Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The start of the boys state basketball tournament is still a week away but the field will begin to come into focus on Saturday.

Substate finals will be held across the state for Classes 1A and 2A meaning half of the state qualifiers will be settled by Saturday evening.

Regina will be seeking its first state tournament appearance since 2019 on Saturday when it makes the short trip to Liberty High School to face fifth-ranked Pella Christian in the 2A, Substate 5 title game.

Here is a quick look at Saturday’s Substate 5 title matchup with the winner heading to the 2A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Class 2A, Substate 5

Regina (16-6) vs. No. 5 Pella Christian (18-5)

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: Liberty High School

Statistical leaders: Regina – Michael Martin, 6-2, Sr., 17.8 points, 4 rebounds, 1.4 steals; Tate Wallace, 6-2, Fr., 12.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists. Pella Christian – Tysen DeVries, 5-8, Sr., 14.1 points, 3.9 assists, 1 steal; Dane Greetings, 6-3, Sr., 13.9 points, 3.2 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals.

About the Regals: Regina lost four of five games to close the regular season but has rebounded with back-to-back postseason wins to move one win away from its first state tournament berth since 2019.

The Regals lost back-to-back games to 3A teams Maquoketa and Benton to open the season before rattling off 13 consecutive wins.

Regina lost three straight to West Branch, 3A fifth-ranked Solon and Mid-Prairie and closed the regular season with a one-point loss ta Wilton.
The Regals avenged that loss with a 68-57 win over Wilton in the substate 5 second round and defeated Alburnett 55-51 in the substate semifinals on Tuesday.

Martin and Wallace lead six Regina players that average at least six points per game.

Senior guard Eddie Petersen averages 8.5 points, a team-high 5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game and freshman Will Litton is averaging 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game off the bench.

About the Eagles: One of the top small school programs in the state Pella Christian is seeking a third consecutive state tournament appearance and fourth in the last five seasons.

All five regular season losses for the Eagles this season have come to teams with at least 16 wins.

Four of the losses for the Eagles have come to 4A programs Norwalk (17-5) and Dallas Center-Grimes (18-3) with the other loss coming to Des Moines Christian (16-5).

The Eagles have won nine of their last 10 games with the lone loss in that stretch coming to Dallas Center-Grimes on February 6.

An all-senior starting lineup for Pella Christian is led by DeVries and Greetings while Josiah Voss is averaging 8 points and 5.3 rebounds and Isaiah Breems is averaging 6.6 points and 4 rebounds per game.

Who to watch: Regina – Senior guard Michael Martin has been the leader for Regina all season but has simply elevated to a new level in a pair of postseason wins. Martin averages a team-best 17.8 points per game this season but is averaging 27.5 points per game while shooting 62 percent from the field in two postseason games.

Martin had 27 points and six rebounds in a win over Wilton and went 10-of-11 from the free throw line on his way to 28 points in a substate semifinal win over Alburnett.

Pella Christian – Senior guard Dane Greetings teams with DeVries to give Pella Christian one of the best backcourts in Class 2A. Geetings is second to DeVries in scoring (13.9) and assists (3.2) and leads the Eagles with 1.8 steals per game.

The 6-foot-3 Greetings has taken his game to another level in the postseason averaging 24 points and 5 assists per game in two substate wins. Greetings is coming off a 22-point, seven-assist performance in a semifinal win over Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont.

What to watch: Regina and Pella Christian both have excellent, senior-led backcourts led by fantastic scorers in Martin and DeVries and Greetings.

In a game filled with great guards keep an eye on Regina senior Eddie Petersen.

The 6-foot Petersen has a knack for making plays and an ability to impact the game in a variety of different ways.

Petersen is averaging 8.5 points, 5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals on the season and has already had an eight-point, six-rebound, seven-assist, five steal game in the postseason.

For Regina to pull the upset it will likely need a strong all-around game from its floor leader Petersen.

The breakdown: If comparing scorers is your thing there are common opponents. Pella Christian defeated Wilton 84-46 on December 16 in Pella and knocked off West Branch 58-47 in West Branch on January 29.

Regina went 2-1 against Wilton and split a pair of games against West Branch.

What’s the mean for Saturday? Likely not much.

Regina is playing well after its late-season lull and Pella Christian is an experienced, senior-led team that has reached the 2A state semifinals each of the past two seasons.

On two teams that rely heavily on senior-led backcourts play in the paint could be extremely important in this one.

Regina senior post Drew Streb and 6-foot-2 freshman swing man Tate Wallace present a challenging duo for opponents to defend.

If Regina can get production from its paint players along with another solid effort from its senior guards look for the Regals to be in position to pull an upset.

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