Centennial Classic: Game Recaps
The 2nd Annual Centennial Classic lineup read like a Class 4A state tourney lineup, in fact, five of the seven Iowa squads involved have played at state within the last six years; and Omaha brought one of it’s better squads to compete for good measure. This was bound to be some fun, here’s what happened.
10:30 — Iowa City High 50 vs Ankeny Centennial 42
Antonio Turner was really good and Iowa City High — despite not having top-15 2020 Keshawn Christian around — got the W over good-sized and highly thought-of Ankeny Centennial unit. Turner was slicing, dicing, sniping and most prominently dime’ing throughout this one, and he was the best player on the floor; the MVP. He finished with a game-high 19 points in the win. It was the only win of the day for the Little Hawks (1-2), but it was a good one.
11:30 — Hoover 64 vs Iowa City West 45
Despite losing some size and All-CIML performer Devonte Thedford, Hoover will not be down next season. They pummeled Iowa City West in this one. It’s important to note, that top-ranked 2019 Patrick McCaffery was not here, he’s still in Colorado Springs vying for a spot on the U18 USA team. Also, starting point guard Dante Eldridge was not present. Regardless, Hoover, specifically Hosea Treawell, was great, and they have a set of four guards that might be the best four guard unit in Iowa; that’s Treadwell, Adam Jackson, Kenny Quinn and Manny Austin. New Trojan Even Brauns was having a ton of success on the boards against the much smaller Hoover squad, he finished with a team-high 14 points, and probably that many rebounds, too.
12:30 — Centennial 54 vs Cedar Rapids Kennedy 42
This was one of the more entertaining games of the day. These are two good teams, who both felt like they coulda and shoulda been playing in the winner’s bracket. Centennial was led by rising junior guard Preston Kelling, he has expanded his skill-set considerably over the past year, and was the most effective player for Centennial in this one. Kelling had a co-game-high 14 points. Lathan Brandt has also improved greatly, and chipped in with 11 for the Jags. Jack Wetzel, a top-15 player in Iowa’s 2020 class, scored 14 for Kennedy. Tyler Andrews, another top-2020, who transferred to the Cougars from Linn-Mar, chipped in with six points.
1:30 — Hoover 65 vs Linn-Mar 44
The thing about Hoover, is that they have so many guys that can burn you. If it’s not Hosea Treadwell, then Adam Jackson will get his. If Jackson’s not getting his, then Kenny Quinn or Manny Austin will take control. This Linn-Mar squad is good. Rising junior John Steffen was magnificent as the starting point guard. And we know what Trey Hutcheson is capable of. But when Hoover is coming at you with four really, really good guards, they’re hard to beat. The Huskies were led by Jackson, who scored 22 points, Austin, a rising sophomore had 20. Steffen led the way for Linn-Mar with 19 points.
3:30 — Centennial 55 vs Iowa City West 53
This consolation semifinal was a bit unexpected. Had West been with Patrick McCaffery and Dante Eldridge, they’d have likely been competing for a title. And Centennial was slightly upset by their opening round loss to Iowa City High (although with Turner playing the way he did, few teams would have beaten the Little Hawks). Alas, the two met in the consolation final, with the winner taking home fifth-place, and for most of it, Centennial was in control. It should be notes, that along with McCaffery and Eldridge, Iowa’s second-ranked 2020 Even Brauns was not playing in this one for West. The Jags held a large advantage until the end, and then another new Trojan, Nick Pepin from Waterloo West, made a big push late, and the Trojans kinda had a chance to win it when with a few seconds left, they stole an inbound at mid-court. But the Jags held on, and thanks to big second halves from Micah Johnson and Preston Kelling, they finished the weekend 2-1.
4:30 — Hoover 69 vs Omaha Central 53
Hosea Treadwell was again the best player on the floor, and Hoover completed the 3-0 day with yet another double-digit win. They beat Iowa City West, Linn-Mar and Omaha Central handily en route to the Centennial Classic title. The Huskies made a statement today: that even with very little size and the graduation of All-CIML player Devonte Thedford, they are going to stay atop the 4A rankings, and will be a very tough out for whoever they play next season. Treadwell was magnificent and led the way with 30 points, his little bother Manny Austin, a rising sophomore, scored 12. Another rising sophomore, Jaden Loveless, scored eight, defensive-stopper Kenny Quinn chipped in with seven. Omaha Central’s John Tonje was really good in defeat, the OSA adidas 17U product scored a team-high 17.
FINAL BRACKET: 1. Hoover 2. Omaha Central 3. Linn-Mar 4. Iowa City High 5. Centennial 6. Iowa City West 7. Kennedy 8. Johnston