Playoff Preview: 2A-6
Blake Chance The favorite: A young Albia team put together a strong season, going 16-3, including season sweeps of each of the three teams at the bottom of the bracket. The Blue Demons are led by 6-4 point guard…
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Continue ReadingBlake Chance
The favorite: A young Albia team put together a strong season, going 16-3, including season sweeps of each of the three teams at the bottom of the bracket. The Blue Demons are led by 6-4 point guard Blake Chance (13.7), who is a matchup problem with his size and passing ability. In addition to leading the team in scoring, he’s dished out 145 assists (109 more than the next closest player). Brayden Messmaker (11.7, 41.5 3P%) is a talented shooter, and seven other players average between 3.1 and 7.6 points a game, so this group can go fairly deep without much drop-off.
The biggest threat: Chariton swept both Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont and Davis County, their semifinal opponents. Couple that with their first road bye, and the Chargers have the best chance at coming out of the bottom of the bracket. Jackson Curnutte (17.8) not only leads the team in scoring, but is far and away the assist leader for this group (122, next closest is 40). Dylan Cain (12.0) gives them another scoring threat, and he pairs with Hunter Koehn (5.3) to control the glass on both ends of the floor. Chariton averages over nine offensive rebounds a game, and those extra possessions are invaluable in the postseason.
The dark horse: After losing nearly everyone from last year’s team, not much was expected of Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, but the Rockets have actually been pretty competitive this season. They’ve lost 12 games, but nine of those losses were by single digits, six coming by a single possession. They’re led by a trio of double figure scorers in Isaiah Smith (12.1), Kalen Walker (11.8) and Ethan Davis (11.4), with three others averaging around six points a game. Davis is a solid rim protector and efficient forward, while Smith and Walker do their damage from the perimeter. This group has been so close to making some real noise this season, and it wouldn’t be a shocker if they were able to put a run together.
Players to watch
2021 Blake Chance, Albia
2021 Brayden Messamaker, Albia
2020 Jackson Curnutte, Chariton
2020 Dylan Cain, Chariton
2020 Kalen Walker, EBF
2020 Isaiah Smith, EBF
2022 Ethan Davis, EBF
2021 Dalton Reeves, Davis County
2021 Noah Zmolek, Davis County
2022 Landon Becker, Cardinal
2022 Griffin Greiner, Cardinal
2023 Jackson Manning, Van Buren
2020 Tony Davidson, Van Buren
Anthony Potthoff
The favorite: Van Meter closed out an undefeated regular season, marking another 20-win season for a Bulldogs program that has become one of the best in 2A. Always a strong defensive team, this year is no different, as they’re allowing just 41.0 points a game, good for 5th in the class. The difference between this year’s team and previous iterations is on the offensive end. This group is more guard oriented, with Anthony Potthoff (18.6) and Chris Schreck (12.1) leading the way. They’ve combined to make 75 3s this season at a 40.8% clip. This group is going to suffocate teams on the defensive end of the floor, and that’s what’s going to get them through the district. Offensive play will be what determines how far they can get at State.
The biggest threat: Woodward-Granger is one of the strongest #2 seeds in any district, rolling to a 19-2 mark this season, with one of those losses coming to Van Meter. The Hawks have seven players averaging at least 5.4 points a game, led by the duo of Bryce Achenbach (17.0) and Keith Braunschweig (11.5). This group is one of the least reliant in the state (at least among the top contenders) on the 3-pointer, with under 30% of their field goal attempts coming from the arc, and nobody attempting more than 57 this season. This is a team that protects the ball (211 turnovers, 357 assists) and plays strong defense, allowing just 43.3 points a game.
The dark horse: Pleasantville has had an incredibly up-and-down season this year, with no winning or losing streak of longer than two games. They lost by just three, 62-59, to Woodward-Granger earlier this season, so they know they can play with their semifinal opponent. They have four double figure scorers in Mason Scheve (12.1), Mitch Harken (11.9), Teron Mount (14.6) and Tagen Douma (10.6), each of whom can take over on a given night and carry this team to a few upsets.
Players to watch
2020 Anthony Potthoff, Van Meter
2022 Chris Schreck, Van Meter
2020 Bryce Achenbach, Woodward-Granger
2020 Keith Braunschweig, Woodward-Granger
2020 Teron Mount, Pleasantville
2022 Mason Scheve, Pleasantville
2020 Tagen Douma, Pleasantville
2020 Mitch Harken, Pleasantville
2021 Davion Wilson, Woodward Academy
2022 Liem Deng, Woodward Academy
2020 Brady Berkey, Colfax-Mingo
2020 Carter Bussanmas, Interstate 35
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Albia vs. Van Meter
Albia has been a nice story this season, and they’re definitely going to be a team to watch heading into next season, but Van Meter is more experienced, better defensively and a really tough nut to try and crack in the postseason. The Bulldogs punch their State ticket for a 4th straight season.