Playoff Preview: 3A-2

<p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/3A-2.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1130408" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/3A-2.png" alt="" width="764" height="708" /></a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> [caption id="attachment_1085413" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Carson-Toebe.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1085413" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Carson-Toebe-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Toebe[/caption] <p><strong>The favorite:</strong> This may be one of the most balanced substates in 3A, but we’ll give the edge to <strong>Clear Lake</strong>, who has earned the right to play their first two games at home as the substate’s top seed. The Lions enter postseason play with a 19-2 mark, led by their fantastic one-two punch of junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="682292" first="Carson" last="Toebe"] (18.7) and senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="796155" first="Andrew" last="Formanek"] (17.8, 13.1 rebounds). That is the best one-two punch in the substate and should make them the favorite. They’ve gotten strong production out of sophomore lead guard <strong>Travaughn Luyobya</strong> (5.1, 5.7 assists), who has emerged as a very reliable ball-handler in the backcourt alongside Toebe, and senior forward <strong>Eric Ritter</strong> (9.0, 6.2 rebounds) pairs well with Formanek, who can stretch the floor a bit, to help them control the glass. </p> <p><strong>The biggest threat: Algona</strong> split with Clear Lake this year, with the win coming just four days ago, 63-59, so the Bulldogs are more than capable of beating the Lions and coming out of this substate. They also hold a win over Spencer, 75-47, in case the Tigers come out of the top of the bracket. A trio of double-figure scorers lead the way in junior <strong>Garrett Goche</strong> (13.9), senior [player_tooltip player_id="964916" first="Noah" last="Nelson"] (12.7), and junior <strong>Tyler Manske</strong> (11.2). They do a good job controlling the glass and getting second-chance opportunities. </p> <p><strong>The dark horse(s): Spencer</strong> enters postseason play hot, having won five straight games at the time of this writing. The Tigers have an elite scoring threat in junior [player_tooltip player_id="682284" first="Karter" last="Petzenhauser"] (22.7), who has put up efficient 54-41-74 shooting splits this year and is a threat to score 30+ on any given night. Five other players average at least 4.3 points a game, but Petzenhauser is the one that teams in this substate will need to gameplan for. <strong>Humboldt</strong> split with both Clear Lake and Algona during the regular season, and the Wildcats will be a dangerous postseason team as well. They’ve got a very balanced attack, with five players averaging between 8.2 and 11.3 points a game, which makes them difficult to defend. They’re also a very good free-throw shooting team, shooting 72.7% from the stripe as a team.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Players to watch</span><br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="682292" first="Carson" last="Toebe"], Clear Lake<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="796155" first="Andrew" last="Formanek"], Clear Lake<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="682284" first="Karter" last="Petzenhauser"], Spencer<br /> 2022 Garrett Goche, Algona<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="964916" first="Noah" last="Nelson"], Algona<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="965120" first="Sam" last="Fischer"], Humboldt<br /> 2021 Gabe Gidel, Humboldt<br /> 2021 Will Larson, Estherville-Lincoln Central<br /> 2024 Owen Larson, Estherville-Lincoln Central<br /> 2023 Ty McKinney, Webster City<br /> 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="964831" first="Tavis" last="Eklund"], Webster City</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;">SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION</h3> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Clear Lake vs. Algona</em></p> <p>These teams split their meetings in the regular season, with both games coming within the last eight days. In the rubber match, we give the edge to a Lions team that has been stronger and more consistent during the course of the year, and the team that will have the two best individual players on the floor. <strong>Clear Lake</strong> is back to State.</p>