Five Takeaways: Grand View Christian at Iowa City West
Patrick McCaffery IOWA CITY — Despite playing against a school that has an enrollment well over 1,000 students larger, Class 1A No. 1 Grand View Christian didn’t back down against a 4A powerhouse, No. 4 Iowa City West, on Saturday…
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Continue ReadingIOWA CITY — Despite playing against a school that has an enrollment well over 1,000 students larger, Class 1A No. 1 Grand View Christian didn’t back down against a 4A powerhouse, No. 4 Iowa City West, on Saturday afternoon, playing a tough, competitive game against the Trojans before running out of gas in the second half and falling, 64-54.
The two-time defending champions in Class 1A used a 12-0 run to take a 20-14 lead early in the second quarter before West closed the half with a 15-7 run to take a small lead into the locker rooms, 29-27. They were back-and-forth for much of the third quarter as well, before a late West 7-0 flurry, with a layup from Benjamin Vander Leest, a drive and dunk from Patrick McCaffery and a corner 3 from Marcus Morgan all coming in the last minute of the quarter, gave the Trojans a comfortable 51-39 lead. They cruised through the fourth quarter en route to the win.
Grand View Christian (2-1) was led by Issa Samake. The Drake commit had 13 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Thunder, who had four score in double figures. Arturo Montes added 12, and Bryce Crabb and Harouna Sissoko each chipped in 10 points.
Iowa City West (2-0) was led by future Iowa standout Patrick McCaffery, who had a game-high 26 points (15 in the second half) and 13 rebounds for the Trojans. Even Brauns had 10 points, but missed a majority of the second half with an apparent ankle injury. Sophomore guard Marcus Morgan chipped in eight points off the bench for the Trojans.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
Grand View Christian | 14 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 54 |
Iowa City West | 14 | 15 | 22 | 13 | 64 |
Individual scoring
Grand View Christian: Issa Samake 13, Arturo Montes 12, Bryce Crabb 10, Harouna Sissoko 10, Kong Neyail 9
Iowa City West: Patrick McCaffery 26, Even Brauns 10, Marcus Morgan 8, Brayden Adcock 6, Benjamin Vander Leest 5, Tate Crane 5, Nick Pepin 4
Good luck, Class 1A
The two-time defending champions in 1A are going to be an overwhelming favorite to take the crown again in the class, putting the type of athleticism, size and talent on the floor that could compete at the 4A level consistently. This group was already going to be tough with what they had coming back – the 6-7 Issa Samake, an athletic freak who is one of the best rim protectors in the state; the 6-5 Arturo Montes, who may actually be the Thunder’s best player, a crafty forward who can score inside and out and who has greatly improved his handle; the 6-3 Bryce Crabb, an experienced guard who has been a crucial piece on those title teams and does a bit of everything; and the 6-1 Kong Neyail, a fantastic, athletic slasher who applies constant pressure on the opposition on both ends of the floor. That would’ve been enough to make this team the favorite in 1A.
Then they added another likely Division I player in the form of Harouna Sissoko, who transferred up from Lincoln Academy (GA). He’s a 6-7 wing who can score from all three levels, has great length and athleticism, and will make a major impact on both ends of the floor. He’s still getting acclimated to this group, but once they get clicking, they’ll make life miserable for smaller schools, especially when they throw on their press with Sissoko’s length at the top, Crabb, Montes and Neyail in the middle, and Samake’s rim protection at the back. Good luck stopping them.
The Thunder’s (lack of) depth
If there is one thing that could derail the Thunder and prevent them from 3-peating, it’ll be their depth. Samake, Crabb and Montes each fouled out of this game, and Sissoko played a large chunk of the game in foul trouble. Perhaps they just didn’t feel comfortable with their depth against a good 4A team, and will play more players comfortably against smaller schools, but if Samake can’t stay out of foul trouble (he struggled with this at State last year), they become slightly more beatable.
West’s inexperience
People around the state have come to expect the Trojans to just be loaded and ready to go from Day One on any given season, but this year will likely have its ups and downs. Outside of Patrick McCaffery, only 34 points returned from last year’s roster. They added a pair of talented newcomers in Even Brauns and Nick Pepin, who transferred in from Regina and Waterloo West, respectively, but West basketball is a tough program to break into, with a major learning curve. There is plenty of talent still on this roster, with McCaffery and Brauns both D1 players, and a slew of guards who are solid players, but this is a team that is largely inexperienced at the varsity level. But nobody is going to feel sorry for them with the incredible amount of success they’ve had over the past decade.
Patrick McCaffery, good at basketball
They is a shocking takeaway, I know. But it’s true. Sometimes it feels like McCaffery doesn’t get the credit he deserves from some naysayers around the state, but he can flat out play. After a rough first half in which he shot just 3-10 from the floor, he dominated the second half of the game, routinely drawing his defender away from the rim, then breaking him down off the dribble and getting to the rim for tough finishes. In the second half he had three buckets plus the foul, showing the ability to creatively finish while absorbing the contact and finishing through it. He still needs to add weight, and there are questions about whether that will ever happen, but he has no doubt gotten stronger, and his ability to finish at the rim shows it. He’s an intelligent, impactful player on both ends of the floor, primed for a huge senior year.
Even Brauns’ strong pre-injury play
Brauns, a 6-9 junior forward, transferred over from Regina, where he was solid but didn’t dominate games the way he perhaps should have. He was really good in this game, scoring 10 points and showing good footwork and touch around the rim, before falling with an apparent ankle injury early in the third quarter. He went right at future Division I big man Issa Samake, one of the most prominent shot blockers in the state, and didn’t back down. That’s an encouraging sign for West and for Brauns.