Conference Preview: SEISC North

The Teams   Columbus (4-19, 24.9% of scoring returning): New coach Jonathan Chaney will have a lot of work to do with the Wildcats, who bring back just one of the top five scorers from last year's team, senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1476995' first='Timothy' last='Hills'] (8.3). The good news is that Hills, who was second on the team in scoring last season, was probably their most important player last season, a versatile player who led the team in assists, was second in rebounding, and can defend multiple positions. He should have a strong senior season. Sophomore guard Gabriel Zuniga (2.6, 39.1 3P%) is a good shooter off the catch and will be asked to step into a more significant role this season as well. This is a group that is going to be pretty inexperienced and will probably struggle, but they should win a few games and Hills will have a solid year.   Highland (1-20, 47.8%): The Huskies really struggled last season, winning just one game and having just one of their losses decided by single digits. They bring back two starters in junior Logan McFarland (4.2) and Nicolas Oriano (5.0), as well as a few players who saw extensive action last year in Bryce Hazelett (2.3), Sage Hartley-Norman (1.3), and Louis Horak (1.3). Oriano is a solid interior option who blocked a shot per game last season and figures to be the headliner for this group.   Hillcrest Academy (12-11, 36.4%): Three players accounted for a huge chunk of the Ravens' scoring last season, with just under 75% of the team's points coming from the trio of Grant Bender, [player_tooltip player_id='2511490' first='Seth' last='Ours'], and Luke Schrock. Unfortunately for Hillcrest, only Ours (11.7) returns from that threesome. A quality shooting threat, he buried 38.5% of his 3-point attempts last season and will be asked to play with the ball in his hands more this season. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2519950' first='Rowan' last='Miller'] (2.6) appeared in every game as a freshman, as did junior Mason Bender (2.0). Bryce Bailey (2.5) appeared in 22 games as well. Those three are the most experienced returnees outside of Ours and will be asked to step into much larger roles.   Lone Tree (7-16, 37.8%): The good news for the Lions is that two of their top three scorers return in senior Ethan Bockelman (9.1) and sophomore Emett Burke (8.4). The bad news is that they are the only two among the top seven who return. Bockelman is a viable threat from the arc, knocking down 35% of his 3s last season, while Burke was pretty productive as a freshman, leading the team in assists and steals. That tandem will form a solid backcourt that should be able to take advantage of some of the opposing backcourts that have a tendency to turn it over at a high clip. There will be a ton of new faces taking the floor for Lone Tree, but they have enough returning to stay out of the basement of the division.   Louisa-Muscatine (12-11, 72.6%): Senior combo forward [player_tooltip player_id='1751184' first='Ty' last='Northup'] (21.9, 8.2 rebounds) is one of the best players in the conference, a versatile and strong three-level scorer who can take over games in a hurry with his ability to bully smaller defenders or stretch the floor against bigger players. He posted 55-40-77 shooting splits last season while leading the team in nearly every major category. The other double-figure scorer from last year's team graduated, but two other starters return in seniors Dawson Downing (7.4, 35.5 3P%), another solid perimeter shooting threat, and Braedyn Van Auken (3.4). Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2721688' first='Finnegan' last='Cline'] (5.8) mostly came off the bench last season and was very productive. He figures to slide into the starting lineup this season and provide some rebounding and rim protection. Ball protection (16.0 turnovers a game) will be an issue that needs to be addressed, but with Northup leading the way, the Falcons will be tough.   Pekin (12-11, 38.3%): The top two scorers from last year's team have graduated, but in senior forward JaeDon Wolver (9.9, 8.6 rebounds), the Panthers have a potentially dominant two-way player in the paint to build around. Wolver blocked over a shot per game, shot nearly 61% from the floor, and was excellent on the glass last season. Senior wing Sven Dahlstrom (6.5) will be the top scoring threat on the perimeter and figures to have the ball in his hands quite a bit this season following the graduations of the top three in assists per game last season. This is a pretty strong program traditionally, with only two seasons in the QuikStats/Bound era where they've finished below .500, so they should be in the middle of the pack, competitive on most nights, again this season despite significant personnel losses.   WACO (21-2, 53.3%): The Warriors were absolutely dominant on the defensive end last season, giving up just over 36 points a game, best in Class 1A. They held ten opponents to 30 points or less, suffocating teams on that end of the floor. They bring back the top two scorers from that group in senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1476982' first='Hunter' last='Hughes'] (15.6) and forward [player_tooltip player_id='1587302' first='Colton' last='Leichty'] (9.3), who will give them one of the best tandems in the SEISC. Hughes is a dynamic all-around player who posted 52-42-67 shooting splits last season while also leading the team in assists (3.5) and steals (3.3), while Leichty is an efficient interior scorer, solid rim protector, and good rebounder. Role players Chase Waterhouse (4.4), Reece Oswald (3.6), and Clayton Miller (2.2) also return. The Warriors are always really disciplined and well-coached on the defensive end, and they should be among the best offensive teams in the league because of the Hughes-Leichty combination. This is a team that has won 20 or more games in three of the last four years, and they have a good chance to do so again.   Wapello (5-17, 71.0%): The top two scorers return for the Indians in senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1751220' first='Jackson' last='Lanz'] (17.7, 9.2 rebounds) and guard Carson Belzer (11.3), giving them a pair of dynamic scorers who complement each other well. Lanz, a mobile 6-5/6-6 big man with soft hands, is a good finisher around the rim, sees the floor well, and is great on the glass on both ends of the floor. Belzer's 39 made 3-pointers accounted for nearly half of the team's makes last season and he'll be asked to shoulder the perimeter scoring burden. Unfortunately, only 29 additional points return, so the Lanz-Belzer tandem will be asked to do a ton.   Winfield-Mt. Union (19-5, 87.3%): Headlined by a pair of Division I football commits, the Wolves have the type of size, strength, and athleticism that few other teams in the SEISC have. [player_tooltip player_id='1171697' first='Cam' last='Buffington'] (19.7, 9.5 rebounds), who is headed to Iowa, is a game-changing player on both ends of the floor with his physicality and athleticism. He's dominant on the glass, an explosive finisher, and a versatile defender. [player_tooltip player_id='1171698' first='Abram' last='Edwards'] (11.1, 9.5 rebounds), who is headed to Army, is a long, lanky forward who sees the floor well, protects the paint, and runs the floor. [player_tooltip player_id='1381409' first='Jake' last='Edwards'] (7.7, 4.0 assists), Abram's younger brother, is the point guard who runs the floor, a good ball-handler and passer who can stretch the floor a bit. He has become more comfortable as a scorer over the last year and should be able to take some of the scoring pressure off of Buffington and the elder Edwards. Like WACO, the Wolves were really good defensively last season, giving up 40.5 points a game, and that should remain the case again this season.   Projected Order of Finish   1. WACO 2. Winfield-Mt. Union 3. Louisa-Muscatine 4. Pekin 5. Hillcrest Academy 6. Wapello 7. Lone Tree 8. Highland 9. Columbus   Analysis: This division likely comes down to the two meetings between WACO and Winfield-Mt. Union, so mark your calendars for December 5 (at WACO) and January 16 (at Winfield).   Preseason Player of the Year   2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1171697' first='Cam' last='Buffington'] (Winfield-Mt. Union): The future Iowa football player is a really difficult matchup in this league with his blend of size, strength, footwork, and athleticism. He controls the game on both ends of the floor for the Wolves.   Players to Watch   2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1171697' first='Cam' last='Buffington'] (Winfield-Mt. Union) 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1171698' first='Abram' last='Edwards'] (Winfield-Mt. Union) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1381409' first='Jake' last='Edwards'] (Winfield-Mt. Union) 2024 Carter Loyd (Winfield-Mt. Union) 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1751184' first='Ty' last='Northup'] (Louisa-Muscatine) 2024 Dawson Downing (Louisa-Muscatine) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2721688' first='Finnegan' last='Cline'] (Louisa-Muscatine) 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1751220' first='Jackson' last='Lanz'] (Wapello) 2024 Carson Belzer (Wapello) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2511490' first='Seth' last='Ours'] (Hillcrest Academy) 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1476982' first='Hunter' last='Hughes'] (WACO) 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1587302' first='Colton' last='Leichty'] (WACO) 2024 Chase Waterhouse (WACO) 2024 Reece Oswald (WACO) 2024 JaeDon Wolver (Pekin) 2024 Sven Dahlstrom (Pekin) 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1476995' first='Timothy' last='Hills'] (Columbus) 2024 Ethan Bockelman (Lone Tree) 2026 Emett Burke (Lone Tree)

The Teams