Class 2A Substate Final Preview

Substate 1: Southeast Valley (21-1) vs. Unity Christian (21-2) at Storm Lake, 8:00 pm   Southeast Valley hasn't lost since their season opener, a one-point loss to Madrid. The Jaguars have won 21 straight since then, with only three games decided by single digits. However, they've also played against a strength of schedule that ranks 89th (out of 96) in Class 2A, so take their 6th ranked scoring offense (68.9) and 2nd scoring defense (41.1) with a grain of salt. On the flip side, Unity Christian, who has reached the state semifinals in back-to-back years, has played the 4th toughest schedule and is still the second highest scoring team in the class at 72.7 points per game. The Knights got a buzzer-beating layup from [player_tooltip player_id='2419800' first='Tyce' last='Van Donge'], going coast-to-coast after a West Lyon missed free throw with seven seconds left, to force overtime and survive a scare in the district final. Expect that game to have gotten them re-focused on the task at hand, and while Southeast Valley has had arguably the best year in school history, Unity Christian is on another level in terms of talent, athleticism, and depth.   The pick: Unity Christian   Substate 2: Kuemper Catholic (21-3) vs. Roland-Story (18-5) at Greene County, 7:00 pm   The top-ranked Knights enter this one as a massive favorite, but then again, they were a massive favorite in the substate final last year against Union and got upset. They've been absolutely decimating teams since their loss to 4A top-3 Dowling Catholic, entering this game on a 15-game winning streak by an average of 27.7 points per game. Senior big man [player_tooltip player_id='1765513' first='Ryan' last='Clair'] (17.0, 7.2 rebounds, 63.5 FG%) is a player that Roland-Story won't have an answer for, and the guard play of [player_tooltip player_id='2420798' first='Griffin' last='Glynn'] (15.4), [player_tooltip player_id='2420805' first='Dylan' last='Schon'] (13.9), and [player_tooltip player_id='2519974' first='Jack' last='Badding'] (10.3), among others, has been superlative. The Norsemen's best chance here is taking the air out of the ball and hoping that Kuemper has an off shooting night. If this one is tight in the fourth quarter, maybe some terrifying memories of last year start to creep in, but expect Kuemper to take care of business early here with their high-powered attack.   The pick: Kuemper Catholic   Substate 3: Beckman Catholic (14-10) vs. Grundy Center (22-1) at Northern Iowa, 6:30 pm   Beckman Catholic last made the state tournament in 2021, the same year that Grundy Center head coach Owen Thomas graduated from high school. That's not that long ago, and it's amazing to think that he has his Spartans just one step away from the state tournament. Standing in their way is a Beckman team that is playing really well down the stretch, having upset both Alburnett and Denver to get here. Had the Blazers been playing with a full deck of cards throughout the regular season, their record would probably look much better, but they're healthy now and a real threat here. Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2419787' first='Jake' last='Wegmann'] (13.3) has played through injuries all year, but is a dynamic scorer who can take over games. [player_tooltip player_id='2754692' first='Tayveon' last='Barnhart'] (12.9), [player_tooltip player_id='2772346' first='Noah' last='Kluesner'] (10.8), and [player_tooltip player_id='1765519' first='Brady' last='Gogel'] (10.6, 6.8 assists) are all viable scoring threats as well, and they can spread Grundy out here. The thing working against Beckman here is that Grundy is once again big, physical, long, tough, and athletic. The Spartans are going to pound the glass on both ends of the floor and look to use their physicality to their advantage. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2413534' first='Judd' last='Jirovsky'] (15.3, 6.5 assists) has been great this season and paces a deep stable of scoring threats. In his first year on the sidelines, Thomas gets to the state tournament.   The pick: Grundy Center   Substate 4: Cascade (16-7) vs. Aplington-Parkersburg (21-3) at Northern Iowa, 8:00 pm   The nightcap of the doubleheader at the McLeod Center features Owen Thomas' dad's team, Aplington-Parkersburg. Has a father-son duo ever reached the state tournament in the same class in the same year? It seems unlikely, but that could very well happen here. A-P has been scorching hot since getting [player_tooltip player_id='1765547' first='Benny' last='Waller'] (21.4, 36.2 3P%) back from injury. The Falcons have won 11 straight and are back to being the high-powered, free-flowing offensive juggernaut that we've come to expect. It's not just Waller though, as sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2594659' first='Tyler' last='Wedeking'] (15.4, 38.4 3P%) has emerged as a really strong secondary scorer, and four others average between 6.1 and 9.6 points per game. Look for Cascade to try and limit possessions here, turning this into a slower, grind-it-out game. If they can limit possessions, they have an explosive scorer of their own in [player_tooltip player_id='1978108' first='Mick' last='Hoffman'] (24.1) who is capable of taking over games and carrying the Cougars to an upset.   The pick: Aplington-Parkersburg   Substate 5: Northeast (17-7) vs. Regina Catholic (21-1) at Muscatine, 7:00 pm   These teams met very early in the season, a 63-55 Regina win, and while Northeast has improved since then, so has Regina, in a big way. The Regals were coming off a deep football run, and most of their standouts on the hardwood had had very limited practice time before that game. Northeast is led by sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2523908' first='Jaxen' last='Christiansen'] (21.9, 4.2 assists), a big-time three-level scoring threat who can take over games. Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2420792' first='Emerson' last='Kreinbrink'] (15.9, 8.0 rebounds) is a solid interior presence who can control the glass, and Connor Soesbe (7.4, 7.2 rebounds) has given them some more size. They'll need both of them to be great in this game against the Regals' huge front line. With [player_tooltip player_id='2419815' first='Will' last='Litton'] (12.7, 6.4 rebounds, 53.5 FG%), Tate Wallce (16.8, 5.9 rebounds, 66.7 FG%), and [player_tooltip player_id='2523886' first='Ben' last='Wade'] (10.7, 6.7 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 56.5 FG%), Regina goes 6-5, 6-4, 6-9 across their frontcourt, and each of them are really good athletes. Litton and Wallace are star football players who aren't afraid to throw some physicality around, and they should have their way in the paint in this one. Northeast probably has the edge in the backcourt here, but Regina's size and athleticism is going to be tough for them to contend with.   The pick: Regina Catholic   Substate 6: Pella Christian (14-10) vs. Union (21-3) at Marshalltown, 7:00 pm   Few teams in 2A are more battle-tested than Pella Christian, who plays primarily 3A and 4A schools in the Little Hawkeye Conference. Going against quality, bigger schools night-in, night-out has certainly prepared them well for postseason play, and they aren't going to be intimidated by anything Union throws at them. Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2724147' first='Gilbert' last='Flagel'] (21.5, 58.4 FG%) will probably be the best player on the floor here, but is there enough around him to keep pace with a very potent Union attack? The Knights brought back a significant chunk of last year's state tournament team, and the senior-heavy group is ready to make some more noise this year. [player_tooltip player_id='1726227' first='Caden' last='Sorensen'] (16.1, 42.3 3P%) leads a deep, talented stable of scorers that can really stretch teams out, allowing their quick guards to attack off the dribble. Union has more weapons and has the experience of being in this spot last year. Edge Knights.   The pick: Union   Substate 7: Treynor (21-3) vs. Underwood (19-4) at Council Bluffs Jefferson, 5:00 pm   Round One went to Treynor, 56-48, on December 9. Round Two went to Underwood, 53-48, on January 20. Round Three is the biggest of the bunch, deciding who gets a berth in the state tournament. Few teams in 2A have been playing better than Treynor since that loss to the Eagles, with the Cards winning nine straight since that setback, with only one game decided by fewer than 12 points. The experienced Cardinals will have a pretty significant edge in the backcourt here in the form of [player_tooltip player_id='1978103' first='Alec' last='Lovely'] (17.5, 4.7 assists), [player_tooltip player_id='2886836' first='Ethan' last='Hill'] (10.8, 3.6 assists), [player_tooltip player_id='2906551' first='Riley' last='Lauver'] (7.6), and Jude Mieska (6.7). Lovely is one of the most dynamic guards in the class and can carry this group for stretches as both a scorer and playmaker. The real key for the Cardinals in this game, however, could be [player_tooltip player_id='2413619' first='Corbin' last='Thien'] (9.5), their big man. He'll need to limit Underwood standout forward [player_tooltip player_id='2731691' first='Garrett' last='Luett'] (16.3, 11.4 rebounds, 64.8 FG%) both as an interior scorer and as a rebounder. If Luett and [player_tooltip player_id='2854041' first='Landon' last='Wigington'] (13.0, 7.9 rebounds) control the glass, Underwood has a great chance here.   The pick: Treynor   Substate 8: Western Christian (17-6) vs. Tri-Center (21-2) at Sioux City East, 8:00 pm   Both of these teams had to mount pretty big comebacks to get to this game, with Western Christian outlasting Rock Valley in double overtime, and Tri-Center outscoring Cherokee 45-27 in the second half of their district final. The guard battle between Western's [player_tooltip player_id='2772345' first='Tayden' last='Moret'] (17.8) and Tri-Center's [player_tooltip player_id='2420786' first='AJ' last='Harder'] (20.9, 6.7 assists) will be worth the price of admission alone. Both are high-level athletes who can score from anywhere, and they're both capable of absolutely taking over games as scorers and facilitators. Tri-Center's second piece is [player_tooltip player_id='2628806' first='Tyler' last='Baatz'] (18.3, 60.7 FG%), a highly efficient forward who can score inside and out, but after those two, there are some question marks. For the Wolfpack, [player_tooltip player_id='2413626' first='Landon' last='De Stigter'] (18.9, 37.3 3P%) has battled through injuries all year to lead the team in scoring, and he was electric in the fourth quarter and overtimes against the Rockets after getting off to a slow start. [player_tooltip player_id='3344376' first='Preston' last='Louters'] (10.7) and Toby Van Regenmorter (10.5) have both been really solid on both ends of the floor as well for the Wolfpack. I'm not sure Tri-Center has an answer for De Stigter's length and size on the wing, and he helps lift the Wolfpack to a 26th state tournament appearance.   The pick: Western Christian

Substate 1: Southeast Valley (21-1) vs. Unity Christian (21-2) at Storm Lake, 8:00 pm