Can Clear Lake Navigate a Tricky 3A-2 to Reach State?

<!-- wp:image {"id":3501510,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screen-Shot-2026-02-16-at-10.56.11-PM.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screen-Shot-2026-02-16-at-10.56.11-PM.png?w=700" alt="" class="wp-image-3501510" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The favorite: </strong>One of four 3A teams to rank within the top seven in both scoring offense (7th, 68.8) and defense (2nd, 39.1), <strong>Clear Lake</strong> earned the top seed in the substate and thus, the right to host throughout. The Lions have lost twice, by a combined nine points, to 4A Dallas Center-Grimes and 1A St. Edmond, a team that has been ranked near the top of the 1A rankings all year. As they always are, the Lions are a deep, balanced, and highly athletic team that can beat you in a multitude of different ways. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2419796' first='Jaxson' last='McIntire'] (14.5, 40.5 3P%) is the leading scorer, an efficient shooter and three-level scorer. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2389820' first='Trevor' last='Theobald'] (10.5, 4.6 assists) and [player_tooltip player_id='2389849' first='Luke' last='Fuhrman'] (7.1, 4.7 assists) are both really effective lead guards who can share primary ball-handling responsibilities. Theobald has a 4.04 assist-to-turnover ratio, and Furhman is at 2.80, so both are great at protecting the ball. [player_tooltip player_id='2377642' first='Carson' last='Riser'] (10.0) gives them more perimeter scoring, and five others contribute in a significant way. Their pressure can frustrate teams, and if they get on a run, they're hard to keep pace with and come back against because of how stout they are defensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The biggest threats: </strong>The bottom of the bracket features a pair of teams that can threaten Clear Lake, each for different reasons. We'll start with #2 seed <strong>Knoxville</strong>. The Panthers ran through the regular season and substate last season undefeated before losing to Xavier in the quarterfinals. They lost a significant chunk from that roster, but brought back sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id='2231637' first='Lincoln' last='Norris'] (23.7, 47.9 3P%), one of the state's ELITE shooters. He has been sensational in his junior year, turning himself from a catch-and-shoot weapon into an all-around scorer. His ability to stretch the floor is rivaled by few in the state. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2731843' first='Drake' last='Larson'] (13.1, 7.9 assists) has been as steady as they come in terms of playmaking and distributing, and the trio of [player_tooltip player_id='3344389' first='Jackson' last='Reed'] (10.2), [player_tooltip player_id='3344397' first='Tristan' last='Stevenson'] (8.1), and Cael Cook (6.4) round out a strong one through five. Knowing that they wouldn't be tested in league play (14-0, 46.6 average margin of victory), they went out and added games against MOC-Floyd Valley, Pella, Pella Christian, Oskaloosa, Newton, and Bondurant-Farrar (among others). Testing themselves against some bigger, better teams could bode well for them when they run into Gilbert in the semifinals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the other side of the competitiveness spectrum is <strong>Gilbert</strong>, who has played a schedule that ranks 2nd in 3A (compared to 63rd for Knoxville). The Tigers are led by the tandem of sophomore Matthew Ochalla (16.0) and senior [player_tooltip player_id='1765542' first='Preston' last='Stensland'] (15.3, 3.2 assists). Both are high-level scorers who can fill it up from anywhere on the floor. Matt Zoz (7.3) and Lual Kenyang (6.9) give them an interior presence, and [player_tooltip player_id='2381206' first='Charlie' last='Reich'] (5.9) and [player_tooltip player_id='1765544' first='William' last='Terrones'] (5.1, 5.4 assists) are strong contributors as well. The Tigers can struggle at times with turnovers (14.5 a game), but they're good at the free-throw line (70.5%) and have closed the regular season strong with wins over Carroll and Decorah. Can they slow down Knoxville or will they have to try and outscore the Panthers?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The dark horse:</strong> Having gone through the Raccoon River Conference, <strong>North Polk</strong> isn't going to be scared of anyone in this substate. The Comets have a few quality wins this season over Gilbert and Van Meter, and a majority of their losses have come against other teams that are #1 seeds in other substates. They're led by a pair of double-figure scorers in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2887875' first='Jack' last='Spieker'] (12.0) and Jayson Slings (11.2), while four others average between 5.9 and 7.6 points per game. Nothing that the Comets do is going to overwhelm a team, but they play solid defense, can drag the game down into the mud and limit possessions, and if they can keep it close, anything can happen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Players to Watch<br></span>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419796' first='Jaxson' last='McIntire'] (Clear Lake)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2389820' first='Trevor' last='Theobald'] (Clear Lake)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2377642' first='Carson' last='Riser'] (Clear Lake)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2231637' first='Lincoln' last='Norris'] (Knoxville)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731843' first='Drake' last='Larson'] (Knoxville)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731814' first='Brady' last='Harr'] (Hampton-Dumont-CAL)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2116967' first='Tramaine' last='Horton'] (Hampton-Dumont-CAL)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2827952' first='Caden' last='Woods'] (Hampton-Dumont-CAL)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2481793' first='Rhett' last='Driskell'] (Creston)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2926177' first='Landon' last='Myers'] (Boone)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2520033' first='Jude' last='Baumgardner'] (Boone)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2887875' first='Jack' last='Spieker'] (North Polk)<br>2026 Jayson Slings (North Polk)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2617522' first='Jesus' last='Villagomez'] (Charles City)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2204895' first='Victor' last='Ward'] (Charles City)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clear Lake vs. Gilbert</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You can make strong arguments for any of Clear Lake, Knoxville, or Gilbert to come out of this substate. Clear Lake has been arguably the most consistent team of the three, and is probably the best defensively, which will give them an edge in this group. Gilbert and Knoxville play a thriller in the semifinals, while Clear Lake gets through their first few games relatively easily, then the Lions find a way to force turnovers against a Gilbert team that can give it away. <strong>Clear Lake</strong> punches their ticket to Des Moines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->