Postseason Preview: Class 3A, Substate 3
The favorite: West Delaware is the top seed here, but we’re giving the nod to Cedar Rapids Xavier as the favorite in the substate. The record isn’t gaudy (in fact, it’s below .500), but that’s because the Saints play…
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The favorite: West Delaware is the top seed here, but we’re giving the nod to Cedar Rapids Xavier as the favorite in the substate. The record isn’t gaudy (in fact, it’s below .500), but that’s because the Saints play in the loaded MVC that has seen over half the league ranked at some point this season. They’ve gotten really strong play out of Jake Beckmann (11.6) of late, particularly with his perimeter shooting, and they’ve got a number of other weapons from the arc as well, with Bryson Bastian (6.8, 44.3 3P%), Jaylon Moses (7.9, 39.5%) and Tre’ McCrary (5.2, 41.7%) joining Beckmann. Davis Wagner (11.4) has proven himself as a slashing, playmaking wing, and Quinn Schulte (5.8) is a winner no matter what sport he’s playing, and is a veteran for this group, having been a key contributor on Xavier’s last two state qualifying teams. This team shoots nearly 38% from 3 as a team, and they’ve beaten the three 3A teams they’ve played this season (Mount Pleasant, Waverly-Shell Rock, Fort Madison). Playing a 4A schedule, then dropping down to 3A competition, is a major advantage for this team, and they should be considered the favorite.
The biggest threat: Like Xavier, Davenport Assumption has the added advantage of playing in a 4A league, the MAC. While they haven’t beaten any of the top three teams in the league (North Scott, Bettendorf, Davenport Central), three of the six games they played against those teams were decided by single digits, and the Knights only losses since December 4 have come against those teams. They’re led by the Peeters brothers, senior Dylan (16.7) and junior Sean (15.2), who have each put together dominant seasons. Dylan is a playmaking wing with fantastic length. He’ll have the ball in his hands a majority of the time, and as he goes, Assumption goes. Sean is more of an interior threat, although he’s worked on expanding his game and can knock down an occasional 3. That duo, along with Anthony Valainis (9.1) really attacks the offensive glass and will look to do damage that way a lot of the time. The winner of the Xavier-Assumption game has to be considered the favorite in the substate final.
Two other contenders: The single most dominant player in this substate is West Delaware big man Derek Krogmann (22.3 points, 14.4 rebounds), who is certainly capable of putting up three 20-20 games and carrying the Hawks to State. And perhaps they should be considered more than just another “contender” given that they were granted the top seed in the group. Kyle Kelley (14.5) has emerged as a high-level scoring guard, shooting 44.6% from the arc, but the issue with West Delaware is that if you can shut Kelley down and just allow Krogmann to do what he’s going to do regardless, is anyone else going to score? They’ll need someone else to step up if they want to make it through this substate. The other key contender here is Center Point-Urbana, who has the 2nd ranked scoring defense in 3A, allowing just 46.5 points a game. The Stormin’ Pointers aren’t going to play pretty basketball, but they will slow the game down and look to lock teams up. This is a group that hits the offensive glass hard, averaging 11 offensive boards a game, and they’ll need to do that to score and keep themselves in these games.
The dark horse: On the opposite end of the spectrum from Center Point-Urbana is Benton Community, one of the more prolific offensive attacks in 3A, averaging 66.7 points a game. They’ll be looking to speed the game up and allow their number of talented guards to spread the floor and get open looks from deep. Nathan Michels (18.4) can control the game either as a scorer or facilitator, and Dylan Spina (16.3, 43.3 3P%), Jack Shaw (9.2, 36.2%), Simon Carlson (5.2, 32.7%) and Clay Krousie (6.4, 72.2%) can all knock down 3s. If Benton is able to get teams sped up to a speed they aren’t comfortable with, they could pull off a few upsets and win this substate. They certainly have the offensive firepower to do it.
Players to watch
2019 Dylan Peeters, Davenport Assumption
2020 Sean Peeters, Davenport Assumption
2021 TJ Bollers, Clear Creek-Amana
2020 Tyler Schrepfer, Clear Creek-Amana
2019 Derek Krogmann, West Delaware
2021 Kyle Kelley, West Delaware
2020 Davis Wagner, Cedar Rapids Xavier
2021 Jaylon Moses, Cedar Rapids Xavier
2020 Jake Beckmann, Cedar Rapids Xavier
2019 Nathan Michels, Benton Community
2019 Dylan Spina, Benton Community
2019 Cody Westcott, Center Point-Urbana
2019 Seth Feldman, West Liberty
2020 Gavin Chown, West Liberty
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
West Delaware vs. Cedar Rapids Xavier
West Delaware has the best individual player in this matchup in Krogmann, but expect to see Xavier allow him to get his 20-20 while focusing on limiting the production of Kyle Kelley. At the end of the day, the Saints have too many weapons for a good defensive team to slow down here, and the Hawks don’t have enough to prevent Xavier from focusing in on Kelley. The Saints, in what was supposed to be a down year for them, find their way back to Des Moines for the fifth straight year.