Conference Preview: SICL West

The Teams   BGM (7-15, 50.5% of scoring returning): Leading scorer Beau Burns (12.0, 7.5 rebounds) returns to lead the Bears, and he'll be asked to do a lot for this group after they lost the next three to graduation. An athletic, quick guard who likes to attack the rim, he'll be the team's top scorer and playmaker. Dakota Heishman (5.0), Tucker Wright (2.7), and Ben Cadden (2.4) are the other notable returnees for a team that will be looking to improve upon their seven wins.   Colfax-Mingo (7-16, 35.4%): Like BGM, the Tigerhawks return their leading scorer in Harrison Rhone (14.5, 2.8 steals), giving them a good player to build around. Unfortunately for C-M, the next eight scorers from last year's group graduated, leaving Rhone and a whole bunch of new faces on this year's roster. Rhone is good, but he's going to be asked to do a ton for this group, and do so with a lot of inexperienced pieces around him.   HLV (5-16, 62.1%): The Warriors bring back a big-time scorer in Peyton Roth (21.3). The senior guard is one of the most dynamic players in the league with his ability to play downhill and attack the rim. Devon Weisskopf (4.6, 5.6 rebounds) will be the team's top interior option. This is a group that will be heavily reliant on Roth again, but with the significant losses that several teams in this division and in the East division suffered, they could pick up a few more wins this season.   Lynnville-Sully (24-2, 33.3%): Outside of an outlier 2019-20 season in which they went 5-16, Lynnville-Sully has been one of the most consistently good programs in Class 1A over the last few decades. Since the 2006-07 season, they've compiled a record of 345-90, an average of over 19 wins a season. All of that to say that despite losing their top three, and four of their top six, from last year's 24-win, state-qualifying team, don't expect too much drop-off from the Hawks. Forward [player_tooltip player_id='2886854' first='Dawson' last='James'] (9.1, 6.9 rebounds) is the top returnee, an efficient interior scorer with soft hands and physicality. Carson Maston (5.1, 5.3 rebounds) provides some more interior scoring and rebounding, while Hendrick Lowry (3.2) and Jack Bowlin (3.1) should step into bigger roles in the backcourt. The Hawks are always going to be a disciplined team on both ends of the floor, and they should once again be one of the better defensive teams in the class.   Montezuma (15-8, 76.8%): Like Lynnville-Sully, Montezuma is a program that is just always going to be competitive. They haven't finished below .500 since 2011-12, when they went 11-12, and last year's 15 wins were the fewest since that season. They bring back a lot from that 15-win group, led by junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1765506' first='Brady' last='Boulton'] (24.0, 3.8 assists), one of the top scorers in the state. He can fill it up from all three levels and operate with or without the ball in his hands. Max Anderson (10.2, 37.5 3P%) provides some floor-spacing, allowing Boulton more room to attack off the dribble, and Kohen Holland (7.1) is a solid contributor on both ends of the floor. The Braves are always a tough nut to crack on the defensive end, with their quickness in their 2-3 zone causing issues and creating turnovers left and right. This is probably the team to beat in the division this season.   North Mahaska (18-7, 54.6%): The Warhawks bring back their top two scorers from last year's team in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2721760' first='Asher' last='DeBoef'] (15.0, 9.0 rebounds) and Gabe Hora (14.2, 38.2 3P%), giving them arguably the best one-two punch in the division. DeBoef is a good athlete who can do a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor, finishing second on the team in assists last season while leading in scoring and rebounding. Hora is a sharpshooter who moves well without the ball in his hands, and he'll likely be asked to play with the ball in his hands a bit more this season. Lucas Nunnikhoven (5.1) and Jack Kelderman (2.7) are the other notable returnees who saw a good amount of playing time last season. The Warhawks have struggled at times defensively against the better teams on their schedule, and they'll need to play more consistently on that end if they want to challenge Montezuma and Lynnville-Sully at the top.   Projected Order of Finish   1. Montezuma 2. North Mahaska 3. Lynnville-Sully 4. BGM 5. HLV 6. Colfax-Mingo   Analysis: Montezuma is probably the team to beat in the division this year, returning the most among the top contenders, including preseason POY [player_tooltip player_id='1765506' first='Brady' last='Boulton']. But with the three perennial standouts in this division, it wouldn't be a surprise to see any of those top three win it.   Preseason Player of the Year   2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765506' first='Brady' last='Boulton'] (Montezuma): A big-time scorer in the backcourt, Boulton controls the game on both ends of the floor for the Braves with his penchant for jumping passing lanes and turning defense into offense as well as score from all three levels. He's a skilled playmaker who shoots it well off the dribble and sees the floor really well.   Players to Watch   2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765506' first='Brady' last='Boulton'] (Montezuma) 2025 Max Anderson (Montezuma) 2025 Kohen Holland (Montezuma) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2721760' first='Asher' last='DeBoef'] (North Mahaska) 2025 Gabe Hora (North Mahaska) 2025 Lucas Nunnikhoven (North Mahaska) 2025 Peyton Roth (HLV) 2025 Devon Weisskopf (HLV) 2025 Harrison Rhone (Colfax-Mingo) 2026 Beau Burns (BGM) 2025 Dakota Heishman (BGM) 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2886854' first='Dawson' last='James'] (Lynnville-Sully) 2025 Carson Matson (Lynnville-Sully)

The Teams