Postseason Preview: Class 2A, Substate 6
The favorite: Top seeded Dike-New Hartford has cruised through the regular season with an 18-1 record, with the one loss being an odd one to Hudson, a 6-14 team, back on December 14. The Wolverines are always deep, and…
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The favorite: Top seeded Dike-New Hartford has cruised through the regular season with an 18-1 record, with the one loss being an odd one to Hudson, a 6-14 team, back on December 14. The Wolverines are always deep, and this year is no exception, as Coach Greg Moore routinely uses 10 bodies. This year’s group is headlined by senior big man Colton Harberts (15.9), a big, physical load in the paint who can dominate games. They’re able to surround him with a lot of talented guards, led by the Fuller brothers, Cade (15.3) and Dane (9.6). Cade is more of a shooter, while Dane is more of a slasher, but each is capable of scoring from all three levels effectively. Tim Koop (6.9) and Derek Kinney (6.0) round out the starting lineup, giving D-NH a balanced group. Foul trouble isn’t going to hurt D-NH like it would for other 2A programs, and this group has been strong all year, so don’t expect a slip-up now. They’ve already swept Denver (78-55, 73-64) and beaten West Marshall (75-61), their two most likely district final opponents.
The biggest threat: This has been a surprisingly strong season for Denver, who earned a first round bye. The Cyclones have four players averaging in double figures – Kyler Matthias (17.4), Bryce Phelps (15.3), Alex Gebel (10.8) and Isaac Besh (10.1) – and have one of the most potent offensive attacks in 2A, ranking 7th at 69.3 points a game. A big part of that success has come from their ability to take care of the basketball. As a team, they’ve dished out 350 assists to just 225 turnovers, led by Phelps (134 to 58). Matthias (76 3PM) is one of the most potent shooters in the state, and if he, Phelps and Besh (each have made at least 34 3s this season) can get hot, they could pull the upset over D-NH and win the district.
The dark horse: Only two teams in the state made more 3s than West Marshall did last year, and while those numbers have fallen off a bit this year, the Trojans still have three dangerous shooters in Peyton Pope (17.1, 58 3PM), Cam Bannister (13.4, 27 3PM) and Joseph Halverson (10.9, 28 3PM), who could get hot and shoot this team to some wins.
Players to watch
2019 Cade Fuller, Dike-New Hartford
2019 Colton Harberts, Dike-New Hartford
2021 Kyler Matthias, Denver
2021 Bryce Phelps, Denver
2020 Peyton Pope, West Marshall
2019 Joseph Halverson, West Marshall
2019 Cam Bannister, West Marshall
2020 James Stimson, Sumner-Fredericksburg
The favorite: South Central Calhoun has put together a fantastic season, with their only loss coming to a South Hamilton team that has been ranked in the top 5 all year, back on November 27. The Titans have been solid on both ends of the floor, averaging 66.1 points a game (13th in 2A) and giving up just 50.3 (29th). The combination of Jared Birks (12.1) and Zane Neubaum (18.1) have been dominant on the glass, combining to pull down more than 15 rebounds a night between them. They both do a majority of their scoring around the rim, with Birks being a more true back-to-the-basket player, and Neubaum a slasher. They’re able to put quite a bit of shooting around that duo, with Brennan Holder (8.6, 40.0 3P%), Matthew Clark (7.3, 43.0%), Homer Martz (4.7, 39.4%) and Landon Schleisman (4.6, 30.2%) all proving to be capable shooters. They’ll have their hands full with some explosive offensive teams lurking in this district, but this group is strong enough on offense, and has the best defense in the district, so consider them the favorite.
The biggest threat: The second highest scoring team in 2A, Madrid is averaging 76.7 points a game and has eight games in which they’ve scored more than 80 points this year (including a pair of 100+ point games). Four players on the roster have made at least 33 3s (Braden Gibbons 38, Eric Steig 39, Logan Wicker 33 and Jacob Lowe 34). Braden Gibbons (21.7) is the straw that stirs the drink, a diminutive but skilled lead guard who not only leads the team in scoring but has also dished out 167 assists to just 53 turnovers. Landen Klatt (5.5) gives them another really strong ball handler, with 98 assists to 26 turnovers. As a team, the Tigers have 396 assists and 171 turnovers on the year, which has helped pace this high powered attack. Madrid split their season series with Ogden, beating them 103-98 and losing 85-68 a few weeks ago. While Ogden won the more recent meeting, the Bulldogs have an additional game to play, which is why we’ve given Madrid a split edge.
The dark horse: Like Madrid, Ogden has an explosive offense, ranking 4th in 2A at 74.3 points a game. The ‘Dogs are led by forward Ben Heeren (26.2), an efficient forward who is shooting 64% from the floor, can stretch out to the arc and knock down an occasional 3, and leads the team in rebounding as well. Kayden Kruse (13.3, 52 3PM) and Jacob Craven (6.1, 34 3PM) give them some shooting, and there are six players averaging at least 6.1 points a game, giving them a balanced attack behind Heeren. They’ve already proven capable of beating Madrid, and with an offense like this, they can certainly run and shoot their way to a district crown.
Players to watch
2020 Zane Neubaum, South Central Calhoun
2019 Jared Birks, South Central Calhoun
2020 Braden Gibbons, Madrid
2019 Devin Fuson, Madrid
2019 Ben Heeren, Ogden
2019 Trey Hinote, Greene County
2022 Aaron Graves, Southeast Valley
2021 Davion Wilson, Woodward Academy
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Dike-New Hartford vs. South Central Calhoun
In a matchup between a pair of strong defensive and fairly physical teams, we’ve giving the edge to Dike-New Hartford here. The Wolverines have a deeper rotation, and if Colton Harberts is able to get Jared Birks into some foul trouble, D-NH could have a big night and punch their trip to Des Moines.