Playoff Preview: 1A-6

<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/1A-11.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-1126638" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/1A-11-1024x805.png" alt="" width="850" height="668" /></a> [caption id="attachment_1040495" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Trey-Shearer.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1040495" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Trey-Shearer-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Shearer[/caption] The favorite: Montezuma played the pre-holiday break portion of their schedule without junior big man [player_tooltip player_id="962629" first="Eddie" last="Burgess"] (13.2, 12.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists), who suffered an injury in the 8-man championship game in football. Since he returned, they’ve been on fire, winning all nine games he’s played in, by an average of 32.2 points a game. [player_tooltip player_id="796108" first="Trey" last="Shearer"] (27.6), a Truman State signee, is arguably the best player in 1A basketball - a dynamic scoring guard who is remarkably efficient, posting 58-48-77 shooting splits, but who is also capable of dominating games without scoring. [player_tooltip player_id="796146" first="Cole" last="Watts"] (19.8, 50.5 3P%) is a perfect running mate with Shearer in the backcourt, a knockdown shooter who thrives on all the open looks Shearer creates. Burgess anchors the team’s 2-3 zone defense and gives them a big, physical presence in the paint. The biggest threat: A young North Mahaska team might be a year ahead of the schedule, but the Warhawks already hold a win this year over Montezuma, 68-66 on opening night. And they lost by just one in their meeting with Keota earlier this year, so they know they can compete with the top two teams in this district. They’re led by a trio of double-figure scorers in sophomores Braden Steel (13.9, 9.3 rebounds) and Nash Smith (12.6, 7.6 rebounds), and senior Addy Bollman (11.3). This is a group that has some shooting (37.2 3P%) and they crash the offensive glass hard, pulling down 11.3 offensive boards a game. They aren’t going to be intimidated by anyone in this district. While they have to travel to Keota for the semifinal game, they are the more dangerous team for Montezuma in a potential district final. The dark horse: Keota gets their first two postseason games at home, and the Eagles have lost just once this year. The unfortunate news for them is that that loss came to Montezuma by 34 points. They can be dangerous, however, with their senior guard tandem of Luke Hammen (16.3, 41.7 3P%) and Carson Sprouse (15.7). Players to watch 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="796108" first="Trey" last="Shearer"], Montezuma 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="796146" first="Cole" last="Watts"], Montezuma 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962629" first="Eddie" last="Burgess"], Montezuma 2023 Braden Steel, North Mahaska 2023 Nash Smith, North Mahaska 2021 Addy Bollman, North Mahaska 2021 Luke Hammen, Keota 2021 Carson Sprouse, Keota 2023 Preston Rodibaugh, Lynnville-Sully   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/1A-12.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-1126639" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/1A-12-1024x807.png" alt="" width="850" height="670" /></a> The favorite: Sophomore guard Jaixen Frost of Mount Ayr is one of the state’s best scoring threat, averaging 22.4 points a game with 57-42-89 shooting splits. A versatile threat who can fill it up from 3 or get to the bucket, he’s the best player in this district, and the Raiders have rightfully earned the district’s top seed. Backcourt mates Erik Trujillo (11.1, 3.2 assists, 4.7 steals) and [player_tooltip player_id="965116" first="Payton" last="Weehler"] (9.8, 4.8 assists) give the Raiders a strong trio of ball-handling options, and they do a pretty good job at limiting turnovers. The biggest threat: Moravia earned the district’s #2 seed, and as a result, they’ll get their first two games at home. The Mohawks comfortably swept quarterfinal opponent Seymour, and will have the edge against either Mormon Trail or Lamoni in the semifinals. Lamoni did beat them, but that loss came way back on December 4, and the Mohawks are playing much better since that 54-47 setback. Led by senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="964904" first="Carson" last="Brown"] (24.0), they are one of the highest-scoring offensive attacks in 1A, averaging just under 67 points a game. Brown is good enough to carry this team to the district championship. The dark horse: The strong defensive-minded unit from Murray will be the team to watch in the district if things start to get weird. The Mustangs allow just 40 points a game and have a solid go-to player in senior Colton Siefkas (14.6, 6.3 rebounds) who can lead this group. They recently lost to top-seeded Mount Ayr by just 9 points, a game in which they held a strong Mount Ayr attack to just 47 points. Players to watch 2023 Jaixen Frost, Mount Ayr 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="964904" first="Carson" last="Brown"], Moravia 2021 Colton Siefkas, Murray 2021 Hayden Stewart, Lamoni   <h3 style="text-align: center;">SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION</h3> Montezuma vs. Mount Ayr [player_tooltip player_id="796108" first="Trey" last="Shearer"] and the Braves have been on a mission and are just crushing teams since [player_tooltip player_id="962629" first="Eddie" last="Burgess"] re-joined the lineup. Don’t expect to see anything differently here, as Montezuma rolls to their third straight State appearance.