Substate Preview: 1A-8

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/District-15.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/District-15.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1785841" /></a></figure>   District 15   The favorite: West Harrison has absolutely rolled through the regular season, with the lone loss coming to 2A power Western Christian, and no other games decided by single digits. The Hawkeyes are just one of three teams to rank within the top 10 in both scoring offense (10th, 70.4 points) and defense (3rd, 38.6 points), joining North Linn and Baxter. They're led by a trio of senior double-figure scorers in [player_tooltip player_id='1167693' first='Koleson' last='Evans'] (16.3, 48.4 3P%), [player_tooltip player_id='1167703' first='Sage' last='Evans'] (14.6, 15.9 rebounds), and [player_tooltip player_id='1288871' first='Mason' last='King'] (14.3, 46.7 3P%), who all gained valuable experience making a run to the state tournament last season. [player_tooltip player_id='1167693' first='Koleson' last='Evans'] and King have combined to knock down 95 3-pointers this season, and junior guard Mason McIntosh (8.1, 41.3 3P%) provides some additional perimeter shooting. [player_tooltip player_id='1167703' first='Sage' last='Evans'] is a tough, physical, undersized forward who runs the show, leading the team in assists (5.4) and steals (3.1) in addition to putting up huge rebounding numbers. The Hawkeyes are tough, physical, skilled, and can really shoot it. It would be a major upset for them to not come out of this district, as they've beaten second-seeded Exira-EHK by 27 and 20 points this year, and third-seeded Woodbine by 28 and 37.   The biggest threat: The favorite to come out of the bottom of the bracket is Exira-EHK. The Spartans split their season series with likely semifinal opponent Woodbine, winning by 33 on January 3, and losing by 1 on February 3. Seven players average at least 5.0 points a game, led by juniors [player_tooltip player_id='1587374' first='Cash' last='Emgarten'] (15.3) and Aiden Flathers (10.9), a pair of talented guards who can score from all three levels. They'll get their first two games at home, and while they lost the most recent game to Woodbine, they should be considered the favorite in the third meeting.   The dark horse: Given the fact that Woodbine beat Exira-EHK in the most recent meeting, they'll have some confidence in the semifinals, provided each of them advances to that part of the bracket. The Tigers are young, with their top four scorers comprised of two sophomores - [player_tooltip player_id='1951827' first='Carter' last='Gruver'] (18.5) and [player_tooltip player_id='1951828' first='Carson' last='Kelley'] (10.0) - and two freshmen - Brodyn Pryor (9.3) and [player_tooltip player_id='2413631' first='Jax' last='Pryor'] (5.1). They'll gain some valuable experience in whatever postseason run they're able to make and will use that momentum to head into next season with some high expectations.   Players to watch 2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1167693' first='Koleson' last='Evans'], West Harrison 2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1167703' first='Sage' last='Evans'], West Harrison 2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1288871' first='Mason' last='King'], West Harrison 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1587374' first='Cash' last='Emgarten'], Exira-EHK 2024 Aiden Flathers, Exira-EHK 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951827' first='Carter' last='Gruver'], Woodbine 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951828' first='Carson' last='Kelley'], Woodbine 2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1367439' first='Landon' last='Blatchford'], West Monona 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1171690' first='Grady' last='Jeppesen'], Riverside 2023 Colin Lillie, St. Albert   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/District-16.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/District-16.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1785842" /></a></figure>   District 16   The favorite: This is an interesting district, because top-seeded East Mills is actually the third highest-ranked team in BC Moore's power rankings system, behind both Tri-Center and Bedford. Despite being the #4 seed in the district, we're pegging Tri-Center as the team to beat here. Senior guard Michael Turner (19.1) is the best player in the district, a talented three-level scorer who can put up points in bunches as well as create for others. Junior Christian Dahir (10.6, 11.5 rebounds) has been a force in the paint on both ends of the floor and his rim protection will be huge as the Trojans navigate their way through district play.   The biggest threat: East Mills is the district's top seed, and we're of the belief that whoever wins the East Mills/Tri-Center semifinal is the district champion, so we'll talk about the Wolverines here. They're led in scoring by four seniors, including a pair of dominant options in guard [player_tooltip player_id='1167727' first='Mason' last='Crouse'] (19.2) and [player_tooltip player_id='1409590' first='Braden' last='West'] (15.4). Crouse is a talented playmaker and three-level scorer, while West is a powerful, athletic forward who can protect the paint and finish around the rim. They've been excellent defensively this year, allowing just 40.8 points a game, in large part because of the length and athleticism they can put on the floor with Crouse and West.   The dark horse: Bedford beat likely semifinal opponent Fremont-Mills by 19 points a few weeks ago and is the favorite to come out of the bottom of the bracket. Sophomore forward [player_tooltip player_id='1874772' first='Cal' last='Peterman'] (11.6) and senior Asher Weed (10.5) lead the team in scoring, and like East Mills, the Bulldogs have been dominant defensively, allowing 40.8 points a game. This is a team that pounds the glass on both ends of the floor and plays great defense. They'll be a really tough opponent for either Tri-Center or East Mills in the district final.   Players to watch 2023 Michael Turner, Tri-Center 2024 Christian Dahir, Tri-Center 2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1167727' first='Mason' last='Crouse'], East Mills 2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1409590' first='Braden' last='West'], East Mills 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1874772' first='Cal' last='Peterman'], Bedford 2023 Asher Weed, Bedford 2023 Taylor Reed, Fremont-Mills 2023 JT Mahaney, Fremont-Mills 2024 Matt Stile, Heartland Christian 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1951833' first='Braedon' last='Godfread'], Sidney     SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION   West Harrison vs. Tri-Center   After getting a taste of the state tournament for the first time last season, West Harrison has been on a mission this year, blasting everyone on their schedule, including Tri-Center early this year by 30 points. The rematch is closer, but it's still all Hawkeyes here. [player_tooltip player_id='1167703' first='Sage' last='Evans'], [player_tooltip player_id='1167693' first='Koleson' last='Evans'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1288871' first='Mason' last='King'] lead West Harrison back to Des Moines with an authoritative win.