Playoff Preview: 3A-2
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Toebe The favorite: This may be one of the most balanced substates in 3A, but we’ll give the edge to Clear Lake, who has earned the right to play their first two games at home as the substate’s top…
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The favorite: This may be one of the most balanced substates in 3A, but we’ll give the edge to Clear Lake, who has earned the right to play their first two games at home as the substate’s top seed. The Lions enter postseason play with a 19-2 mark, led by their fantastic one-two punch of junior guard Carson Toebe Carson Toebe 6'3" | PG Clear Lake | 2022 State IA (18.7) and senior forward Andrew Formanek Andrew Formanek 6'6" | PF Clear Lake | 2021 State IA (17.8, 13.1 rebounds). That is the best one-two punch in the substate and should make them the favorite. They’ve gotten strong production out of sophomore lead guard Travaughn Luyobya (5.1, 5.7 assists), who has emerged as a very reliable ball-handler in the backcourt alongside Toebe, and senior forward Eric Ritter (9.0, 6.2 rebounds) pairs well with Formanek, who can stretch the floor a bit, to help them control the glass.
The biggest threat: Algona split with Clear Lake this year, with the win coming just four days ago, 63-59, so the Bulldogs are more than capable of beating the Lions and coming out of this substate. They also hold a win over Spencer, 75-47, in case the Tigers come out of the top of the bracket. A trio of double-figure scorers lead the way in junior Garrett Goche (13.9), senior Noah Nelson Noah Nelson 5'8" | PG Algona | 2021 State IA (12.7), and junior Tyler Manske (11.2). They do a good job controlling the glass and getting second-chance opportunities.
The dark horse(s): Spencer enters postseason play hot, having won five straight games at the time of this writing. The Tigers have an elite scoring threat in junior Karter Petzenhauser Karter Petzenhauser 6'4" | SG Spencer | 2022 State IA (22.7), who has put up efficient 54-41-74 shooting splits this year and is a threat to score 30+ on any given night. Five other players average at least 4.3 points a game, but Petzenhauser is the one that teams in this substate will need to gameplan for. Humboldt split with both Clear Lake and Algona during the regular season, and the Wildcats will be a dangerous postseason team as well. They’ve got a very balanced attack, with five players averaging between 8.2 and 11.3 points a game, which makes them difficult to defend. They’re also a very good free-throw shooting team, shooting 72.7% from the stripe as a team.
Players to watch
2022
Carson Toebe
Carson
Toebe
6'3" | PG
Clear Lake | 2022
State
IA
, Clear Lake
2021
Andrew Formanek
Andrew
Formanek
6'6" | PF
Clear Lake | 2021
State
IA
, Clear Lake
2022
Karter Petzenhauser
Karter
Petzenhauser
6'4" | SG
Spencer | 2022
State
IA
, Spencer
2022 Garrett Goche, Algona
2021
Noah Nelson
Noah
Nelson
5'8" | PG
Algona | 2021
State
IA
, Algona
2021
Sam Fischer
Sam
Fischer
6'2" | PF
Humboldt | 2021
State
IA
, Humboldt
2021 Gabe Gidel, Humboldt
2021 Will Larson, Estherville-Lincoln Central
2024 Owen Larson, Estherville-Lincoln Central
2023 Ty McKinney, Webster City
2021
Tavis Eklund
Tavis
Eklund
6'4" | SF
Webster City | 2021
State
IA
, Webster City
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Clear Lake vs. Algona
These teams split their meetings in the regular season, with both games coming within the last eight days. In the rubber match, we give the edge to a Lions team that has been stronger and more consistent during the course of the year, and the team that will have the two best individual players on the floor. Clear Lake is back to State.