Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The Matchups

No. 1 Ankeny Centennial (23-1) vs. Davenport North (16-8)

State tournament Ankeny Centennial will look to make a splash in its first ever trip to state as the Jaguars enter as the top seed.

Ankeny Centennial has won 17 straight since its lone loss of the season to state qualifier West Des Moines Dowling back on January 3, a stretch that includes four wins of 4A qualifiers.

The Jaguars have been impressive all season, winning games by an 4A-best 20.2 points per game.

Among the most balanced scoring teams in the 4A field the Jaguars have three players averaging in double figures and five players scoring at least 7.5 points per game.

Senior Cody McCullough leads the way with 13.9 points per game while junior guard Jaron Crews is averaging 13.7 points and 4.8 points per game and 6-foot-7 senior Micah Johnson 12.3 points per game.

Davenport North was the biggest surprise of the 4A postseason knocking off seventh-ranked Dubuque Senior 50-48 with a buzzer beater in the substate finals to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2003.

The Wildcats opened the season 1-3 and lost four of five to close the regular season before rattling off substate wins over Muscatine, Cedar Rapids Prairie and defending 4A runner-up Dubuque Senior.

Davenport North will be seeking its first state tournament win since 1996 on Wednesday.

The Wildcats featuring a dynamic backcourt in juniors Jayden Houston and Quincy Wiseman.

Houston averages 17.3 points per game on 56 percent shooting while Wiseman is averaging 14.3 points per game and shooting 40 percent from 3-point range.

No. 6 Waukee (21-2) vs. No. 2 North Scott (22-1)

This one has all the makings of an instant classic as a pair of recent state tournament regulars with different styles of play square off in one of the most highly anticipated quarterfinals of the week.

Waukee is making its third straight state tournament appearance after reaching the semifinals each of the past two seasons.

The Warriors fell to West High in the 2018 semifinals and dropped a 57-55 overtime decision to Dubuque Senior in the semis last season.

Waukee is the top offensive team in the 4A field averaging 71.7 points per game while shooting a 4A-best 53.2 percent from the floor.

Much of that damage has been done by the junior duo of Payton Sandfort and Tucker DeVries.

The 6-foot-6 DeVries leads the Warriors with 21.8 points and 4.9 assists per game while the 6-foot-7 Sandfort is averaging 19.6 points and a team-high 9 rebounds per game.

North Scott is also seeking a return to the semifinals in its third straight trip to state after falling to eventual champion Cedar Falls 35-27 in the semifinals last year.

Waukee defeated North Scot 66-57 in the consolation game at the state tournament last year.

North Scott is once again among the top defensive teams in the state.

The Lancers are allowing a 4A low 39.3 points per game this season and enter riding a 21-game winning streak after an eight-point loss to Cedar Rapids Prairie in their second game of the season.

North Scott is led by Northern Iowa recruit Ty Anderson who is averaging 18.5 points and 9.4 rebounds and hit the game-winning 3-pointer in a 41-40 win over second-ranked Waterloo West in the substate final.

Senior guard Sam Kilburg averages 15.1 points and 3.6 assists for the Lancers.

No. 4 Cedar Falls (21-2) vs. West Des Moines Dowling (16-7)

Two-time defending state champion Cedar Falls returns to Wells Fargo Arena for the fourth time in five seasons seeking a third straight title.

Cedar Falls has won its state tournament opener in each of its last four appearances with its last state quarterfinal loss coming in 2009.

Both losses for Cedar Falls this season came to second-ranked Waterloo West, a 24-point home loss to the WaHawks in the season opener and a 15-point setback in Waterloo on January 31.

Cedar Falls has won 10 straight since the second loss to Waterloo West and secured its spot at state with a 53-44 win over Dubuque Hempstead in the substate final.

Three Tigers average in double figures led by 6-foot-5 junior Landon Wolf at 11.7 points per game while senior Josh Ollendieck adds 11.4 per game.

6-foot-9 junior Chase Courbat averages 10 points and leads the Tigers with 6.7 rebounds and 2 blocked shots per game.

West Des Moines Dowling returns to the state tournament for the second consecutive season after falling to Waukee in the quarterfinals last season.

The Maroons have lost seven consecutive state tournament openers and haven’t won a game at the state tournament since 1992.

Dowling lost five straight games in January, three to state qualifiers, but has won eight of its last nine including a 58-35 substate final win over eighth-ranked Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln.

Junior Ryan Riggs leads the Maroons in scoring with 12.2 points per game while senior Matt Stilwill averages 12.1 per contest.

No. 5 West High (21-2) vs. Ankeny (18-5)

West High is making a state-record 10th consecutive state tournament appearance and seeking a return to the 4A semifinals after having a string of nine straight quarterfinal wins snapped last season with a 39-36 opening-round loss to Dubuque Senior.

The Trojans are led offensively by 6-foot-9 senior center Even Brauns who is averaging 15.1 points per game on nearly 69 percent shooting from the field.

However, the calling card for the Trojans this season has been defense.West High is holding opponents to 40.9 points per game, second best in 4A, and hasn’t allowed more than 50 points in any of its previous 10 games.

Senior guard Nick Pepin is averaging 10 points per game and junior Marcus Morgan adds 9.8 per game and is shooting 44 percent from 3-point range.  

Ankeny returned to the state tournament for the first time since 2012 with a 73-67 win over Sioux City East in the substate finals.

Three of the five losses for Ankeny have come to 4A qualifiers including a pair of losses to cross-town rival and top-seeded Ankeny Centennial.

The Hawks can score. Led by the dynamic senior backcourt tandem of Braxton Bayless and Jaxon Smith Ankeny ranked seventh in 4A this season with 66.3 points per game.

Bayless is the top scorer in the 4A field at 22.9 points per game and is shooting 55 percent from the field and has attempted 160 free throws, third most in 4A.

Smith averages 14.9 points per game and has a team-high 39 3-pointers while senior Jordan Kumm adds 8.9 points per game.

The Players

ANKENY CENTENNIAL: Cody McCullough, 6-8, Sr., The top rebounder in Class 4A with 11.3 per game, McCullough also leads the Jaguars in scoring (13.9) and blocked shots (2.5).

DAVENPORT NORTH: Jayden Houston, 6-0, Jr. The top-scorer for the Wildcats at 17.3 points per game, Houston leads the team with 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.

WAUKEE: Tucker DeVries, 6-6, Jr. Among the most efficient scorers in the state DeVries is shooting 57 percent from the field including 50 percent from 3-point range and 77 percent from the free throw line while averaging a team-best 21.8 points per game.

NORTH SCOTT: Ty Anderson, 6-7, Sr., Northern Iowa recruit leads the Lancers in scoring (18.5), rebounding (9.4) and ranks second on the team with 2.8 assists per game.

CEDAR FALLS: Landon Wolf, 6-5, Jr., The Tigers’ top scorer at 11.7 points per game also averages 5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

WEST DES MOINES DOWLING: Ryan Riggs, 6-8, Jr. Leads the Maroons with 12.2 points per game on 58 percent shooting while adding team-highs of 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

WEST HIGH: Even Brauns, 6-9, Sr., Belmont recruit leads West High with 15.1 points and 7.3 rebounds and ranks third in 4A with 2.4 blocks per game.

ANKENY: Braxton Bayless, 6-1, Sr., The top scorer in the 4A field at 22.9 points per game Bayless leads the Hawks with 6.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

The Favorite

Ankeny Centennial is top-ranked and the number one seed, Waukee is loaded with talent and West High is a perennial power with a tradition of coming up big at the state tournament.

Despite all of those factors it is fourth-ranked Cedar Falls that enters as the favorite.

The Tigers have won six straight state tournament games and back-to-back 4A titles which is no easy task.

This year’s Cedar Falls team lacks some of the previous star power but has an experienced senior shot maker in Josh Ollendieck, some size and versatility in juniors Chase Courbat and Landon Wolf and a potential future star in sophomore point guard Trey Campbell.

Until someone knocks off Cedar Falls on the big stage the Tigers will remain the favorite.

The Underdog

One of the best stories in the state over the past several weeks has been Davenport North and its improbable run to the state tournament.

The Wildcats lost four of their final five regular season games but rattled off substate wins over Muscatine, Cedar Rapids Prairie and seventh-ranked Dubuque Senior to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2003.

The Darkhorse

It seems a little strange to think of the Trojans as anything other than a favorite at the 4A tournament but West High hasn’t created much title buzz this season.

Flying under the radar is a new phenomenon for a program that is making its 10th straight state tournament appearance and has won four of the last eight 4A titles.

West High lacks some of the star power from past seasons but is more than capable of adding to its title count this week.

The Trojans have a force in 6-foot-9 center Even Brauns, an experienced backcourt and a head coach with six state titles.

The Focus

Does the Mississippi Valley Conference title streak continue?

The past three 4A champions have all come from the MVC with West High winning in 2017 before Cedar Falls claimed in the last two titles in all-MVC finals.

Cedar Falls and West High are both back at state representing the MVC while the Mississippi Athletic Conference has a pair of teams in Davenport North and North Scott and the CIML has four teams.

No CIML team other than West Des Moines Valley has reached the 4A final since Des Moines Hoover in 2012 and with the Tigers not in the field it is up to Ankeny, Waukee, West Des Moines Dowling or first-time qualifier Ankeny Centennial to carry the CIML banner.  

Five Fast Facts

*- West High has a Class 4A leading 407 assists this season with 83 percent of the Trojans 488 made field goals this season the result of an assist. 

*- Waukee juniors Tucker DeVries and Payton Sandfort combine to average 41.4 points per game this season which accounts for nearly 58 percent of the scoring for the Warriors.

*- North Scott has held opponents to 38 points or less in 14 of 23 games this season.

*- In two seasons at West High Even Brauns has converted on better than 68 percent of his field goal attempts making 246-of-360 shot attempts.

*- Ankeny senior guard Braxton Bayless is the only player in the 4A field leading their team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.

The Schedule

Tuesday’s Quarterfinals

North Scott (22-1) vs. Waukee (21-2), 6:30 p.m.

Ankeny Centennial (23-1) vs. Davenport North (16-8)

Wednesday’s Quarterfinals

West High (21-2) vs. Ankeny (18-5), 10:30 a.m.

Cedar Falls (21-2) vs. West Des Moines Dowling (16-7), 12:15 p.m.

Thursday’s Semifinals

Ankeny Centennial/Davenport North winner vs. Waukee/North Scott winner, 6:30 p.m.

West High/Ankeny winner vs. Cedar Falls/West Des Moines Dowling winner, 8:15 p.m.

Friday’s Championship

Semifinal winners, 8:35 p.m.

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