Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

A few regular season games remain for area boys basketball teams but the focus for at least a few moments in the last week has been on the postseason.

Postseason pairings have been released for all four classes give teams across the state a look at their path to the state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Your Prep Sports area teams will start postseason on Monday but before district and substate play official opens for area teams we give nine observations, notes and thoughts on the postseason pairings.

A New Streak for West High

West High is attempting to start a new string of consecutive state tournament appearances after failing to reach the state tournament for the first time in more than a decade last year.

Before hopping into any analysis of actual pairings let’s take a second to dissect the how incredible the past decade was for West High.

The Trojans reached the Class 4A state tournament a state-record 10 consecutive times from 2011 to 2020 reaching the state title game in half of those trips to Des Moines while claiming three titles.

West High won 19 state tournament games during that 10-year stretch reaching the semifinals eight times.

The Path Back for West High

Speaking of West High few teams are likely looking forward to erasing the taste of last year’s postseason more than the Trojans.

Not only did West High fail to reach the state tournament the Trojans were bounced from the postseason early falling 52-46 at Ottumwa in its substate opener.

The path back to state isn’t an easy one for No. 10 West High (14-5).

West High will host the winning of Burlington (12-7) and Muscatine (1-16) in the Class 4A, Substate 5 semifinals.

The Trojans defeated Burlington 61-49 back on December 7.

Second-ranked Pleasant Valley (18-0) is the top seed in Substate 5.

City High Hits the Road

The term ‘road to state’ gets used a lot (probably too much by me) this time of year.

If City High is going to make a postseason push the Little Hawks are literally going to have to do it on the road.

City High (5-13) will travel to Davenport West (8-11) for a 4A, Substate 5 quarterfinal and with a win would earn a return trip to the Quad Cities to take on top-seeded Pleasant Valley.

It’s not just the road trips, the opponents are a challenge as well.

Davenport West has won three of its last six and Pleasant Valley is the lone remaining undefeated team in 4A and one of only five unbeaten teams in the state.

City High

The Teams Nobody Wants to See 

Every season there seems to be a team or two that hit stride at the right time and become a team no opponent wants to see opposite their name in a postseason bracket.

Liberty High has become that team in 2022.

The Lightning are 8-2 since starting the season 1-6 and are currently in the midst of a three-game winning streak with four regular season games remaining.

Most of the 4A, Substate 4 field fits in the category of teams you don’t want to play in the postseason.

Liberty High hosts Davenport Central (3-15) in its postseason opener with the winner travelling to Cedar Rapids Washington (10-8).

The Warriors have won six of eight since a three-game losing skid to start 2022.

Third-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy (15-2) is the top seed and with the way the Cougars defend, and the fact they are just really good, they aren’t an enviable postseason draw either.

Class 4A Overview

The Class 4A field as a whole looks as wide open and balanced as any point in recent history.

As evidence look no further than a chaotic Mississippi Valley Conference which has 10 teams with between nine and 15 wins.

Three Class 4A Substates feature two teams currently ranked in the Associated Press poll including Substate 5 with No. 10 West High and No. 2 Pleasant Valley.

Fifth-ranked West Des Moines Valley and fourth-ranked Cedar Falls are paired in Substate 3 and No. 8 Johnston and ninth-ranked Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln are together in Substate 8.

There is no clear-cut favorite in the 4A field but that distinction likely belongs to top-ranked Ames (16-1).
Led by senior guard Tamin Lipsey, an Iowa State recruit who averages 16.5 points, 6.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game, Ames is unbeaten against in-state competition and has wins over Substate top seeds Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Ankeny and Waukee Northwest.

Fresh Faces for CCA

Clear Creek Amana is joined in Class 3A, Substate 5 by WAMAC opponents Marion and Mount Vernon but wouldn’t see either conference foe until the title game.

To set up a regular season rematch the Clippers must get past a pair of unfamiliar foes.

Clear Creek Amana (13-6) hosts Fairfield (8-10) in the opener before facing a potential semifinal trip to seventh-ranked Fort Madison (15-3).

Fort Madison won 15 straight games to open the season, a stretch that included a 14-point win over WAMAC West Division champion Williamsburg, but has lost three in a row.

Sixth-ranked Marion (15-4) is the top seed and had a nine-game winning streak end with a loss to West Delaware on Tuesday.

Solon’s Repeat Week

The award for strangest scheduling quirk goes to the Spartans who face a potential déjà vu scenario in Class 3A, Substate 4.

Solon (13-7) has won four straight and closes the regular season by hosting Center Point-Urbana (7-13) on Tuesday and travelling to third-ranked Washington (16-3) on Thursday.

The Spartans could repeat that same schedule the following week.

Solon hosts Center Point-Urbana in the Substate 4 quarterfinals on February 21 and with a win would like face top-seeded Washington three days later.

A Piece of Redemption for West Branch

It’s a new season with different players on both teams but West Branch wouldn’t mind an opportunity for some postseason redemption against Dyersville Beckman after the Blazers edged West Branch 56-62 in overtime in a substate final last season.

West Branch (11-9) will await the winner of a 2A, District 10 opening-round matchup between Dyersville Beckman (10-10) and RVC South Division foe Tipton (6-14).

A rematch with Beckman could be just the thing to spark a postseason run for the Bears in what is a loaded Substate 5.

Sixth-ranked Williamsburg (19-2) is the top seed in District 10 while No. 7 Monticello (18-2) is the top-seed in District 9.

The key to West Branch extending its season comes on the defensive end.

West Branch allowed 58 points per game while going 7-7 to start the season but has cut that number to 41.6 points per game while winning four of its last six.

A Tough Road for Regina

Regina (6-15) lands in the same tough Substate 5 field as West Branch and has just as challenging of a postseason path as the Bears.

The Regals travel to River Valley Conference rival Cascade (7-13) for a District 10 opening-round contest.

Cascade won the regular season meeting 59-52 on January 4 in Cascade and have won three in a row in the series over the Regals dating back to 2020.

Regina has been playing its best ball of the season over the past several weeks winning three of its last five entering the postseason.

With a win Regina would travel to District 10 top seed Williamsburg (19-2).

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