Last week, the Johnston girls’ basketball team cruised to the Class 5A championship in Des Moines, capping off a second perfect season in the last three years and winning its third state title in five seasons.
Now, it’s the boys’ turn to take over Wells Fargo Arena.
This week, another top-ranked team will try to complete an undefeated campaign in the large-school division. Cedar Rapids Kennedy is the favorite to capture the Class 4A crown, but a host of other contenders–including defending champion Valley–will be looking to knock off the Cougars.
I do expect Kennedy to reach the title game, but I don’t think the Cougars will be cutting down the nets on Friday night. (See below for my entire bracket.)
For now, though, let’s break down Wednesday’s slate of games. Here are Ankeny Fanatic’s predictions for the quarterfinals:
No. 1 Cedar Rapids Kennedy (23-0) vs. No. 8 Dallas Center-Grimes (20-3): For the second year in a row, Kennedy enters the state tournament with an unbeaten record. Last year, the Cougars dropped a 57-45 decision to Pleasant Valley in the quarterfinals–their only loss in the last 46 games. Kennedy relies on a balanced attack with four players averaging in double figures and a fifth who averages just under 10 points a game. The Cougars survived a close call against North Scott in the substate final (57-55), marking only the second time this season they won by fewer than 10 points. Dallas Center-Grimes got 29 points from Calix Cahill in an upset over Waukee to reach the state tournament. The Mustangs played a schedule consisting mostly of Class 3A opponents, but they also own wins over Ames, Ankeny and Norwalk. Dallas Center-Grimes won’t be intimidated, but pulling off another upset will be a tall order. Prediction: Cedar Rapids Kennedy 70, Dallas Center-Grimes 60.
No. 4 Dubuque Senior (21-2) vs. No. 5 Ankeny (17-6): This game will be a battle of contrasting styles. Senior will try to pound the ball inside to 6-foot-6 post players Jacob Williams and Tevin Schultz, who combine for about half of the team’s points. Ankeny, meanwhile, boasts the leading scorer in Class 4A in Carson Johnson (23.4), and the Hawks surround the senior point guard with some capable 3-point snipers in Rio and Lio Aguirre and Luke Anderson. The Rams will likely try to slow the game down, while Ankeny would prefer a faster pace. In Senior’s only two losses to Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Cedar Falls, the Rams held their opponent under 60 points. But they couldn’t reach the 40-point mark themselves. The Hawks have won seven consecutive games since losing to Valley on Jan. 30 and are playing their best basketball of the season. Look for the Ankeny winning streak to continue for at least one more day. Prediction: Ankeny 56, Dubuque Senior 50.
No. 2 W.D.M. Valley (18-5) vs. No. 7 Johnston (14-9): The Tigers already own two victories over their CIML Conference rival. Valley rolled to an 81-49 win on Dec. 14, then later won the rematch at Johnston, 58-52, on Jan. 23. Curtis Stinson poured in 30 points for the Tigers in the first game, but he sat out the next meeting due to an injury. Stinson has regained his form since returning to the lineup, nearly racking up a triple-double with 21 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in the substate final against Norwalk. Teammate Zay Robinson had just two points in the game and reportedly suffered a minor injury. Robinson, who played a starring role in the Tigers’ run to the title a year ago, will need to be ready for the grind of playing three games in three days–because Valley doesn’t have a lot of depth. But the guess here is that he’ll be fine. This will be a rematch from the Class 5A quarterfinals at the girls’ tournament last week, when the Dragons routed Valley. Look for the Tigers to get some revenge. Prediction: W.D.M. Valley 72, Johnston 55.
No. 3 Cedar Falls (20-3) vs. No. 6 Bettendorf (17-6): The Tigers have won nine straight games by an average of 31 points since dropping a 45-43 decision at Iowa City West on Jan. 27. William Gerdes, a 6-8 sophomore, leads the team’s balanced attack with an average of 12.0 points a game. He usually comes off the bench, because Cedar Falls boasts a tremendous amount of depth with seven other players averaging between 4.8 and 11.0 points. Bettendorf is also on a roll, having won 10 in a row since falling to Pleasant Valley, 49-43, on Jan. 23. The Bulldogs rallied to beat Iowa City West, 55-52, in overtime in the substate final, but that was only their fourth game against an opponent who was ranked in the final Class 4A rankings. Bettendorf split two meetings with Pleasant Valley and was drubbed by Ankeny, 78-53, on Jan. 6 at Cedar Rapids. Prediction: Cedar Falls 67, Bettendorf 59.
