomore forward [player_tooltip player_id='2439640' first='Jevyn' last='Severson'] (25.0, 9.9 rebounds), defending champion Madrid will have far-and-away the best player on the floor in this game. MStM has 6-6 Jack Gavin and 6-4 Colton Wright, but do either of them possess the physicality to wall up on Severson? The Tigers are young, but once again very talented, and behind a big Severson game, advance to the substate final.   The pick: Madrid   District 12: Woodbine (15-8) at St. Albert (19-5)   This is another regular season rematch, with that meeting controlled by St. Albert, winning 65-40 on January 12. They won comfortably despite getting out-rebounded 40-32, in large part by forcing 20 turnovers. if the Tigers can't clean up the giveaways, the Falcons will cruise to another win here.   The pick: St. Albert   District 13: Bedford (19-4) vs. Riverside (13-10) [at Southwest Valley]   Riverside upset Southwest Valley to get here, and their reward is the top-ranked scoring defense in 1A. Bedford is allowing just 33 points per game, and has held 11 teams to 26 points or fewer this season. The Bulldogs will have a tough time scoring against a Bedford team that is not only strong on the defensive end, but that doesn't hurt themselves offensively, turning it over just 8.6 times per game. A big game from junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='3343950' first='Quentin' last='Dalton'], who averages 21 points a game, leads Bedford into the substate final.   The pick: Bedford   District 14: Ankeny Christian (20-4) at St. Edmond (21-2)   Ankeny Christian has had another nice season, but it likely comes to an end here. In their four toughest games (Pella Christian, Madrid, Lynville-Sully, St. Albert) this season, the Eagles have lost by an average of 20.3 points per game, and there's a strong argument to be made that St. Ed is the best of the bunch. ACA struggles to get stops here, and there's too much [player_tooltip player_id='1907683' first='Hunter' last='Horn'], too much [player_tooltip player_id='2517050' first='Carson' last='Bargfrede'], too much Gaels firepower.   The pick: St. Edmond   District 15: Coon Rapids-Bayard (22-1) vs. Audubon (15-9) [at Carroll]   These teams met in the season-opener, a 54-49 Coon Rapids-Bayard win. The Crusaders have lost just once, an 11-point loss to a top-5 2A team in Treynor, and have been smothering on the defensive end, allowing just 43.7 points per game. The Heydon brothers - senior [player_tooltip player_id='1765521' first='Cal' last='Heydon'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2906442' first='Ty' last='Heydon'] - combine to average 36.9 points and 21 rebounds, and they're too much for the Wheelers to contend with here.   The pick: Coon Rapids-Bayard   District 16: Gehlen Catholic (16-7) at Boyden-Hull (16-7)   Having gone through the gauntlet of the Siouxland Conference, Boyden-Hull is well prepared for this game. The Comets have played the toughest schedule in Class 1A this season according to BC Moore and that should give them a pretty significant edge here. The trio of [player_tooltip player_id='2412735' first='Jakob' last='Pottebaum'], [player_tooltip player_id='1765526' first='Carter' last='Kleinwolterink'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2731754' first='Garret' last='Van Es'] controls the game, limits second chances, and cruises to a comfortable win.   The pick: Boyden-Hull

Class 1A postseason picks record: 26-6