High School Tourney Preview

Believe it or not, the high school basketball tournaments are just about a month away. That means spring is just around the corner! What a fun time of year. Now that everyone has played at least half their schedule, we have a pretty good feel for who the contenders are in Districts 11 and 12. Here’s a breakdown of Colo-Nesco’s district and their opposing district to get to the state tournaments in March. All stats are through Friday, January 15, not including Friday night’s games.

Record; Off/Def PPG; Opponents W/L Record District 11
Ankeny Christian 9-0; 70/39; 31-51
Colo-Nesco 10-2; 57/44; 51-75
Iowa Christian Ac. 7-1; 67/47; 24-51
Madrid 6-2; 46/42; 33-45
Melcher-Dallas 6-3; 63/52; 34-55

District 12
Lamoni 8-1; 73/54; 35-37
Murray 7-2; 67/51; 25-56
Mt. Ayr 6-4; 61/56; 50-35
Orient-Macksburg 4-2; 54/45; 18-24

Colo-Nesco—Led by junior Brandon Eley, who averages 19 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals per game. Senior Travis Guy averages 11 points, and shoots 43 % from three-point distance. Michael Warren is one of the states leading shot-blockers with 47. The Royals best win is against West Marshall (8-2). West Marshall is now rated #8 in class 2A. The Royals won that game, 60-57. The Royals two losses are to PCM (8-3), and Roland-Story (6-4). Both losses were by double digits; both teams are 2A schools.

Ankeny Christian—Led by junior 5’11 point guard Tim Olejniczak (pronounced Olen-chak), who averages 23 points per game and is a deadly three-point shooter (nearly 50% on the season: 32-75). Have two seniors who also average double digits and have good size—6’5” Jay Snyder (14 ppg) and 6’4” Jason Cameron (12 ppg). Their best wins are against Elk Horn (6-1) and Iowa Christian Academy (7-1), and Orient-Macksburg (4-2). They beat Elk Horn Kimballton 59-49, Iowa Christian 59-52, and O-M 53-46.

Iowa Christian—Led by senior 6’4” small forward Keaton Schut, who averages 19 ppg. Also get double digit scoring from 6’1” junior Colton Barton (10 ppg), and 9 points per game from 6’5” center Andrew Klenk. Their best win is against Orient-Macksburg (4-2), who they defeated 67-53. Their one loss is to Ankeny Christian.

Madrid—Led by junior 6’6” center Mike Sievers, who averages 16 points per game. Also get 14 points per game from senior guard TJ Van Dyke. Madrid’s best win is against West Central (5-5). Their two losses are to Panorama (7-3) and Guthrie Center (8-2). They lost to Panorama 49-42, and to Guthrie Center 43-37.

Melcher-Dallas—Led by senior Clint Wetterling, who averages 19 points per game, and makes 55 % of his shot attempts. Also get 14 points per game from senior Matt Maxfield and 11 points per game from junior Robert Bingham. Jake Waddle averages 8 rebounds per game. Their best win is against Lamoni (8-1), who they defeated 84-69. Their three losses are to Iowa Christian (77-49), Moulton-Udell (81-73), and Chariton (69-51). Moulton-Udell is 5-3, and Chariton is 4-4 and is a 3A school.

Lamoni—Led by senior 6’7” center Sterling Sherman, who averages 16 points/ 14 rebounds/ 3 blocks per game. Have 3 other players who all average double figures: 5’11” senior Alex Carr (17 ppg); 5’11” Cordell Towers (11 ppg); 6’4” junior Tyler Seymour (10 ppg). Their best wins are against Murray (7-2), and Mount Ayr (6-4). They beat Murray 65-56, and Mount Ayr 67-64. Their one loss is to Melcher-Dallas.

Mount Ayr—Led by Malcolm Mercer who averages 15 points per game. 4 others average at least 7 points per game. Their best win is against Murray (7-2) who they defeated 79-60. Their four losses are to Bedford (10-0), Nodaway (7-2), Lamoni (8-1), and I-35 (5-2). Bedford is rated #3 in class 1A. They lost to Bedford by 19 points, Nodaway by one point, Lamoni by 4 points, and I-35 by 15.

Murray—Led by freshman sensation Austin Halls. Halls is a 6’ guard who is averaging 25 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals, and 4 assists per game. He is joined by fellow freshman Cody Scroggie, a 5’10” guard who is averaging 15 points per game. The duo has made 50 of 133 three pointers on the year also. Murray doesn’t have a win over a team with a winning record. They lost to Mount Ayr by 19 points, and Lamoni by 9.

Orient-Macksburg—Led by junior Michael Kaufman who averages 19 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Kyle Thompson chips in with 11 points per game. They also have not defeated a team with a winning record. Their two losses are to Ankeny Christian Academy and Elk Horn Kimballton.