Iowa City, IA- Saturday night will feature 32 of the best teams (16 from Classes 1A and 2A) in the state of Iowa battling for a ticket to the 2025 Iowa Boys’ State Basketball Tournament scheduled to start on Monday, March 10th. KILJ has our eye on two teams trying to earn a trip to Des Moines tomorrow at 7 pm.
Class 1A Substate 4
Not many teams have been able to take down defending champions #8 North Linn with their two losses this year marking their most since 2015-16 and coincidentally that was the last time the Lynx missed out on the state tournament.
#10 Burlington Notre Dame is hoping to curtail the Lynx’s eight consecutive seasons of making it to the state tournament after finishing capturing three state championships in those eight trips. For the Nikes, they are searching for their fourth trip to state and their first since the 2008-09 season after besting Holy Trinity Catholic for the second time this season 55-46 at Central Lee High School for the District Championship.
Both teams tout an impressive duo with the Nikes bringing junior Shay Stephens, eyeing his first All-State honor, and senior Jack Drew as these two are both averaging double figures on offense, while the Lynx bring All-Stater Mason Bechen, averaging 30 points per game, and Cole Griffith, who distributes seven assists per game.
For Notre Dame to pull off the upset, they will have to control the boards as they have tabbed a 15-1 record this year when winning the offensive rebounds and a mediocre 2-2 record when losing the offensive rebounds.
Nike head coach Dan Kies is prepared for a good matchup,
“I know North Linn has a great program. You know, always have a, a great pace to the way they play. They like pressure. They get after it. Should be a fun game. I just hope we’re ready to go and, you know, this is a big game, and we played some pressure games here recently, so hopefully the moments not too big for us.”
You can catch the game on KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.
Notre Dame Player to Watch: Shay Stephens
North Linn Player to Watch: Mason Bechen
Class 2A Substate 5
#10 West Burlington made it to state for the first time in their program’s history a year ago and now the team standing in their way of making it back-to-back appearances is a talented #5 Grand View Christian team.
The Thunder might sound familiar as they used to reside in Class 1A and played in a couple championship matchups, knocking off North Linn in 2023. Since then, they moved up a class and missed out on state last year but have gotten back to form with a 22-1 record.
Their only loss has come against undefeated Clear Lake, one of the best teams in Class 3A.
The Falcons have watched their entire history book rewritten by Mason Watkins and Quincy Collins, but this year has been rockier than many would have predicted—they are 21-2 and a game away from state so take that with a grain of salt.
After going undefeated in the regular season last year, the Falcons suffered their first regular season loss in two years and their first conference loss in three years.
They are also allowing 53.6 points per game, four more than a season ago. West Burlington seems content with an offensive duel than a slugfest with a record of 3-2 when putting up less than 70 points in a contest. No obvious of an example than their District Championship win over Mid-Prairie, a 71-63 overtime win that saw Watkins struggle in the first half.
The teams match up well and should be a fun run-and-gun style of play at Oskaloosa High School.
West Burlington Player to Watch: Mason Watkins (30.3 points per game)
Grand View Christian: Emiliano Barrantes (21.4 points and 13.8 rebounds per game)
On March 8 and 9, 2025, the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra (SISO) presents a dynamic program that combines the fresh talents of young artists with the timeless joy of Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8. This highly anticipated performance will take place at the Capitol Theater in Burlington, Bridge View Center in Ottumwa, and Chapel Auditorium in Mt. Pleasant, offering a rich, emotional experience across three stunning venues.
Last night, Great River Health came together to celebrate the dedication, skill, and passion of their employees at the Excellence in Practice Awards. This special evening recognized outstanding individuals who go above and beyond in their roles, making a lasting impact on our patients, colleagues, and communities.