Iowa Playoffs: Class 1A, Substate 1 Preview
The favorite: Damon Struve (19.2 points) leads a talented team from South O’Brien, a state tournament qualifier last season. The Wolverines have a veteran group that is capable of winning on either end of the court, and they’ve got the…
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Continue ReadingThe favorite: Damon Struve (19.2 points) leads a talented team from South O’Brien, a state tournament qualifier last season. The Wolverines have a veteran group that is capable of winning on either end of the court, and they’ve got the added experience of having made the journey through the playoff grind last year. There are some dangerous teams lurking on the bottom half of the bracket, but consider South O’Brien to be a solid favorite in this district.
The biggest threat: Junior guard Christian Kyles has been one of the state’s biggest revelations this year for Siouxland Community Christian, averaging 26.6 points a game and leading the team in just about every category. He’s joined by another talented wing in Jeremiah Bor Khat, who has made 71 3-pointers already this year. They just recently beat the team they would (likely) meet in the district semi-final, Lawton-Bronson, by 19 a few weeks ago.
The dark horse: Keesten Hanks (13.7) is the lone double figure scorer for Lawton-Bronson, but they do a solid job on the defensive end, holding opponents to 49.7 points a game. All of their losses have come to good 2A, 3A or out-of-state teams, so this group is battle-tested and won’t be intimidated by any team they run across. They’ll need to revert back to their early season win over Siouxland Christian in a district semi-final, rather than the 19-point loss they suffered on February 5.
Players to watch
Damon Struve, South O’Brien, 2016
Kyle Paulsen, South O’Brien, 2016
Christian Kyles, Siouxland Christian, 2017
Jeremiah Bor Khat, Siouxland Christian, 2018
Keesten Hanks, Lawton-Bronson, 2016
Tyler Walker, Woodbury Central, 2018
Jacob Spieler, Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn, 2016
The favorite: Dalton Moser (18.7), Chandler Brunsting (13.4) and Kyle Bakker (12.3) pace the attack for one of the state’s premier 1A programs, Boyden-Hull. The Comets are a perennial power, always strong in one of the state’s best small school conferences, the Siouxland. They score 70 points a game, good for third in the class, and they do so against bigger schools. This is a group that is made to play in Des Moines.
The biggest threat: The biggest challenge to Boyden-Hull will come from fellow Siouxland member Central Lyon. The Lions have beaten Boyden-Hull once this season, a 60-58 win on January 26. Like the Comets, Central Lyon has three double-figure scorers in Riley Van Wyhe (17.7), Cade Knobloch (14.5) and C.J. Roth (13.2). The advantage that Boyden-Hull has is with their role players, but Central Lyon has proven they’re capable of beating them and that would be a great district final.
The dark horse(s): Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn has gone 8-1 against teams in the district this season, including a pair of wins over fellow dark horse candidate, St. Mary’s of Remsen. H-M-S has four players averaging in double figures, giving them a balanced attack that can cause problems for other teams. Remsen also has four players in double figures, led by Ethan Biezuns, who is shooting an astounding 77% from the floor. If they run into a team that can’t defend the interior, they could make some noise.
Players to watch
Dalton Moser, Boyden-Hull, 2016
Chandler Brunsting, Boyden-Hull, 2016
Kyle Bakker, Boyden-Hull, 2016
Riley Van Wyhe, Central Lyon, 2017
Cade Knobloch, Central Lyon, 2016
C.J. Roths, Central Lyon, 2016
Ethan Biezuns, St. Mary’s, Remsen, 2016
Owen Coburn, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, 2019
SUBSTATE PREDICTION
South O’Brien vs. Boyden-Hull
This would be a rematch of last year’s district final, a game that South O’Brien won 53-45. I think Boyden-Hull gets their revenge in this one and the tradition-rich program makes a return to the state tournament behind a big evening from star Dalton Moser.