Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The Matchups

No. 2 City High (22-1) vs. No. 9 Cedar Rapids Prairie (20-3)

The first of three quarterfinals between conference rivals pits two Mississippi Valley Conference rivals against each other in a rematch of a 32-point City High regular season win on February 7.

City High is making its fourth straight state tournament appearance after falling to eventual champion West Des Moines Dowling in the quarterfinals last season.

The top scoring team in Class 5A this season at 72.6 points per game City High is the lone team in the 5A field with four players averaging double figures.  

Senior Aubrey Joens ranks fourth in 5A in scoring at 20.2 points per game, senior point guard Rose Nkumu averages 14.4 while Kelsey Joens and Paige Rocca both average 11 points per game.

City High won back-to-back regional games by a total of 89 points after a 55-39 loss to top-ranked Waukee in its regular season finale and is 3-1 against teams in the 5A field.

Cedar Rapids Prairie is making its fourth state tournament appearance and first since 2006 after avenging a regular season loss to Davenport North with a 54-45 regional final win over the Wildcats.

The Hawks feature one of the top scoring combinations in 5A in senior guards Mallory McDermott and Sidney McCrea who combine to average 40 points per game.

A Western Illinois recruit, McDermott is the top scorer in the 5A field at 22.2 points per game while McCrea, a Northern Illinois signee adds 17.8 per game.

No. 4 Johnston (21-2) vs. No. 7 Southeast Polk (19-4)

A couple of recent state tournament regulars and 2019 semifinalists meet in the quarterfinals in a regular season rematch of CIML foes.

Johnston is making its sixth straight state tournament appearance and has reached the semifinals three of the past four seasons, finishing runner-up in 2016.

The Dragons bring an eight-game winning streak into state tournament play, a stretch that includes a 79-70 win over Southeast Polk on February 11.

Johnston got big performances from its senior trio in the regular season win over Southeast Polk. Kendall Nead had 32 points, Maya McDermott had 22 points and Maddie Mock had 21 rebounds in the nine-point win over the Rams.,

A four-year starter at point guard and Northern Iowa recruit, McDermott averages 18 points and 5.1 assists. Mock, a 6-foot, Western Illinois recruit averages 5 points and 8.3 rebounds and Nead averages a team-high 18.6 points per game.

Defending 5A runner-up Southeast Polk returned to the state tournament with a 60-48 win over No. 14 West High in the regional final.

The Rams opened the season 17-1 before losing three straight games to top-10 opponents to close the regular season. The three-game skid included the loss to Johnston and a 25-point setback at top-seeded Waukee.

Junior Grace Larkins leads the Rams in scoring at 21.8 points per game while 6-foot freshman Brooklin Dailey averages 11.4 points per game on 56 percent shooting.

No. 1 Waukee (21-2) vs. Sioux City East (16-7)

The lone 5A quarterfinal that isn’t a regular season rematch between conference opponents features a state tournament regular Waukee against newcomer Sioux City East.

Sioux City East is making its fifth state tournament appearance and first since 2001 after pulling the upset of the postseason in any class with a 67-63 win over third-ranked West Des Moines Dowling in the regional finals.

The Blake Raiders lost back-to-back games to close the regular season before winning two regional games by a total of nine points.

Sioux City East secured its first trip to state in nearly two decades by outscoring Dowling 37-22 in the second half to erase an 11-point halftime deficit in its regional final upset.

Senior Nyamer Diew leads Sioux City East with 16.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots per game while Kennedy McCoy averages 10.3 points per game.

Waukee owns the longest action state tournament streak in 5A with seven consecutive appearances but hasn’t won an opening round game since winning the state title in 2015.

The top-seeded Warriors enter riding an 11-game winning streak that includes victories over second-ranked City High and Southeast Polk and are 3-1 against teams in the 5A field.

Waukee is one of the top defensive teams in the state and leads 5A in points allowed surrendering just 36.5 points per game.

The Warriors are 18-0 this season when holding opponents under 45 points and are 3-2 when teams score more than 45.

Katie Dinnebier leads a trio of Waukee double digit scorers with 15.3 points per game while Peyton Kelderman averages 11.3 and Lindsey Kelderman averages 11.

No. 5 Cedar Falls (19-4) vs. No. 6 Waterloo West (19-4)

A couple of state tournament regulars in the 90s will meet at state for the second time ever and first since Waterloo West defeated Cedar Falls 56-49 in the 1999 semifinals.

The two Mississippi Valley Conference rivals split a pair of games this season with Waterloo West winning 60-43 in Waterloo in December and Cedar Falls picking up a 67-58 win in Cedar Falls in January.

Cedar Falls is no stranger to the state tournament, making its fifth appearance in the past six seasons after missing out last season.

The Tigers reached the semifinals in 2016 and were runner-up in 2017 before falling in the first round in 2018.

Both teams enter on winning streaks.

Cedar Falls has won 11 in a row since a January overtime loss to City High after earning a 51-41 win over No. 11 Ankeny Centennial in the regional final.

Northern Iowa recruits Anaya Barney and Emerson Green lead the way for the Tigers averaging 17.6 and 17 points respectively.

Waterloo West enters with a six-game winning streak after a thrilling 46-45 regional final win over No. 12 Urbandale.

Freshman Halli Poock is the only Waterloo West player averaging in double digits at 18.8 points per game but four other Wahawks score between 9 and 9.9 points per game.

The Players

CITY HIGH: Aubrey Joens, 5-10, Sr., Iowa State recruit ranks fourth in 5A in scoring at 20.2 points per game and is shooting 39 percent from 3-point range.

CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE: Mallory McDermott, 5-8, Sr., Western Illinois recruit ranks second in 5A in scoring at 22.2 points per game while shooting 50 percent from 3-point range.

JOHNSTON: Kendall Nead, 5-11, Sr., A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee recruit Nead is averaging a team-high 18.6 and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 61 percent from the field.

SOUTHEAST POLK: Grace Larkins, 5-10, Jr., The versatile Larkins averages 21.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and a team-high 3.9 assists per game while shooting 54 percent from the field.

WAUKEE: Katie Dinnebier, 5-8, Jr., Drake recruit is one of the top all-around players in the state averaging 15.3 points, 4.3 steals, 4.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game.

SIOUX CITY EAST: Nyamer Diew, 6-1, Sr., Butler recruit leads the Black Raiders in scoring (16.9), rebounding (7.7) and blocks (2.8) and had 27 points in a regional final upset of West Des Moines Dowling.

CEDAR FALLS: Anaya Barney, 5-11, Jr., Northern Iowa recruit leads the Tigers in scoring (17.6), rebounds (7.1), assists (3.7), steals (2.3) and blocked shots (2.4).

WATERLOO WEST: Halli Poock, 5-5, Fr., First-year point guard is the catalyst for the WaHawks on both ends of the court averaging 18.8 points, 3.8 points and 3.8 steals per game. 

The Favorite

City High may have dropped from the top spot in the rankings after a 16-point loss to Waukee in the regular season finale but that hasn’t changed the fact the Little Hawks are the team to beat in 5A.

City High won 20 consecutive games to start the season, has a dynamic back court that features a trio of senior Division I recruits and returns to Des Moines with loads of state tournament and big game experience.

The Little Hawks have more size and depth across the board than in recent years and are poised to make yet another run at a state title.

The Underdog

Sioux City East became the Cinderella of the 5A postseason when it rallied past third-ranked West Des Moines Dowling in the regional finals to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2001.

Now the Black Raiders will look to keep their underdog season alive with the first state tournament win in program history.

Sioux City East is 0-4 all time at the state tournament dropping opening round games in 1986, 1989, 2000 and 2001.

The reward for its regional upset is an opening-round date with top-ranked Waukee.

The Darkhorse

The Tigers have flown mostly under the radar as a state title contender but check all the boxes in terms of what your are looking for in a team capable of making a postseason run.

Cedar Falls has postseason experience, a pair of dynamic scorers in Barney and Green and enters with the longest winning streak among 5A qualifiers.

It’s a tough road for the Tigers with an opening round rematch with a rival followed by a possible semifinal berth with top-seeded Waukee but Cedar Falls is built for a possible run.  

The Focus

The recent domination of the state’s largest class by the CIML has been well document.

CIML teams have won seven of the last nine big school titles with five of the last seven 5A titles games all-CIML affairs.

The only non-CIML team to win a large class title in the past eight years, West High, is not in the 2020 field but the Mississippi Valley Conference and the eastern side of the state still enters with a strong chance to crown a champion.

Half of the 5A field comes from the MVC, though all four teams will play each other in the quarterfinals.

City High reached the title game in 2018, falling to West High in an all-MVC final and Cedar Falls was runner-up in 2017.

Five Fast Facts

*- City High commits fewer turnovers than any team in the state averaging just 7.2 turnovers per game.

*- Johnston is the only team in the 5A field shooting better than 50 percent from the field on the year, entering the state tournament shooting at a 5A-best 51.2 percent.

* – Waukee leads 5A in 3-point attempts (589) and is second in 3-point percentage shooting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc. Four different Warriors have made at least 37 3-pointers this season and all four are shooting 41 percent or better from beyond the arc.

* – Waterloo West is seeking a seventh straight opening-round win in its eighth all-time appearance at the state tournament. The Wahawks are 6-1 all-time in opening round games and have won six in a row since dropping their inaugural state tournament contest in 1992.

* – Cedar Rapids Prairie seniors Sidney McCrea and Mallory McDermott combine to account for 66 percent of the Hawks’ scoring this season, the most of any duo in the 5A field.

The Schedule

Monday’s Quarterfinals

City High (22-1) vs. Cedar Rapids Prairie (20-3), 10 a.m.

Johnston (21-2) vs. Southeast Polk (19-4), 11:45 a.m.

Waukee (21-2) vs. Sioux City East (16-7) 1:30 p.m.

Cedar Falls (19-4) vs. Waterloo West (19-4), 3:15 p.m.

Thursday’s Semifinals

City High/Cedar Rapids Prairie winner vs. Southeast Polk/Johnston winner, 10 a.m.

Waukee/Sioux City East winner vs. Cedar Falls/Waterloo West winner, 11:45 a.m.

Friday’s Championship

Semifinal winners, 6 p.m.

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