Five Takeaways: West Lyon (60) at Sioux Center (76)
SIOUX CENTER — A big game in the Siouxland Conference took place on Friday evening, and Class 2A No. 3 Sioux Center ran away from 2A No. 10 West Lyon in the second half en route to a 76-60 win.
The game was tied at 13 after the first quarter, and went back-and-forth for most of the second quarter before the Warriors took a slight 36-32 edge into the break. The third quarter was all Sioux Center, as star guard Tyus Arends scored 13 third quarter points and the Warriors outscored West Lyon 27-11 to take complete control of the game. Sioux Center hit five 3s in the quarter, three coming from Arends.
Sioux Center (8-0) had five players in double figures, led by Tyus Arneds, who had a game-high 26. Brendan Zeutenhorst had 16, Tyler Van Beek and Isaac Vietor each had 11 and Cade Bleeker added 10 for the Warriors.
West Lyon (7-2) was led by Malachi Van Wyhe, who had 19 points. Korbyn Gramstad had 12 and Micah Meyer added 10. Jaden Snyder had eight assists for the Wildcats in the loss.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
West Lyon | 13 | 19 | 11 | 17 | 60 |
Sioux Center | 13 | 23 | 27 | 13 | 76 |
West Lyon: Malachi Van Wyhe 19, Korbyn Gramstad 12, Micah Meyer 10, Logan Bruggeman 8, Noah Van’t Hof 5, Jaden Snyder 3, Mitchell Rentschler 3
Sioux Center: Tyus Arends 26, Brendan Zeutenhorst 16, Tyler Van Beek 11, Isaac Vietor 11, Cade Bleeker 10, Trajan Walhof 2
Sioux Center is a legitimate state title contender in Class 2A
The Warriors came into the game ranked No. 3 in our Class 2A poll (we’ve since moved them up to No. 2), and they look every bit the part of one of the state title frontrunners. They’ve got good size, plenty of shooting and versatility (more on that later), and they have a guard who can take over a game in Tyus Arends. This team has lots of weapons, and they’re going to be really tough to slow down.
Tyus Arends’ big game
Our preseason Player of the Year pick in the Siouxland, Arends had been struggling a bit to open the year, averaging just 12.9 points on 42.2% shooting (22.0% from the arc). He exploded in this game, scoring 26 points on 10-16 shooting (5-8 from the arc), and maybe this is the game that gets him coming in the second half of the year. When he’s playing like he did in this game, there might not be a team in 2A that can beat this group. They have too many other weapons to worry about trying to only shut him down. If Arends turns it on in the second half of the year, watch out for the Warriors.
Jaden Snyder, floor general
The point guard for West Lyon isn’t much of a scoring threat, but he’s a really solid lead guard who does a great job probing the defense and distributing the basketball. He finished the night with eight assists, and he made some excellent passes to set up his teammates. He should’ve finished with double digit helpers, and his outstanding court vision was on full display throughout the evening.
Versatility is the name of the game
Position and defensive versatility has become a major theme in building teams in the NBA, and that’s something that Sioux Center has in droves. The Warriors have the size, length and athleticism to switch nearly everything on the defensive end, with the exception of perhaps Tyus Arends and a big man. Their other guards, Tyler Van Beek and Cade Bleeker, both have the size and length to at least hold their own for a possession against a bigger player. Brendan Zeutenhorst is a big body who moves well, as is Trajan Walhof off the bench. They have the ability to be a really strong defensive team, and they’re already a dynamic offensive team with plenty of versatility on that end of the floor as well. Zeutenhorst is a horse in the paint, Arends, Isaac Vietor and Van Beek can shoot it, and Bleeker is a slasher. This team is loaded and a lot of fun to watch.
The Siouxland Conference is an awful lot of fun
This was my first taste of Siouxland basketball, and it’s an awful lot of fun to watch. These teams are obviously two of the better ones in the league, but with other quality teams like George-Little Rock, Sheldon and Rock Valley in the league as well, it’s a fun league to watch on any night of the week. These kids all really understand how to play basketball the right way, they get up-and-down the floor, and there’s an awful lot of talent in northwest Iowa that we don’t get a chance to see nearly as often as I’d like.