Ten Best: Muscatine (69) at Cedar Rapids Prairie (84)
Prairie wing Jake Eilers knocked in seven of the Hawks’ 15 3s Cedar Rapids Prairie 84, Muscatine 69 A career-high 33 points from Joe Wieskamp wasn’t enough for Muscatine to overcome an absurdly hot shooting night from Cedar Rapids Prairie…
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Continue ReadingCedar Rapids Prairie 84, Muscatine 69
A career-high 33 points from Joe Wieskamp wasn’t enough for Muscatine to overcome an absurdly hot shooting night from Cedar Rapids Prairie on Saturday night, as the Muskies fell to the Hawks 84-69.
Prairie started hot, and it continued all night. The Hawks knocked down six 3s in the first quarter, and ended up hitting 15 of them on the night (15-for-24 from the arc). Jake Eilers made each of his first six attempts from deep and made seven overall, while Keegan Murray added five 3s of his own for Prairie. They used their hot shooting to jump out to a 53-35 lead, which extended as far as 61-40 in the third quarter before a late Muscatine run cut it to 12.
Prairie was in control from start to finish with their hot shooting, and despite Wieskamp’s best effort, there was nothing that was going to slow down the Hawks on this evening.
Prairie (1-2) was led by Jake Eilers, who had 21 on 7-of-10 from the floor (7-of-9 from deep). Griffen Clark had 19 points and six assists, Keegan Murray had 17 off the bench and Max Smith-Drahos had 15. Joe Wieskamp led Muscatine (1-1) with 33 points and 10 rebounds. Jake Mussehl added 15 points for the Muskies.
Scoring
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
Muscatine | 15 | 20 | 14 | 20 | 69 |
Cedar Rapids Prairie | 26 | 27 | 10 | 21 | 84 |
Muscatine: Joe Wieskamp 33, Jake Mussehl 15, Garrett Mueller 5, Jackson Foulk 5, Marquan Sorrells 4, Bryce Howard 4, Drew Greenhaw 3
Cedar Rapids Prairie: Jake Eilers 21, Griffen Clark 19, Keegan Murray 17, Max Smith-Drahos 15, Levi Usher 6, Kris Murray 6
MVP: Joe Wieskamp (Muscatine)
As will be in the case in just about any game Muscatine plays for the next two seasons, win or loss, Wieskamp is the most valuable player. The Iowa commit tried to keep his team in it despite the crazy shooting from Prairie by scoring a career-high 33 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Play of the game: Jake Eilers second 3-pointer
After forcing a turnover with their pressure, Prairie wing Jake Eilers knocked down his second 3-pointer of the first quarter with 3:15 left in the quarter. After splashing it home with nothing but net, it was apparent that he was going to have some kind of night, and he did, knocking down seven 3-pointers.
Best offensive performance: Jake Eilers (Cedar Rapids Prairie)
He was on fire from the get-go, knocking down four 3s in the first eight minutes, helping the Hawks jump out to a sizable lead. Wieskamp was also sensational, but Eilers’ shooting really helped set the tone for this one from the get-go.
Best defensive performance: Joe Wieskamp (Muscatine)
Wieskamp played very solid defense on Eilers once he was switched onto him. After Eilers knocked down four 3s in the first quarter, Wieskamp moved onto him and limited his opportunities. He also blocked three shots for the Muskies.
Best player off the bench: Keegan Murray (Cedar Rapids Prairie)
The talented sophomore guard continued his hot varsity start by scoring 17 points on 5-of-9 from the floor (5-of-7 from deep). He’s now averaging 9.7 points a game off the bench for the Hawks, giving them some explosiveness when he enters the game.
Best shooter: Jake Eilers (Cedar Rapids Prairie)
The kid went 7-of-9 from deep. Pretty self-explanatory, right? (Although special mention to Keegan Murray who was 5-of-7 from the arc.)
Best rebounder: Joe Wieskamp (Muscatine)
The lone player in double figures on the glass, Wieskamp uses his length and athletic ability to outreach everyone else on the floor.
Best intangibles: Max Smith-Drahos (Cedar Rapids Prairie)
Smith-Drahos gets overshadowed in this one despite scoring 15 points, but he’s a tough guard who finishes at the rim, gets on the floor for loose balls and gets his teammates involved. He’s a willing defender and a vital piece to this Prairie team.
Best underclassman: Keegan Murray (Cedar Rapids Prairie)
As mentioned in the bench player portion, Murray scored 17 off the bench for the Hawks, showcasing his shooting ability. His twin brother, Kris, added six points, knocking down a pair of 3s. But it was Keegan who made the big impact in this one, hitting five 3s and pulling in three rebounds as well. Both players have high upsides and are smart players (the twin sons of former Iowa standout Kenyon Murray).
Story to watch moving forward: The development of Prairie’s youth alongside their veteran talent
The Murray twins were very good in this one, but we’ll see how they continue to develop and add to the veterans (Eilers, Smith-Drahos, Clark) on this Prairie team. If they can maintain their strong play and add some scoring punch off the bench, the Hawks could be dangerous come playoff time.