Substate Preview: 1A-3
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District 5 [player_tooltip player_id="682273" first="Austin" last="Hilmer"] The favorite: It should come as no surprise to anyone that Mike Hilmer has North Linn rolling yet again this year, compiling a 19-1 record and winning games by an average of 48…
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District 5
The favorite: It should come as no surprise to anyone that Mike Hilmer has North Linn rolling yet again this year, compiling a 19-1 record and winning games by an average of 48 points a game. The Lynx are one of two teams that rank in the top 10 in both scoring offense (2nd, 83.4) and scoring defense (6th, 35.8) in the class, and they’ve shaken off a pre-holiday break loss to Edgewood-Colesburg by winning 11 straight by an average of 43.7 points a game, including a revenge win over Ed-Co (61-47) a week ago. Senior guard Austin Hilmer Austin Hilmer 5'10" | PG North Linn | 2022 State IA (20.6, 8.5 assists) paces a highly efficient attack that features four players scoring in double-figures, with Tate Haughenbury Tate Haughenbury 6'5" | PF North Linn | 2023 State IA (16.3), Dylan Kurt Dylan Kurt 6'3" | SF North Linn | 2022 State IA (13.6), and Cade Haughenbury Cade Haughenbury 6'2" | SF North Linn | 2022 State IA (11.2) joining him, while Ben Wheatley Ben Wheatley 6'1" | SG North Linn | 2023 State IA (8.5), Mason Bechen (4.9), and Ty Pflughaupt (3.5) are all capable scoring options as well. They go deep into their bench comfortably, play an up-tempo, pressing style that is really difficult for teams to prepare for because of their incredible speed, and they force tons of turnovers while rarely turning it over themselves. The Lynx are a significant favorite in this district and substate, and one of the top contender for the state title.
The biggest threat: Right as Janesville got talented point guard Leo Dodd Leo Dodd 5'11" | PG Janesville | 2022 State IA (4.0, 4.3 assists) back from injury, they lost star big man Wiley Sherburne Wiley Sherburne 6'4" | PF Janesville | 2022 State IA (19.9, 7.5 rebounds) to an injury. His status for the postseason is unknown to us, but even without him on the floor, the Wildcats are probably the second-best team in this district. Jared Hoodjer Jared Hoodjer 6'2" | PF Janesville | 2022 State IA (14.1) has stepped up in a big way in Sherburne’s absence, giving the ’Cats some scoring on the perimeter, while Rogan Gergen (9.1) and Keegan Eastman (8.8) have also played really well in his absence. Dodd is a talented lead guard who thrives on getting others involved, and if Sherburne is able to make it back for postseason play, they’ll be a threat.
The dark horse: Maquoketa Valley is probably the third most talented team in the district, but if they win their opener, they’ll get North Linn, who has beaten them by a combined 101 points in their two meetings this year. So we’ll turn our attention to the bottom of the bracket and the Redhawks of North Tama. They have a senior trio of double-figure scorers, led by Gabe Kopriva Gabe Kopriva 5'9" | PG North Tama | 2022 State IA (22.0), a volume scorer who can put up points in a hurry. Devin McKinley (13.9) and Thomas Hulme (13.3, 10.7 rebounds) are the other big scoring threats, while Adam Greiner Adam Greiner 6'2" | SF Ottumwa | 2022 State IA (6.9, 3.1 assists) has been a solid distributor. They have struggled with turnovers (18.9 a game), which could be an issue in postseason play, but they are also a potent offensive team that can get up and down in a hurry.
Players to watch
2022
Austin Hilmer
Austin
Hilmer
5'10" | PG
North Linn | 2022
State
IA
, North Linn
2023
Tate Haughenbury
Tate
Haughenbury
6'5" | PF
North Linn | 2023
State
IA
, North Linn
2022
Dylan Kurt
Dylan
Kurt
6'3" | SF
North Linn | 2022
State
IA
, North Linn
2022
Leo Dodd
Leo
Dodd
5'11" | PG
Janesville | 2022
State
IA
, Janesville
2022
Wiley Sherburne
Wiley
Sherburne
6'4" | PF
Janesville | 2022
State
IA
, Janesville
2022
Gabe Kopriva
Gabe
Kopriva
5'9" | PG
North Tama | 2022
State
IA
, North Tama
2022 Thomas Hulme, North Tama
2024
Drew Wagner
Drew
Wagner
6'3" | PF
Waterloo Christian | 2024
State
IA
, Waterloo Christian
2023 Avery Holtz, Maquoketa Valley
2022 Daniel Stahl, AGWSR
2024 Eli Schmidt, Clarksville
District 6
The favorite: An all-senior team from Edgewood-Colesburg has been really good this year, notably handing North Linn their first regular season loss in seven years earlier this season. The Vikings have a trio of double-figure scorers in Mason Ashline (13.9), Jack Wiskus (10.8), and Korey Putz (10.3), but have seven players who could lead the team in scoring on any given night. A big, physical team that does a solid job protecting the ball and crashing the offensive glass, their physicality on both ends of the floor is difficult for teams to match up with. They’re an ego-less team that has grown up together and doesn’t care who scores, as long as someone is putting the ball in the bucket.
The biggest threat: Wapsie Valley recently knocked off Aplington-Parkersburg, the #1 team in 2A at the time, and the Warriors have the talent to make a run in this district. Senior wing Gunner Meyer Gunner Meyer 6'5" | SF Wapsie Valley | 2022 State IA (15.4, 38.1 3P%) is an athletic, long, and dynamic three-level scorer who has really improved as a playmaker and is a versatile defender. Parker Landsgard (10.5) and Andrew Westpfahl Andrew Westpfahl 5'8" | SG Wapsie Valley | 2023 State IA (10.4) provide some perimeter scoring, while Mason Harter Mason Harter 6'6" | PF Wapsie Valley | 2023 State IA (9.2, 9.7 rebounds) is a physical presence in the paint on both ends of the floor. Meyer was a key contributor for the 2020 state championship team and will be looking to lead the Warriors back to Des Moines.
The dark horse: Clayton Ridge is heading into postseason play on a roll, winning eight straight games going into their regular-season finale against South Winneshiek on Tuesday night. A veteran team that is led by a trio of senior scorers, the Eagles do a great job applying pressure and forcing turnovers (15.1 steals a game) and letting the tandem of William Spielbauer (16.7) and Caleb Helle (13.5) take care of a majority of the scoring. Helle is a solid lead guard who distributes the ball at a high level, and Spielbauer is a really good shooter (43.9 3P%) who can get hot in a hurry.
Players to watch
2022 Mason Ashline, Edgewood-Colesburg
2022 Jack Wiskus, Edgewood-Colesburg
2022
Gunner Meyer
Gunner
Meyer
6'5" | SF
Wapsie Valley | 2022
State
IA
, Wapsie Valley
2023
Mason Harter
Mason
Harter
6'6" | PF
Wapsie Valley | 2023
State
IA
, Wapsie Valley
2022 William Spielbauer, Clayton Ridge
2022 Caleb Helle, Clayton Ridge
2022
Trey Kriener
Trey
Kriener
6'7" | C
South Winneshiek | 2022
State
IA
, South Winneshiek
2022 Garrett Kurtenbach, Turkey Valley
2022
Dalton Dibert
Dalton
Dibert
6'0" | PG
Kee | 2022
State
IA
, Kee
2022
Logan Wescott
Logan
Wescott
6'1" | PG
West Central Maynard | 2022
IA
, West Central
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
North Linn vs. Edgewood-Colesburg
North Linn vs. Ed-Co, Round 3. Each team has taken a meeting this year, and while Ed-Co knows that they can play with the Lynx, the edge has to go to North Linn in this substate final. They’ve been absolutely rolling since that upset loss in December, which may have served as a wake-up call. Austin Hilmer Austin Hilmer 5'10" | PG North Linn | 2022 State IA leads North Linn to their sixth straight state tournament appearance.