Prep Boys’ Basketball- The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released their final brackets for Classes 3A and 4A with one Southeast Conference (SEC) showdown to be had in first round play set to start on Monday, February 24th, at 7 pm.
Class 3A
Substate 6 is the place to look for our local teams with all of the possible SEC teams placed within the confines of the bracket, though our local teams will have to prepare to travel.
#3 Knoxville is the team to beat in the substate as the #1 seed and tasked with the job of trying to slay Goliath will be the #8-seed Mt. Pleasant in the battle of the Panthers.
Knoxville is a perfect 20-0 on the season as they shoot nearly 40% from three-point range and typically defeat their opponents by 30 points. Mt. Pleasant lives and dies by the three-point shot with their squad shooting 35% from deep and only 40% from the field.
KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.
Mt. Pleasant Player to Watch: Aiden Humble (11.2 points per game on 35.8% three-point shooting)
Knoxville Player to Watch: Landen Norris (19.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game)
In the #4-seed vs #5-seed contest, Fort Madison will get to play host to SEC foe Washington in their third matchup this season. The Demons have fallen to the Bloodhounds both times this season, including a 90-87 double-overtime marathon that saw Dayton Lamar and Logan McDole each put up at least 30 points.
The regular season sweep evened up the series since 2009 at 16 games apiece and ended a four-game winning streak for Washington. If the Demons want to win, then they will have to better protect the interior, while the Bloodhounds will look to cut off their three-point supply, which they hit 14 in their last matchup.
The winner will face off against either #3 Knoxville or Mt. Pleasant on Thursday, February 27th, at 7 pm.
Fort Madison Player to Watch: Nolan Guzman (14.8 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.4 steals per game)
Washington Player to Watch: Logan McDole (13.2 points and 3.5 assists per game)
The #7-seed Fairfield will venture north to compete against #2-seed Mt. Vernon. The Mustangs have already taken down one SEC team this season in Fort Madison and will look for another one tomorrow, February 18th, against Washington for their senior night.
Some rather one-sided losses keep Mt. Vernon from being considered apart of the upper echelon of Class 3A squads but this team does handle its business in a difficult part of the state, averaging 58.7 points per game.
Fairfield was free falling after winning four straight out of winter break, dropping eight consecutive matchups, including two by four points or less. Yet, a little magic against Mt. Pleasant ended their dramatic fall from a possible conference contender as they snuck away with a 51-50 comeback victory.
For the Trojans to truly have a chance, everyone will have to get involved beyond their top two leading scorers in Riley Perkins and Eli Zillman.
Fairfield Player to Watch: Riley Perkins (Game still runs through him with 15.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game)
Mt. Vernon Player to Watch: Kellen Haverback (17 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.5 steals per game)
Lastly, Keokuk will get a home game as the #3-seed, and they will get to host the #6-seed Oskaloosa. The Chiefs are going to try and bounce back from losing the SEC title in a 44-40 tilt against Fort Madison, but this team certainly has the respect of the region.
Oskaloosa currently sits 2-1 against the SEC this season with a matchup against Burlington tonight, but they have also dropped their last seven games, despite scoring 60 or more points in three of their matchups.
Expect Keokuk to take advantage of their size advantage and run the court. The winner will take on either Fairfield or Mt. Vernon on Thursday.
Keokuk Player to Watch: Jaxon Clark (23.7 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game)
Oskaloosa Player to Watch: Tommy North (13 points per game)
Class 4A
Burlington will play in Substate 5 as the #5-seed with their first-round matchup against the #4-seed North Scott. The Grayhounds are still searching for their first win against a Class 4A school this year, despite winning five games this season.
The Lancers are 10-9 on the year with a couple impressive wins on the season, including a win over last year’s runner-up Bettendorf 60-50. Still, their 58.8 points allowed per game is a clear weak spot of a team that has shown the ability to put up a lot of points.
The winner will face off against #6 Dubuque Senior on Thursday.
Burlington Player to Watch: Nehemiah Lewis (13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game)
North Scott Player to Watch: Josiah Harrington (19 points and 7.1 rebounds per game)