Postseason Preview: Class 4A, Substate 5
Picking the first round games Cedar Rapids Jefferson at Pleasant Valley: This game likely comes down to who can control the tempo. PV enters having won six of their last seven games, and the Spartans are known for playing…
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Picking the first round games
Cedar Rapids Jefferson at Pleasant Valley: This game likely comes down to who can control the tempo. PV enters having won six of their last seven games, and the Spartans are known for playing at a very methodical, physical pace. If they’re able to dictate the tempo and make this a slow game, they’ll frustrate a Jefferson team that is looking to get out and run at every opportunity. PV is led by a pair of big, physical guards in Carter Duwa (14.0, 44 3PM, 37.6 3P%) and Hunter Snyder (12.8, 37 3PM, 46.3%), and this group ranks 4th in scoring defense, allowing just 45.6 points a game. Jefferson has three players averaging in double figures in Willie Guy (16.1), Ozzie Meiborg (12.7) and Raejzuan Shockley (10.4), while Blaze Bouzek (8.4, 48 3PM) is a sharpshooter. Despite being undersized, this group plays hard and competes on the glass, and won’t back down from a PV team that is going to want to try and grind it out and wear them down. A better PV team was upset by Linn-Mar in a similar spot last year, and the MVC flexes their muscle here with Jefferson picking up a road win, as their pressure defense forces PV to play faster than they want to.
Our pick: Cedar Rapids Jefferson 58, Pleasant Valley 52
Muscatine at Dubuque Hempstead: Hempstead has won three of four heading into the postseason, and shouldn’t have any issues against Muscatine, who enters with an 0-20 record. Life after Joe Wieskamp has been tough for the Muskies, who are averaging just 37 points a game. The Duax brothers, Michael (15.7) and Max (13.6), should help Hempstead cruise through this one without much resistance, and they should be able to get plenty of second half rest for their meeting with Prairie in the semifinals.
Our pick: Dubuque Hempstead 60, Muscatine 34
Previewing the semifinals
Cedar Rapids Jefferson at North Scott: Playing against PV in the first round should prepare Jefferson for the style they’ll play in this one, as North Scott suffocates teams on the defensive end with their top ranked scoring defense, allowing just 42.7 points a game. The difference between the Lancers and PV, however, is that North Scott has more talent across the board, and can score the ball a bit too. Cortaviaus Seales (14.5) isn’t going to be rattled by Jefferson trying to speed him up, and Jefferson will have no answer for Ty Anderson (13.7), a junior UNI commit, on the interior. Anderson is averaging over three offensive rebounds a game, and he should clean up the glass all night here. Coach Shamus Budde is as good as it gets, and he’ll come up with a game plan to frustrate Jefferson’s guards here. The Lancers have spent a majority of the season ranked #1, with their lone loss coming to Bettendorf by 2. They’ll lock down Jefferson and grind out a win to set up a huge substate final with Prairie.
Our pick: North Scott 52, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 44
Dubuque Hempstead at Cedar Rapids Prairie: Hempstead’s signature win this season came against Prairie, back on January 11 at home, 69-64. Since then, Prairie has rattled off eight straight wins (this is being written before their Saturday regular season finale against Iowa City West). The Hawks have a potent offensive attack, averaging 67.7 points a game, which ranks 5th in 4A. They’re led by the Murray twins, Keegan (20.7) and Kris (19.2), deadly shooters at 6-7/6-8 who have expanded their games this year and are now willing to go down on the block and score against smaller defenders as well. Prairie has a ton of length in their lineup, and while the Murrays down a huge chunk of the scoring, they have some nice role players, with four others averaging between 4.4 and 6.3 points a game, and the length that they have makes scoring on them difficult. Hempstead, a solid, but not elite, shooting team, shot above 50% from the arc in that win over the Hawks earlier this year. Don’t plan on that happening again. Prairie is one of the best teams in the state, and they should avenge that loss, setting up a rematch with North Scott, who they lost to in the season opener, 57-52.
Our pick: Cedar Rapids Prairie 68, Dubuque Hempstead 58
Players to watch
2019 Cortaviaus Seales, North Scott
2020 Ty Anderson, North Scott
2019 Willie Guy, Cedar Rapids Jefferson
2020 Ozzie Meiborg, Cedar Rapids Jefferson
2021 Michael Duax, Dubuque Hempstead
2019 Max Duax, Dubuque Hempstead
2019 Kris Murray, Cedar Rapids Prairie
2019 Keegan Murray, Cedar Rapids Prairie
2019 Carter Duwa, Pleasant Valley
2019 Hunter Snyder, Pleasant Valley
2021 Noah Yahn, Muscatine
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
North Scott vs. Cedar Rapids Prairie
These two teams played a great game in the regular season opener, with North Scott winning 57-52. The Lancers got a big game from Ty Anderson in that one, as he went for 18 points and 11 rebounds; Prairie will need to do a better job on him if they want to avenge that loss and make their way to State. Reece Sommers is the X-factor for North Scott, he wasn’t healthy in that early season win, and having him on the floor gives North Scott another shooting threat and a veteran leader who does all the little things for the Lancers. Budde draws up another gem, and North Scott beats Prairie again in a great game. Both of these teams are capable of making serious noise in Des Moines.