STATE TOURNAMENT: Saturday Preview
3A FINAL: No.4 Cedar Rapids Xavier (15-11) vs No.6 Sergeant Bluff-Luton (17-9), 6:05 p.m.
How They Got Here: Xavier played very well against Mount Pleasant — particularly in the second half — and came away with one of the more convincing wins of the tourney, beating the Mustangs 59-44. Then they earned a spot in the title game after a hard-fought overtime win over Austin Phyfe and Waverly-Shell Rock. Sergeant Bluff-Luton pieced together the best team performance in the 3A field so far in semifinal win over previously unbeaten West Delaware; Chris Kroll scored 31 in that game to go with 10 rebounds and six steals. The Warriors “upset” Pella in the first round, 66-55.
Analysis: At one point this season, Xavier was officially reeling, losers of nine of their first 13 games — head-scratching, really. But since then, they’ve found the groove that won them a state title this time last season. Matt Mims was sensational in their semifinal win, and Xavier’s success will hinge on his ability to dominate. Chris Kroll proved he’s one of the better players in all of 3A with his sparkling semifinal performance (31 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists). But it’s not just him, Keegan Savory and Conner Groves help make up one of the more formidable three-person backcourts we’ve seen this season; and Jackson Wright is a huge 6-foot-5 big-man in the paint. There is plenty to be excited about with this one.
Players to Watch
Xavier: Max Techau (No.28 in 2017), Matthew Mims (No.9 in 2018), Jackson Joens (No.11 in 2019), Nolan Butkowski (No.145 in 2017), Quinn Schulte (No.48 in 2019)
Sergeant Bluff-Luton: Chris Kroll (No.71 in 2017), Jackson Wright (No.155 in 2017), Keegan Savory (No.186 in 2017), Conner Groves (2019)
Our Pick: Sergeant Bluff-Luton 56, Xavier 54
4A FINAL: No. Iowa City West (22-3) vs No.2 Valley (22-4), 8:05 p.m.
How They Got Here: The Trojans came into the tourney as the top seed and overwhelming favorites, and after a scare against a very underrated Newton squad, they looked exactly like the favorites they are during a 24-point rout of Cedar Rapids Kennedy. Valley also had an extremely tough first-round game against Des Moines North, it needed a Charley Crowely dunk with 3.0 seconds left in the game to put them ahead for good. The Tigers lived up to their No.2 seed during a relatively comfortable win over No.6 seed Sioux City East on Friday.
Analysis: Remarkably, this will be the third time in four seasons that these two teams have met in the 4A final. Three seasons ago it was Iowa City West who took home the trophy, last season it was Valley, this one will break the tie. Guys like Connor McCaffery, Devontae Lane and Quinton Curry have been key figures in each of previous two, and promise to be major players in this one as well. Valley has been surging since the return of Curry, who has played unbelievably well considering he tore his ACL in June, needing surgery to repair it shortly after. Charley Crowely is one fine game away from being named tournament captain. Iowa’s top-ranked 2019 Patrick McCaffery could be the X-factor for the Trojans, he was sensational in yesterday’s semifinal win. Whereas Valley’s stable of adept guards; Luke Sueppel, Austin Hinkle, Nate Dennis, Reese Skinner will collectively be the X-factor for the Tigers.
Players to Watch
Valley: Quinton Curry (No. 10 in ’17), Charley Crowley (No. 19 in ’17), Austin Hinkle (No. 76 in ’17), Nate Dennis (No. 131 in ’17), Reese Skinner (No. 138 in ’17), Blake Brinkmeyer (No. 4 in ’18), Carter Frey (No. 57 in ’18), Noah Samples (No. 74 in ’18), Luke Sueppel (No. 83 in ’18), Mike Brown (No. 160 in ’18)
Iowa City West: Connor McCaffery (No. 1 in ’17), Devontae Lane (No. 2 in ’17), Nate Disterhoft (No. 149 in ’17), Izaya Ono-Fullard (No. 153 in ’17), Seybian Sims (No. 23 in ’18), Hakeem Odunsi (No. 38 in ’18), Evan Flitz (No. 55 in ’18), Jake Anderson (No. 58 in ’18), Patrick McCaffery (No. 1 in ’19)
Our Pick: Iowa City West 58, Valley 56