Breaking Down the Boys Basketball Substate Finals
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
Half of the state tournament field has been set. Actually a little more than half.
The brackets for the Class 1A and 2A state tournaments were released on Monday after substate finals in the two classes on Saturday produced the first 16 qualifiers for the 2020 state tournament that opens March 9 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
On Monday evening six of the eight spots in the Class 3A field were secured.
The final 10 spots will be locked down over the next 48 hours with Class 4A substate finals on Tuesday evening and the final two 3A finals on Wednesday.
Here is a quick look at the two substate finals that feature Your Prep Sports area teams.
Class 4A, Substate 5
No. 5 West High (20-2) vs. Pleasant Valley (13-10)
When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Liberty High
Top Players: West High – Even Brauns, 6-9, Sr., 15.1 points, 7.4 rebounds; Nick Pepin, 5-11, Sr., 9.8 points, 3.2 assists. Pleasant Valley – Jacob Townsend, 6-4, Jr., 12 points, 5 rebounds; Ryan Dolpin, 5-8, Soph., 7.6 points, 2.7 assists.
About the Trojans: Perennial power West High hasn’t skipped a beat this season after graduating its top scorer and rebounder from last season in all-state forward Patrick McCaffery.
The Trojans are seeking a tenth consecutive state tournament trip after having a string of eight consecutive state semifinal appearances last season.
West High has won five straight following a last-second loss to fourth-ranked Cedar Falls last month and defeated Ottumwa 58-28 in its postseason opener on Friday.
Brauns is the lone West High player averaging in double figures though four others average between 7.3 and 9.8 points per game.
Senior Nick Pepin is averaging 9.8 points per game while junior Marcus Morgan adds 9.3 and senior Tate Crane scores 8.5 points per game.
About the Spartans: Pleasant Valley avenged a pair of regular season losses to Davenport Central with a 59-47 win over the second-seeded Blue Devils in the Substate 5 semifinal last week.
Davenport Central defeated Pleasant Valley by 20 points in January and four points last month before the Spartans turned the tide in the postseason.
The semifinal win over Davenport Central was the fourth straight for Pleasant Valley. The four-game winning streak is the first time this season the Spartans have won more than two games in a row.
Townsend is the top scorer and rebounder for the Spartans with 12 points and five boards a game while Carter Cline averages 8.1 points and Dolphin adds 7.6. Both Dolphin and Townsend are shooting 39 percent from 3-point range this season and have combined for 73 triples.
Pleasant Valley is seeking its first trip to the state tournament since reaching the semifinals in back-to-back seasons in 2015 and 2016.
What to Watch: If offense is your thing you may want to find another game to check out on Tuesday night.
West High and Pleasant Valley both annually rank among the top defensive teams in the state and are currently each in the top six in points allowed in Class 4A this season.
Pleasant Valley is holding teams to 42.7 points per game this season and has been even better of late holding teams to 37 points per game during its current four-game winning streak.
West High is allowing just 41.1 points per game and has held nine consecutive opponents under 50 points.
With points and even possessions likely at a premium on Tuesday rebounding could be a key.
Pleasant Valley doesn’t possess a lot of size up front but outrebounded Davenport Central 35-18 in its semifinal win.
Class 3A, Substate 5
No. 3 Davenport Assumption (19-4) vs. Clear Creek Amana (18-5)
When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Muscatine High School
Top Players: Clear Creek Amana – Christian Withrow, 6-2, Jr., 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds; Tyler Schrepfer, 5-11, Sr., 11.3 points, 3.1 assists. Davenport Assumption – Sean Peeters, 6-4, Sr., 23.6 points, 8.4 rebounds; Dylan Hodge, 5-11, Jr., 10.6 points, 46 3-pointers.
About the Knights: Davenport Assumption is attempting to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2003 after coming up just shy a year ago.
The Knights lost to West Delaware 66-59 in a substate final last season and returned to that same spots with substate wins over Fairfield (69-45) and Mount Pleasant (65-54) this season.
Assumption trailed Mount Pleasant by a point entering the fourth quarter in the Substate 5 semifinal last week before outscoring the Panthers 25-14 in the final eight minutes.
All four losses for Assumption have come to Class 4A competition including a pair of setbacks to second-ranked North Scott.
Assumption is led by 6-foot-4 senior Sean Peeters who ranks fifth in Class 3A in scoring at 23.6 points per game.
Peeters is shooting 60 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range this season and also leads the Knights in rebounds and steals.
Junior guard Dayne Hodge adds 10.6 points per game and is a 35 percent 3-point shooter but no other Assumption player averages more than 6.6 points per game.
About the Clippers: Clear Creek Amana will attempt to add another chapter to what has already been one of the most successful season in recent history with its first trip to the state tournament in nearly 30 years.
The Clippers haven’t made it to state since the second of back-to-back trips in 1993.
Since opening the season with back-to-back losses Clear Creek Amana has won 18 of 21 games including 10 of its last 11.
After scoring 53 points in a loss to Solon the Clippers have averaged 75 points in its last three games scoring 76 in substate wins over Fort Madison and Keokuk.
Three players average double figures for Clear Creek Amana led by junior Christian Withrow at 15.4 while seniors Nick O’Connor and Tyler Schrepfer are scoring 11.5 and 11.3 points per game respectively.
What to Watch: How well can Clear Creek Amana contain Peeters? It’s pretty simple, to slow Assumption you must find a way to at least contain Peeters.
That is easier said than done.
Peeters had 26 points in a 63-46 win over Clear Creek Amana in the substate opener for both teams last season.
In two postseason wins this season Peeters is averaging 30 points and shooting 86 percent from the floor.
Peeters had 35 points on 14-of-18 shooting in an opening-round win over Fairfield and then had 25 points while making all 11 field goals against Mount Pleasant.
Clear Creek Amana doesn’t have to completely stop Peeters but the Clippers need to likely at least slow the all-stater down to advance.
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