Playoff Preview: 1A-5
Trey Shearer The favorite: The backcourt at Montezuma is the best in 1A basketball, and the Braves should be considered one of the favorites to take home the 1A crown because of it. Led by the best player in…
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The favorite: The backcourt at Montezuma is the best in 1A basketball, and the Braves should be considered one of the favorites to take home the 1A crown because of it. Led by the best player in 1A, junior guard Trey Shearer (25.3), the Braves are shooting 39.1% from behind the arc as a team and are one of the biggest favorites to win their district in any of the 16 districts. Cole Watts (18.6) is one of the deadliest shooters in the state, and freshman guard Masin Shearer (8.8, 44.2 3P%) has been a great addition to an already strong backcourt. They put that shooting around the highly efficient Eddie Burgess (11.2, 64.7 FG%), an athletic forward who controls the glass and scores at the rim, making this offense potent. Their 2-3 zone is feisty and will create plenty of turnovers with the Shearer brothers at the top of it. Both of their losses have come to solid 2A teams (PCM, Albia) and both were in overtime. This group already beat Keota, their biggest competition in the district.
The biggest threat: Keota is dangerous because of JD Stout (28.0) and the shooting that the Eagles can put on the floor. Stout has made 51 3s this season, and Luke Hammen (12.3, 26 3PM) and Carson Sprouse (11.0, 31 3PM) are also capable of knocking down 3s. The 3-point line is the ultimate equalizer in basketball, and if Keota can get hot for a few weeks here, they can take home this district.
The dark horse: The semifinal between Keota and BGM should be fun, with Stout and BGM guard Noah Beck (23.7) going at it. Beck, a 5-9 lead guard, is among the state leaders in scoring, assists and steals, and has made 61 3s of his own. He’s the type of player who can take over a game on both ends of the floor and carry the Bears to a few upset wins.
Players to watch
2021 Trey Shearer, Montezuma
2021 Cole Watts, Montezuma
2022 Eddie Burgess, Montezuma
2023 Masin Shearer, Montezuma
2020 JD Stout, Keota
2020 Noah Beck, BGM
2021 Carson Brown, Moravia
2022 Kaden Hall, English Valleys
2020 Carson Cheney, HLV
The favorite: Central Decatur handed Nodaway Valley a loss back on January 24, 54-48, and earned the top seed in the district largely as a result of that win. But we’re making Nodaway Valley the favorite here. The Wolverines’ “Big Three” of Toby Bower (15.9), Clay Hohertz (15.9) and Tyler Vandewater (10.7), who combine to average 42.5 points on 49.9% shooting, were just 6-30 from the floor with 19 points in that loss. We have a hard time believing they’ll be that limited again during a district final rematch.
The biggest threat: Central Decatur has already beaten the Wolverines, so they’ll have a game plan ready to go that has proven to work before. The Cardinals have their own “Big Three” with Cole Pedersen (14.9), Michel Evertsen (13.7) and Matthew Boothe (10.3). Pedersen is the interior presence, while Evertsen and Boothe can both shoot it from deep.
The dark horse: Lamoni has the best record of any team in the district at 19-2, but they play in the weak Bluegrass Conference, so they haven’t really been tested. Still, they rank #1 in scoring defense, allowing just 37.1 points a game, and they have a quick lineup that can create chaos on that end of the floor. Stephen Ansong (14.6) is the top scorer and rebounder, and they played Central Decatur to a 2-point loss earlier this season (39-37). If they can get by Nodaway Valley in the semifinals, they know they can play with Central Decatur in the final.
Players to watch
2021 Toby Bower, Nodaway Valley
2020 Clay Hohertz, Nodaway Valley
2020 Cole Pedersen, Central Decatur
2020 Michel Evertsen, Central Decatur
2020 Stephen Ansong, Lamoni
2021 Hayden Stewart, Lamoni
2020 Reece Held, Murray
2021 Jace Rodecker, Murray
2020 Prestyn Lawson, Seymour
2023 Brody Tuttle, Seymour
2020 Kaden Kirkland, East Union
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Montezuma vs. Nodaway Valley
Nodaway Valley has the shooting to stay with Montezuma for a while, but at the end of the day, there’s just too much Trey Shearer, Cole Watts and company, as Montezuma’s backcourt leads the Braves back to State for the second straight year, where they’ll be considered one of the title favorites.