STATE TOURNAMENT: Thursday Preview
1A Semifinal: No. 8 Council Bluffs, St. Albert (16-9) vs. No. 4 West Hancock (24-2), 10:30 a.m.
Analysis: Behind a dominant defensive effort and balanced offensive attack, St. Albert rolled to a win over top-seeded Danville in their tournament opener. The Falcons have the added benefit of playing in a 3A conference, but make no mistake, this team is tough, physical and loaded with talent. Big man Matt Fagan had 19 points and 11 rebounds in their opener, and guard Jake Carley was fantastic in dealing with Danville’s pressure. The Falcons forced 16 Danville turnovers in the win.
West Hancock rode a dominant second and third quarter performance (outscoring IKM-Manning 37-17) to take their opener. Guard Connor Sonius led the team with 20 points, with Nate Paulus and Dylan Eckels adding a combined 31 alongside. The Eagles are one of the highest scoring teams in the state, coming into the tournament averaging 78.1 points a game. How they deal with the constant pressure and length that a St. Albert defense that just held Danville to 46 points (they averaged 73) will go a long way in determining who will book their trip to Friday night’s state championship.
Players to watch
Council Bluffs, St. Albert: Travis Miller (No. 224 in ’16), Matt Fagan (No. 99 in ’18)
West Hancock: Connor Sonius (No. 85 in ’16), Nate Paulus (No. 177 in ’16), Seth Weiland (No. 108 in ’17)
1A Semifinal: No. 7 South O’Brien (23-3) vs. No. 3 Gladbrook-Reinbeck (24-2), 12:15 p.m.
Analysis: South O’Brien’s 2-3 zone stifled a Grand View Christian that was the most reliant team in the state on the three-pointer in their quarterfinal win, holding the state’s highest scoring team to just 32 points in a 46-32 win. Cameron Maxwell paced the offense, routinely making plays from the free-throw line, attacking the rim from the high post, finishing with 19 points. The Wolverines advanced without leading scorer Damon Struve doing much, which is a good sign for them.
Defending champion Gladbrook-Reinbeck rode the efforts of all-everything guard Joe Smoldt to a win over a very good Jesup team in the quarterfinals, 67-48. The Rebel guard erupted for 35 points, with 28 of those coming in the second half. He’s a nearly impossible player to check at the 1A level with his all-around offensive ability, but South O’Brien’s zone may do the trick. If the Wolverines are able to prevent Smoldt from erupting again, they should feel pretty good about their chances. That said, easier said than done.
Players to watch
South O’Brien: Damon Struve (No. 140 in ’16)
Gladbrook-Reinbeck: Joe Smoldt (No. 13 in ’17)
2A Semifinal: No. 8 Pella Christian (17-9) vs. No. 4 Cascade (21-3), 2:00 p.m.
Analysis: For the second straight season, Pella Christian used playing in the Little Hawkeye Conference to their advantage, knocking off a higher seeded team in the opening round. This time it was Dike-New Hartford, with the Eagles closing the game on an 11-2 run behind 20 points from Levi Jungling. They’ll be tested in this one against a very good Cascade team that is looking to send legendary coach Al Marshall out on top.
Cascade steamrolled Osage in the opening round, winning 60-27, behind 21 points from big man Devin Green. The Cougars shot 51.2% from the floor and pretty much coasted from start to finish. They’ll be tested by a much better Pella Christian team. If their 2-3 zone is able to prevent dribble penetration from Jungling, and not allow too many open looks from the perimeter, they should feel good, as I’m not sure Pella Christian has the dogs to stop Devin Green in the paint.
Players to watch
Pella Christian: Levi Jungling (No. 21 in ’17)
Cascade: Devin Green (No. 18 in ’16), Johnny Supple (No. 23 in ’18)
2A Semifinal: No. 2 Western Christian (23-2) vs. No. 6 Anamosa (21-5), 3:45 p.m.
Analysis: Western Christian is another 2A school that will be losing a legendary coach following this season, with Jim Eekhoff announcing that he’ll be retiring. The Wolfpack held off a game Carroll Kuemper team in the quarterfinals, winning 56-42 in a game that was probably closer than that score indicates. Big man Josh Van Lingen had a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds, but took only seven shots. He’ll need to get more involved in this one, and we expect that to happen. Anticipate a heavy dose of Van Lingen, with it coming early and often. Playing through him allows their other options to have better looks, namely Taylor Miedema and Jesse Jansma. Dustin Marra also had a double-double in the quarterfinals (12 points, 11 rebounds). The size that the Wolfpack will put on the floor could give them a significant advantage on the glass.
Anamosa put on an entertaining show in their state-sanctioned tournament debut. The Blue Raiders played their usual up-tempo, frenetic style, forcing Des Moines Christian into a faster game than they wanted en route to a 74-60 win. They had four players score in double figures, led by Tyler Zumbach’s 19. Kyle Schepanski put on a show from the arc, especially early on, and the Blue Raiders were never really in trouble despite star guard Kolin Schulte having an off game. If Coach Kevin Barnes is able to find a way to try to minimize the Wolfpack’s height advantage, Anamosa could force Western Christian into a more up-tempo game. If they’re able to do that, they’ll have a chance to knock off the Wolfpack.
Players to watch
Western Christian: Josh Van Lingen (No. 16 in ’16), Taylor Miedema (No. 94 in ’16), Jesse Jansma (No. 104 in ’17), Ben Gesink (No. 106 in ’17)
Anamosa: Kolin Schulte (No. 73 in ’16), Tyler Zumbach (No. 91 in ’16), Kyle Schepanski (No. 185 in ’16)
3A Semifinal: No. 1 Chariton (24-1) vs. No. 5 Dubuque Wahlert (20-5), 6:35 p.m.
Analysis: Chariton used a dominant fourth quarter to finally put away 8th-seeded Solon in the quarterfinals, outscoring the Spartans 25-12 en route to the 64-50 win. The Chargers were led, as always, by their “Big Three” of Daric Laing (22 points, 8 rebounds), T.J. Hockenson (18 points) and Lim Chuol (16 points, 11 rebounds). They’ll need to play like fourth quarter Chariton for the entire game to keep up with the two-time defending champions.
Wahlert showed why they’ve won two straight 3A championships in the quarterfinals, overcoming a superb 42-point effort from MOC-Floyd Valley’s Levi Jansen. The Golden Eagles made all the big plays they needed to down the stretch, and made their free throws (20-24) for the win. David Wedewer was fantastic in the second half en route to his 20 points, and Iowa commit, and Mr. Basketball frontrunner, Cordell Pemsl had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Going through the gauntlet of the MVC prepares Wahlert for big games, and it showed. If they come out and play the game they’re capable of playing, they should handle the Chargers relatively easily.
Players to watch
Chariton: Daric Laing (No. 21 in ’16), T.J. Hockenson (No. 23 in ’16), Lim Chuol (No. 17 in ’17)
Dubuque Wahlert: Cordell Pemsl (No. 1 in ’16), David Wedewer (No. 28 in ’16), Riley Till (No. 32 in ’16), Sage Maiers (No. 52 in ’16), Josh Schmitt (No. 180 in ’16)
3A Semifinal: No. 2 Pella (23-1) vs. No. 6 Cedar Rapids Xavier (17-8), 8:15 p.m.
Analysis: An intriguing rematch from last year’s quarterfinals end night four of the state tournament. Xavier won this game last year, 65-61, after forcing 19 Dutch turnovers. The Saints got a huge game in this year’s quarterfinal win over Spirit Lake from Mitchell Burger, who came off the bench for 25 points. Like Wahlert, the Saints have the added benefit of playing in the MVC during the season, so they see a ton of great teams. They’ll look to use their length and skill to try to alter what the Dutch like to do, which is run, run run.
Pella was thoroughly dominant in a quarterfinal win over Perry, winning 94-54. The Dutch have a fantastic group of athletes that are all used to having success on whatever playing surface they step foot on. Four Dutch scored in double figures, they dished out 26 assists and forced 27 Perry turnovers. If the Dutch are able to limit the turnovers against Xavier’s length, and use their athletes to run up and down the floor, they can get themselves a win this evening. Will Warner paces the deep attack, and they run the prettiest fast break in Iowa. Look for lots of scoring in this game, which should be a very entertaining end to the day.
Players to watch
Pella: Will Warner (No. 102 in ’16), Ryan Van Wyk (No. 26 in ’17)
Cedar Rapids Xavier: Mitchell Burger (No. 55 in ’16), Ryan Stulken (No. 146 in ’16), Max Techau (No. 17 in ’17), Jackson Joens (No. 9 in ’18), Matthew Mims (No. 18 in ’18)