Playoff Preview: 4A-6
The Favorite: Ankeny Centennial has caught people by surprise this season, and is in the top team in the Class 4A. The Jaguars don’t have any superstars, but play well together and rely on the unselfish play to win ball games.…
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Continue ReadingThe Favorite: Ankeny Centennial has caught people by surprise this season, and is in the top team in the Class 4A. The Jaguars don’t have any superstars, but play well together and rely on the unselfish play to win ball games. Ankeny transfer Jaron Crews (14.5) is the leading scorer for Centennial and also leads the team in assists (4.8). Crews does a little bit of everything for this Centennial offense, and is a great game manager. Wayne State signee Cody McCullough is the second leading scorer at 13.0 points per game while his senior classmate and Missouri S&T recruit Micah Johnson is putting up 12.0 points a game. Preston Kelling and Colin McAleer are putting up 9.1 and 7.8 points a night, respectively. It all starts up top with Crews. HE’s the one that gets this team to go. The way this team plays is very enjoyable to watch, and they are a legitimate contender to take home the state title.
Biggest threat: Johnston was a team that I picked to be one of my sleepers in Class 4A. The Dragons backcourt is one of the deepest in the state, and they’re a lot of fun to watch when they’re clicking. Max Roquet (10.5) is the leading scorer inside followed by sophomore guard Trey Lewis (10.4), who is yielding D1 interest. Reid Grant is one of the most underrated guards in the state. He’s a tough combo guard with scoring ability who can also guard the opponent’s best player and make them earn every point. Lute Woodley and Steven Kramer are also reliable role players. The key for this team is the health of sophomore point guard Jacob Runyan. The 5-foot-8 Runyan suffered a wrist injury that kept him out for a couple of games, but he’s expected to be good to go in the state tournament. Runyan is a quick, savvy point guard with great playmaking ability. He can get a bucket as well amongst the trees despite his smaller frame. Johnston has one of the best scoring offenses in Class 4A, so the average defense will have to step up.
Darkhorse: Indianola has the record of a top seed, but the fact that it played a 3A schedule bumps then down a bit. Still, the Indians have defeated the likes of Pella and DCG (twice). Indianola is led by the senior duo of AJ Toigo (17.5) and Caden Rehmeier (17.0). Junior Caden Rehmeier (12.5), freshman Drew Kingery (8.4), and Blake Kennedy (8.1) are three other key pieces for this team. Indianola is in the top-10 in FG% and 3PT% in class 4A, so if it gets hot, that could be the difference-maker.