Underwood and Treynor Appear to Be on Collision Course in 2A-7

<!-- wp:image {"id":3497323,"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-2026-02-14-at-12.40.57-PM.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screen-Shot-2026-02-14-at-12.40.57-PM.png?w=700" alt="" class="wp-image-3497323" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The favorite: Underwood</strong> broke into the 2A rankings in the final week, checking in at #10 on the strength of winning 11 of their last 12 games, a stretch that included quality wins over Treynor and Tri-Center. The Eagles are led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2731691' first='Garrett' last='Luett'] (16.3, 11.9 rebounds), one of the most dominant interior players in 2A. He has been a force on the glass on both ends of the floor, highly efficient as an interior scorer, and a quality playmaker out of the post and high post. [player_tooltip player_id='2854041' first='Landon' last='Wigington'] (13.1, 8.0 rebounds, 63.1 FG%) gives them a dynamic one-two punch inside the arc, while guards Maddox Mechaelsen (5.9, 37.0 3P%) and Connor Brummett (4.5, 3.7 assists) give them a strong pair of guards. [player_tooltip player_id='2906407' first='Nolan' last='Baker'] (10.9) is a good tertiary wing scorer, and this is a group that does a great job limiting turnovers (9.0). They won't beat themselves, they'll dominate the glass, and have arguably the best individual player in the district.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The biggest threat:</strong> If there's going to be a team in this district that can hang with Underwood on the glass, it'll be <strong>OABCIG</strong>. [player_tooltip player_id='2823320' first='Evan' last='Hoffman'] (14.8, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 68.0 FG%) is a 6-8 forward who can dominate games in the painted area on both ends of the floor, and 6-6 wing [player_tooltip player_id='2420793' first='Jaxx' last='DeJean'] (12.6, 8.4 rebounds) is a fantastic athlete with great size, bounce, and hands. [player_tooltip player_id='3257812' first='Raif' last='Jensen'] (11.3, 3.5 assists) is the team's leader in assists and steals and gives them some more athleticism on the perimeter. With their size and athleticism, they can present some problems for teams. The downside for the Falcons is that they can be loose with the ball (16.6 turnovers per game) and don't shoot it well from the 3-point line (29.2%) or free-throw line (55.2%).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The dark horse: </strong>This district really looks like it's shaping up for an Underwood-OABCIG final, but if someone else is going to reach the district final, it probably comes from the bottom of the bracket - <strong>West Central Valley</strong>. The Wildcats are led by a trio of double-figure scorers in senior Kade Wilson (12.5) and juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2906470' first='Colton' last='Lindsay'] (11.9, 4.6 assists) and Garrett Wolfe (10.3, 7.2 rebounds), giving them three reliable scoring threats. If they can limit the turnovers and slow the game down against the Falcons athletes, they could grind out a win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Players to Watch<br></span>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731691' first='Garrett' last='Luett'] (Underwood)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2854041' first='Landon' last='Wigington'] (Underwood)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2906407' first='Nolan' last='Baker'] (Underwood)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2823320' first='Evan' last='Hoffman'] (OABCIG)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2420793' first='Jaxx' last='DeJean'] (OABCIG)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='3257812' first='Raif' last='Jensen'] (OABCIG)<br>2026 Kade Wilson (West Central Valley)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2906470' first='Colton' last='Lindsay'] (West Central Valley)<br>2027 Garrett Wolfe (West Central Valley)<br>2026 Layton Maasen (Missouri Valley)<br>2026 Jaden Hill (Missouri Valley)<br>2026 Tanner Dixon (MVAOCOU)<br>2027 Cruz Crandall (Panorama)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":3497324,"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-2026-02-14-at-12.41.10-PM.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Screen-Shot-2026-02-14-at-12.41.10-PM.png?w=700" alt="" class="wp-image-3497324" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The favorite: Treynor</strong> has been one of the hottest teams in 2A over the last few weeks, winning seven straight entering postseason play by an average of 25.3 points per game. Led by senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1978103' first='Alec' last='Lovely'] (16.9, 4.9 assists), an All-State performer, the Cardinals have a deep stable of viable scoring threats, with ten players averaging 3.3 points per game or more. They can come at you in waves on both ends of the floor, using their speed and bevy of ball-handlers to play fast, create chaos, and overwhelm teams in a hurry. [player_tooltip player_id='2886836' first='Ethan' last='Hill'] (11.1), [player_tooltip player_id='2413619' first='Corbin' last='Thien'] (9.6), and Jude Mieska (6.8) are all seniors alongside Lovely with tons of experience, while junior [player_tooltip player_id='2906551' first='Riley' last='Lauver'] (7.6) and sophomores Cade Mackland (4.5) and Finn Mieska (3.8) are solid two-way guards. This team is deep, talented, and versatile.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The biggest threat: </strong>A senior-laden team from <strong>Ridge View</strong> has been building towards this season for a while now, and the Raptors have the balance to be a difficult team to contend with. Their top six scorers are seniors, and those six average between 6.1 and 10.6 points per game, led by Carter Todd (10.6). All six of them are capable playmakers, contribute on the glass, and are good defenders. The problem with Ridge View is that they've gone 0-4 in their four most difficult games this season (OABCIG twice, Cherokee, and a 56-point loss to Kuemper Catholic). They haven't really proven that they can play with the top-tier teams on the schedule, which they'll obviously have to do should they meet Treynor in the district final.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The dark horse: Red Oak</strong> is playing well down the stretch, winning their last six games heading into postseason play. The Tigers are led by junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2379147' first='Reese' last='Montgomery'] (20.1, 13.6 rebounds), a dominant, athletic rebounder who can control the glass on both ends of the floor and gain valuable extra possessions. Carson Roeder (12.0, 3.7 steals) is a solid defender, and AJ Beeson (10.6, 36.9 3P%) gives them some perimeter shooting. It's a tall task against Treynor in the semifinals, but Montgomery is the type of player who can take over a game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Players to Watch<br></span>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1978103' first='Alec' last='Lovely'] (Treynor)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2886836' first='Ethan' last='Hill'] (Treynor)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2413619' first='Corbin' last='Thien'] (Treynor)<br>2026 Carter Todd (Ridge View)<br>2026 Kinnick Jensen (Ridge View)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2379147' first='Reese' last='Montgomery'] (Red Oak)<br>2026 Sam Kline (Clarinda)<br>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2772321' first='Carter' last='Sells'] (Shenandoah)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2610941' first='Ty' last='Rardin'] (Nodaway Valley)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Underwood vs. Treynor</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Underwood-Treynor, Round 3, with a trip to the state tournament on the line? Sign me up. Both of these are state tournament-level teams, but with the way Treynor has been playing since their January 20 loss to Underwood, it's hard to go against the Cardinals. This is a tight, hotly contested game, won by <strong>Treynor </strong>late, sending the Cards to Des Moines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->