Games of the Week (Week 10)
MONDAY (Feb. 5)
Game of the night: Iowa City Regina at Benton Community
Provided this game doesn’t get postponed due to the weather, it’s the best game of the night. The Regals are red hot, winners of seven straight games, including big wins over Northeast and Camanche. They’re holding teams to just 36.4 points a game over that stretch. That tough defense will have their hands full with a Benton team that ranks 8th in Class 3A in scoring at 66.6 points a game. Guard Spencer Touro (18.3) is one of the best shot makers in the state, but Regina just did a good job against West Branch’s Beau Cornwell last week, throwing a number of different defenders at him. Expect the same from the Regals here, and their balanced scoring attack should do enough to get an impressive road win over the bigger school.
Our pick: Iowa City Regina 64, Benton Community 58
Others to monitor
Atlantic at Creston
2A No. 7 Aplington-Parkersburg at Marshalltown
TUESDAY (Feb. 6)
Game of the night: Waukee at 4A No. 2 Des Moines Hoover
Behind the strength of 4A’s best defense (42.8 points a game), and a much more balanced scoring attack than they usually have, the Hoover Huskies have accumulated a 15-1 record and risen to No. 2 in our 4A rankings. They’ll have their stiffest test in a month on Tuesday night, when 15-3 Waukee comes to northwest Des Moines. The Warriors have also been stout defensively, allowing just 47.7 points a game, so expect this one to be a fairly tight, lower scoring contest. The Huskies athleticism in the backcourt with Devonte Thedford, Hosea Treadwell and Adam Jackson will give them an edge, but Waukee’s size and physicality on the interior with Dylan Jones and Nathan Nelson gives them an edge there. So which edge wins out? In high school games, we’ll tend to favor the backcourt, and that trio (plus cerebral point guard Kenny Quinn) will carry the Huskies to another win.
Our pick: Des Moines Hoover 51, Waukee 48
Additional game to watch: Burlington at Muscatine. This game won’t be remotely competitive, but it’s noteworthy because after his 54-point explosion on Friday night, Muscatine’s Joe Wieskamp is just 31 points away from becoming the all-time leading scorer in Class 4A. He had 38 in the Muskies’ win over Burlington earlier this year, and will be able to break the record if he wants to in this one.
Others to monitor
Dubuque Wahlert at 4A No. 5 Cedar Falls
Waverly-Shell Rock at 3A No. 6 Charles City
3A No. 1 Cedar Rapids Xavier at Cedar Rapids Kennedy
Webster City at Clear Lake
Davenport West at Davenport North
Waterloo West at 4A No. 1 Dubuque Senior
Council Bluffs, St. Albert at Harlan
2A No. 3 Western Christian at 3A No. 10 LeMars
4A No. 4 Iowa City West at Linn-Mar
3A No. 4 Norwalk at Newton
2A No. 2 Cascade at Northeast, Goose Lake
Unity Christian at 1A No. 3 Remsen, St. Mary’s
Des Moines Christian at 2A No. 1 Van Meter
2A No. 10 Sioux Center at West Lyon
Burlington at Muscatine
THURSDAY (Feb. 8)
Game of the night: Kuemper Catholic at 2A No. 5 South Hamilton
The final hurdle for an undefeated regular season for South Hamilton is a high-powered Kuemper Catholic offense that is averaging 70.2 points a game. The Hawks allow just 46.4 a night, so it’ll be an interesting strength vs. strength matchup. The backcourt matchup between South Hamilton’s Conner Hill and Marco Balderas and Kuemper’s Parker Badding and Sam Auen will be worth the price of admission, as it’s two of the state’s better perimeter defenders against two of the state’s better shooters. In what we expect to be a tight game, we think South Hamilton makes a few more key plays at home and gets through the regular season at 22-0. This one should be a lot of fun, and whoever is able to dictate the tempo should come out on top.
Our pick: South Hamilton 63, Kuemper Catholic 59
Others to monitor
Sioux Falls Roosevelt (SD) at Sioux City, Bishop Heelan
2A No. 9 Garner-Hayfield-Ventura at Clear Lake
Colo-Nesco at 2A No. 4 East Marshall
Kuemper Catholic at 2A No. 5 South Hamilton
2A No. 7 Aplington-Parkersburg at Wapsie Valley
Sioux Falls Christian (SD) at 2A No. 3 Western Christian
FRIDAY (Feb. 9)
Game of the night: 4A No. 1 Dubuque Senior at 4A No. 9 Dubuque Hempstead
It’s a tricky week for the Senior Rams after reaching the No. 1 spot in our 4A rankings. On Tuesday night they host a dangerous Waterloo West team that just beat Cedar Falls, and then Friday night, they travel across town to No. 9 Hempstead. Hemsptead won the first meeting between these teams, 59-50, back on January 5. But that game was played without Senior’s star forward Noah Carter in the lineup. As a result, the Mustangs length and athleticism held Senior to just 38.2% shooting. With Carter’s versatility, ability to stretch the floor and open up things for his teammates, the Rams should have an edge here in what should be an outstanding game in front of a packed house at Moody.
Our pick: Dubuque Senior 66, Dubuque Hempstead 61
Others to monitor
Gladbrook-Reinbeck at 1A No. 9 Ankeny Christian
3A No. 9 Carroll at Carlisle
1A No. 8 South O’Brien at LeMars, Gehlen Catholic
MOC-Floyd Valley at 1A No. 7 George-Little Rock
1A No. 1 Grand View Christian at Kuemper Catholic
3A No. 1 Cedar Rapids Xavier at Linn-Mar
Davenport West at Muscatine
Davenport North at 4A No. 10 North Scott
West Lyon at 2A No. 8 Sheldon
Atlantic at 2A No. 6 Treynor
Ankeny Centennial at Waukee
SATURDAY (Feb. 10)
Game of the night: Ankeny at 4A No. 8 Sioux City East
After getting off to an ugly 1-10 start, the Ankeny Hawks have been one of the hottest teams in 4A over the last few weeks, winning five of their last six, including wins over Centennial and Waukee. They’re finally playing with their full lineup and the three-headed guard attack of Dillon Carlson (16.2), Jaxon Smith (12.6) and Ben Lyon (11.8) will make things interesting. The Hawks, however, don’t really have anyone who is going to keep East big man Van Rees off the glass here, and that should be the edge for the Black Raiders. BC Moore’s projections have this as a 19-point East win, but it’ll be much closer than that.
Our pick: Sioux City East 71, Ankeny 64
Others to monitor
3A No. 10 LeMars at Sioux City West