Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The state tournament tips off Monday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines beginning a five-day stretch of hoops that ends with state championships on Friday.

Before the season officially ends on Friday we take a look back at the best of the boys basketball season so far.

Best team performance: Regina vs. Camanche. Regina dominated in every facet of the game from tip to buzzer in a 73-34 win over a 16-win Camanche team. Ten players score for Regina, including four with more than nine points and the Regals had 20 assists on 26 field goals.

Biggest upset: City High over Cedar Falls. Fourth-ranked Cedar Falls is 18-5 and a state title contender but fell victim to red-hot City High shooting in a 63-57 loss to the Little Hawks on December 8 in one of the biggest upsets in 4A this season. City High went 8-of-15 from 3-point range and closed the game with an 8-1 run in the final 97 seconds.

Best Finish: Ben Krutzfeldt against Marion. The Solon senior point guard hit two 3-pointers in the final 11 seconds, including a buzzer-beating game-winner as the Spartans rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final 66 seconds for a 55-54 win.

Best start: Regina vs. Monticello. Regina hit 3-pointers on its first two possessions and held Monticello scoreless for nearly seven minutes to open its 2A district semifinal while building a 19-0 lead.

Best comeback: Clear Creek Amana vs. Benton Community. Riding a four-game losing streak the Clippers fell into a 20-5 hole less than five minutes in and trailed 26-11 after one quarter but battled back and eventually used a 12-0 fourth quarter run to rally for a 73-69 win.

Best debut: Liberty High at Bellevue. There is only one first game in program history and for the Lightning that game was a 64-53 win at Bellevue.

Best Game: Liberty High at City High. The first ever meeting between the cross-town rivals lived up to the hype as the host Little Hawks rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit and escaped with a win on an Antonio Turner twisting layup with five seconds left.  

Best individual performance: Clear Creek Amana senior Darius Moore against Williamsburg. Moore poured in a school-record 41 points on 16-of-23 shooting in a 73-70 win over WAMAC West rival Williamsburg. The senior guard added nine rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Best individual performance part II: West High senior Seybian Sims was nearly perfect in a win over Illinois power Bolingbrook. Sims had 28 points on 12-of-13 shooting and added 11 rebounds, three assists and five blocked shots.

Best clutch performance: Beau Cornwell vs. Bellevue. Battling the flu and with his season on the line Cornwell scored 13 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter to help West Branch pull away for 77-58 win in district semifinals.

Most versatile: Solon sophomore AJ Coons. The 6-foot-4 Coons did everything from defend the post to shoot the 3 this season. He led Spartans in scoring at 17.5 points per game and averaged 4.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and shot 45 percent from 3-point range.

Breakthrough performer: West high senior Seybian Sims. Sims went from a reserve averaging six points last season to a unanimous first-team all-conference pick putting up 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

Freshman of the year: TJ Bollers, Clear Creek Amana. There aren’t a lot of freshman ready to step in and contribute immediately at the varsity level. Then again there aren’t a lot of freshman like Bollers. The 6-foot-4 Bollers averaged 7.5 points, led the Clippers with 8.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game and closed the season with a 17-point, 19-rebound double-double.

Coach of the year: Jared Galpin, Regina. Galpin wasn’t exactly new at Regina, he was an assistant for the Regals before taking over as head coach this season, but he led a smooth transition in his first season directing the Regals to a 19-4 mark and RVC South Division title.

Most improved player: City High senior Jeremy Kambomba. The 6-foot-8 Kambomba had 24 points and 26 rebounds total during his junior season. This season he averaged 5.8 points, led the Little Hawks with 6.5 rebounds per game and blocked a team-high 27 shots.

Unsung hero: Regina sophomore Masen Miller. The numbers for Miller were solid, 11.9 points and three assists per game but his impact was much great than those stats. The sophomore point guard emerged as the floor leader for a Regina team that won 10 of its final 11.

Defensive player of the year: Solon senior Luke Ira. If deflections were a registered stat Ira would be among the state leaders. An all-state shortstop, Ira used those instincts to collect 2.2 steals per game while consistently being matched against the opponents’ top perimeter threat. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 4.8 rebounds and led Solon with 21 blocked shots.  

Newcomer of the year: Clear Creek Amana senior Darius Moore. In his only season at CCA Moore was electric averaging 19.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, three assists and two steals per game.

Newcomer of the year part II: Liberty High sophomore Andre Brandon. The 6-foot-5 Brandon burst onto the scene in his first year of varsity action averaging 14.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists while leading the Lightning in steals and blocked shots.

Most valuable player: West High junior Patrick McCaffery. Known for his highlight reel dunks the past few seasons McCaffery flashed his impressive all-around potential while turning in his best season yet. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 20.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and led West High in steals.