Iowa’s Blazin’ Five (Week 4)
Cedar Falls Since a surprise loss to start their season, the Tigers have been doing what we expected them to do ever since, that’s dominate. It’s now six straight wins for Cedar Falls, our 10th-ranked 4A squad, and those wins…
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Since a surprise loss to start their season, the Tigers have been doing what we expected them to do ever since, that’s dominate. It’s now six straight wins for Cedar Falls, our 10th-ranked 4A squad, and those wins have come by an average of 21 points. Logan Wolf leads the way, he’s averaging 17 points per game. Junior Josh Ollendieck is having a breakout season, he’s averaging 12.9 points and shooting a red-hot percentage from the floor. The Tigers will host Cedar Rapids Xavier when play resumes next Friday, they already beat the Saints 79-54 on Dec. 14.
Sioux City East
At least once a year Sioux City East makes one of these articles; they’ve been a model of consistency in the state for some time now, and that’s not stopping anytime soon. The Black Raiders have reeled off six straight wins to start their 2018-19 campaign, most recently they dropped 99 points in a 26-point win over Lewis Central. Aidan Vanderloo has been one of the very best players in the state; that should come as a surprise to no one who follows high school hoops in Iowa. He’s averaging 25.2 points per game, and shooting 55 percent from the floor.
Boyden-Hull
The Comets ended their 2018 with a 63-39 shellacking of Sheldon, and in doing so, started their season 7-0. That means, they’re just one win away from matching their entire win total from last season. Boyden-Hull will resume play next Thursday against MOC-Floyd Valley, and will get to play again the next day vs Okoboji. Junior Keyton Moser is having a breakout season for the Comets, he’s averaging 18.8 points and leading the team in assists and steals.
Indianola
We got a chance to see the Indians first-hand last week, and came away very impressed, especially with the backcourt of Evan Gauger and Quinn Vesey. Those two are averaging a combined 42.8 points per game, and easily make up one of the finer backcourts in Iowa. Their Indians are rolling right now, too, winners of six straight as they head into their Winter Break. A 3-point win over No. 5 Pella got the win-streak started, and they’ve been throttling teams ever since, winning the next five by an average of 19 points. They’ll try and sustain their winning ways when they resume play next Friday night against Oskaloosa; that’ll be a gem of a game.
Van Meter
Spencer Lamb has taken the reins this season as Van Meter’s leading scorer, and after losing some top talent from last season’s state-tourney team, the Bulldogs have picked up right where they left off. It’s now seven straight wins and counting to start the season for Van Meter, and although Lamb has been the best scorer, it’s senior Ryan Schmitt that has been the best player; the 6-foot-10 big-man is averaging 13.9 points on 63 percent shooting, 4.1 blocks and 11.3 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs haven’t necessarily played a tough schedule, but they’re taking care of business in a big way, winning by 30 points on average. It’s defense where they excel, Van Meter’s 35 points per game against average is second-best in Iowa, regardless of class.