Class 4A Substate Quarterfinal Preview
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Class 4A postseason action gets started tonight, with 32 teams taking the court, while 16 others enjoy the perks of a first-round bye. We’ll be down to 32 teams in a matter of hours. We take a look at some…
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Continue ReadingClass 4A postseason action gets started tonight, with 32 teams taking the court, while 16 others enjoy the perks of a first-round bye. We’ll be down to 32 teams in a matter of hours. We take a look at some of the top games, teams who should be on upset alert and pick each of the 16 games.
The Top Five Games
Mason City at Des Moines Lincoln
These teams met in the regular-season finale on Friday night, a 70-59 Mason City win. The Mohawks held Lincoln to 19-56 shooting (33.9%) while shooting 23-43 (53.5%) on their own. They forced 21 turnovers and got 20 points from star guard Corey Miner Corey Miner 6'0" | PG Mason City | 2022 State IA (14.7) on efficient 6-9 shooting. They also did a solid job on Lincoln standout guard Trovary Cavil Trovary Cavil 5'11" | PG Johnston | 2024 State IA (16.9, 5.3 assists), who they limited to just eight shot attempts in the game. If they’re able to contain Cavil again, they can certainly pull off another win and advance to the semifinals.
Cedar Rapids Jefferson at Waterloo West
BC Moore’s power rankings system has these two teams separated by 0.03 points, so this is a legitimate coin-flip of a game. Jefferson won the first meeting between these teams, 58-52, less than two weeks ago. The J-Hawks shot 10-20 from behind the arc in that win, significantly higher than their 31.2% as a team during the year. Jefferson is able to put several quick guards on the floor, led by seniors Ayrondus Hodges Ayrondus Hodges 5'10" | SG Cedar Rapids Jefferson | 2022 State IA (15.5) and Andreas Williams Andreas Williams 6'1" | SG Cedar Rapids Jefferson | 2022 State IA (15.4), and they’ll look to apply some pressure on a West backcourt that can be a little loose with the ball at times. The Wahawks put a lot of athleticism and quickness on the floor themselves with the junior tandem of wings Si’Marion Anderson Si’Marion Anderson 6'2" | SG Waterloo West | 2023 State IA (15.4) and Keishaun Pendleton Keishaun Pendleton 6'0" | SG Waterloo West | 2023 State IA (15.1) leading the way. If Jefferson shoots it like they did in the first meeting again, they’ll win. If not, we’ll have a good game.
North Scott at Linn-Mar
BC Moore’s power rankings system has Linn-Mar as a 13.5-point favorite in this game, but I expect it to be much closer. North Scott coach Shamus Budde is one of the best defensive coaches in the state, and he’ll certainly have the Lancers ready to play tough defense on Linn-Mar’s star guard Jaxson Young Jaxson Young 6'0" | SG Linn-Mar | 2022 State IA (15.0). North Scott doesn’t have a dominant scoring threat, but they have five players averaging between 7.4 and 9.4 points a game, so they have a bunch of players who can beat you on a given night. They’ll need to get some production out of senior guard Oliver Hughes Oliver Hughes 5'11" | PG North Scott | 2022 State IA (9.4, 43.8 3P%) and junior Cole Kilburg Cole Kilburg 5'11" | PG North Scott | 2023 State IA (8.6, 45.5 3P%), who will need to knock down some perimeter shots to prevent the Lions from just packing it in and making life really difficult. The X-factor here may be 6-7 freshman Davis Kern Davis Kern 6'8" | PF Linn-Mar | 2025 State #244 Nation IA (10.2, 5.7 rebounds), a long and athletic stretch-4 who can score inside and out for Linn-Mar. North Scott doesn’t have the size to slow him down.
City at Davenport West
This should be an entertaining game between a pair of teams that are a bit undersized and guard-heavy, but that like to get up and down and play with tempo. City is led by a trio of double-figure scorers in Jamari Newson Jamari Newson 6'2" | PG Iowa City | 2022 State IA (13.8, 3.9 assists), Shamar Benton Shamar Benton 6'1" | PG City | 2023 State IA (11.4), and TaeVeon Stevens TaeVeon Stevens 6'1" | PG Iowa City West | 2024 State IA (10.5). Newson is an athletic lead guard who can get to the rim and get others involved, Benton is a long and athletic wing who likes to play downhill, and Stevens has unlimited range and even more confidence in his stroke. West counters with a strong trio of guards of their own in seniors Jermaine Gardner Jermaine Gardner 5'11" | PG Davenport West | 2022 State IA (13.2) and NaZion Caruthers NaZion Caruthers 6'0" | CG Davenport West | 2022 State IA (11.0), and sophomore Jermilyn Gardner Jermilyn Gardner 5'8" | PG Davenport West | 2024 IA (8.8). Both teams can get a bit sloppy with the ball at times, and it may not be the cleanest game played tonight, but expect to see an entertaining, up-tempo game that should be decided late.
Senior at Bettendorf
This is an interesting matchup between a pair of young teams with bright futures. Senior is led by sophomore forward Jacob Williams Jacob Williams 6'4" | PF Senior | 2024 State IA (11.3), and five of their top six scorers will be back next year. The Rams have a young and athletic core to build around, and they’ll be looking to use their athleticism to speed up the game against the Bulldogs a bit. They’ll have their hands full with Bettendorf sophomore Caden Wilkins Caden Wilkins 6'7" | SF Bettendorf | 2024 State #196 Nation IA (16.1), the top-ranked 2024 in the state. Wilkins is an athletic 6-7 wing who can score from all three levels, and he’s improving as a playmaker. Like Senior, the Bulldogs are young, with four of their top six returning next season. Both of these programs will be looking to make a little bit of a run this year to gain some momentum heading into next season.
Upset Alert
Des Moines Lincoln: They just lost to the team that they’re playing by 11 points despite pulling down 17 offensive rebounds. Mason City’s efficiency was too much for Lincoln to handle. Will being back on their home floor make up the difference? We’ll see tonight.
Linn-Mar: Shamus Budde is a fantastic defensive coach, and he’ll have North Scott ready to go with a gameplan to slow down Jaxson Young Jaxson Young 6'0" | SG Linn-Mar | 2022 State IA . But can the Lancers score enough to pull off the upset?
Davenport West: West is playing better basketball down the stretch, but the Little Hawks do have some guards in Newson and Stevens that could be difficult for the Falcons to match up with. Newson is a bigger athletic guard, while Stevens has incredible range.
Bettendorf: The Bulldogs have the best player on the floor in Wilkins, but Senior is an interesting matchup for them, as the Rams have a slew of hyper-athletic wings and forwards that they can throw at Wilkins. If the ’Dogs don’t get enough production from the role players, Senior can go into the Quad Cities and come away with a win.
Picking all 16
Substate 1: Sioux city West over Sioux City North, Waukee over Council Bluffs Jefferson
Substate 2: Mason City over Des Moines Lincoln, Hoover over Fort Dodge
Substate 3: Waterloo West over Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Marshalltown over Waterloo East
Substate 4: Linn-Mar over North Scott, Liberty over Davenport Central
Substate 5: Davenport West over City, Burlington over Muscatine
Substate 6: Senior over Bettendorf, Hempstead over Clinton
Substate 7: Southeast Polk over Ottumwa, Urbandale over Des Moines East
Substate 8: Norwalk over Roosevelt, Dowling Catholic over Des Moines North