Games of the Week (Week 6)
TUESDAY (Jan. 10) Game of the night: 4A No. 1 Sioux City East at 4A No. 7 Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln The first of three potential meetings between these teams, this may be the biggest game across the state to…
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Continue ReadingTUESDAY (Jan. 10)
Game of the night: 4A No. 1 Sioux City East at 4A No. 7 Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln
The first of three potential meetings between these teams, this may be the biggest game across the state to date. East enters at 8-0, while Abraham Lincoln is 7-0. These teams are ranked 3rd and 4th, respectively, in the AP poll, and we’ve got East sitting at the top of our 4A rankings. These teams enter as the second and third highest scoring teams in Class 4A, so expect to see plenty of points put up on the scoreboard tonight. East is led by big man Van Rees (20.0, 11.9 rebounds), and with CBAL’s big Trey Nixon potentially limited after an apparent knee injury on Saturday afternoon, Rees could have a field day against the Lynx. Aidan Vanderloo (15.9), Trae Robinson (11.9) and Jailen Billings (11.5) have been fantastic this season as well, giving the Black Raiders plenty of perimeter punch. The Lynx will need to get some big games out of wings Troy Houghton (13.7) and Landon Torneten (13.4), a pair of long and athletic wings who could present some matchup problems for East with their size and versatility. Preston Fant comes off the bench to provide a spark in the guard court for CBAL, and he’ll need to play well for the Lynx to slow down a potent East attack. This should be a highly entertaining game, and the winner should probably be considered the favorite to make it to the state tournament.
Others to monitor
Des Moines Hoover at Ames
Des Moines North at Ankeny
4A No. 5 Bettendorf at 3A No. 8 Davenport Assumption
2A No. 1 Pella Christian at 3A No. 5 Dallas Center-Grimes
4A No. 3 Cedar Rapids Kennedy at Dubuque Hempstead
Cedar Rapids Prairie at 4A No. 4 Dubuque Senior
1A No. 1 Gladbrook-Reinbeck at East Marshall
Atlantic at Glenwood
Ankeny Christian at 1A No. 3 Grand View Christian
Aplington-Parkersburg at Jesup
Harlan at 2A No. 2 Carroll Kuemper
Norwalk at Newton
2A No. 5 Cascade at 2A No. 7 Northeast, Goose Lake
3A No. 3 Pella at Oskaloosa
Pocahontas Area at 3A No. 7 Spirit Lake
West Des Moines Dowling at 4A No. 8 West Des Moines Valley
Western Dubuque at 3A No. 2 West Delaware
THURSDAY (Jan. 12)
Game of the night: 1A No. 8 Lynnville-Sully at Keota
This is a tricky game for a good Lynnville-Sully team, traveling to Keota, who only gives up 48 points a game and enters the week on a nine-game winning streak. Keota guard Jacob Wickenkamp is second in the state in assists, and limiting his effectiveness will go a long ways in the Hawks getting a nice road win. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Lynville-Sully yet, so maybe this is the game where they get it going.
FRIDAY (Jan. 13)
Game of the night: 4A No. 9 Cedar Falls at 4A No. 4 Dubuque Senior
I’m extremely excited to get up to Dubuque on Friday night for this one to get another look at all the talent both teams will be putting on the floor. Obviously the headliner here is Cedar Falls junior guard A.J. Green, one of the best players in the state, who is putting up huge numbers and is a treat to watch. Senior will have their hands full trying to limit him. But Cedar Falls will also have some issues matching up with Senior big man Noah Carter (17.9, 66.7 FG%), who is scoring at a ridiculous clip right now. Throw in guard Carter Stevens (16.7), Louis Psihoyos (12.4), and the rest of Senior’s supporting cast, and this is one of the state’s top teams. It will be interesting to see what they try to do defensively against Green, and the Tigers will need to get some production out of Ben Gerdes (11.2) and Isaiah Johnson (10.2) to take some of the pressure off him. This should be an outstanding game.
Others to monitor
4A No. 6 Waukee at Ankeny Centennial
Council Bluffs, Lewis Central at Atlantic
4A No. 7 Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln at 3A No. 10 Sioux City Heelan
Waterloo West at Cedar Rapids Jefferson
Forest City at 2A No. 9 Garner-Hayfield-Ventura
4A No. 10 North Scott at Muscatine
Grinnell at Norwalk
3A No. 5 Dallas Center-Grimes at 3A No. 3 Pella
Newton at 2A No. 1 Pella Christian
Boyden-Hull at Sheldon
Rock Valley at Sioux Center
3A No. 9 Mount Vernon at Solon
Glenwood at Council Bluffs, St. Albert
Hinton at 1A No. 7 Remsen, St. Mary’s
3A No. 7 Spirit Lake at Storm Lake
Ankeny at 4A No. 8 West Des Moines Valley
Rockford at 1A No. 5 West Fork
SATURDAY (Jan. 14)
Game of the night: Jesup vs. 1A No. 1 Gladbrook-Reinbeck
Originally scheduled to be played at Wartburg on December 17, inclement weather has moved this game to this Saturday, being played at Upper Iowa University. The guard matchup of Ethan Wyant vs. Joe Smoldt is worth the price of admission here. These two teams met at the 1A state tournament last season, with Gladbrook-Reinbeck pulling out a win behind 35 from Smoldt, including 27 in the second half. Wyant and company will need to do a better job slowing Smoldt down if they want to get a bit of revenge in this one. This should be a highly entertaining contest.
Others to monitor
Fort Dodge at West Des Moines Dowling
Glenwood at Harlan
Des Moines Christian at 2A No. 1 Pella Christian
2A No. 5 Cascade at Iowa City Regina