Iowa boys’ state basketball 2025: A closer look at Tuesday’s games

DES MOINES — Capsules for Tuesday’s games involving area teams at the Iowa high school girls' state basketball tournament at Wells Fargo Arena.

Class 3A Quarterfinals

CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER (15-9) vs. No. 3 KNOXVILLE (24-0)

Time: 10:30 a.m.

Top players: Senior guard Kaleb Wilgenbusch (13.6 points per game) will play college ball at Coe and has been out and out great in the postseason, including a 29-point outburst in Xavier’s substate final overtime win at Decorah. Zander Murray (14.3 ppg) has been a scoring threat all season at guard. Six-foot-eight junior A.J. Evans (11.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg) gives Xavier a big presence on the interior. Knoxville is led by brothers. Landen Norris, a 6-4 senior swingman, averages 20.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. His younger brother, Lincoln, is second on the team in scoring at 17.2 ppg.

Synopsis: Knoxville and Clear Lake come into this tournament undefeated. Knoxville was ranked third at the end of the regular season by the IHSAA and is second seed here because it plays in a primary 2A conference. Xavier, meanwhile, plays in an almost all-4A Missisisppi Valley Conference and hasn’t lost to a 3A opponent this season. If you’re looking for an early tournament upset, this might be the one.

Tournament history: Xavier was runner-up in 2023. The Saints also went to state three consecutive years twice (2004-06) and four straight years (2015-18, including back-to-back 3A championships in 2016 and 2017). This is the fifth time at state for Knoxville, its first since 2000. It was a state runner-up in 1980.

Class 2A Quarterfinals

No. 8 JESUP (16-9) vs. No. 1 WESTERN CHRISTIAN (22-3)

Time: 2 p.m.

Top players: Senior forward Ryan Treptow averages 20.3 points per game to lead Jesup. He is a 1,000-plus point scorer in his career. He also averages 8.1 rebounds per game. Senior Kaden Van Regenmorter is perhaps the top player in 2A. He averages 19.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Synopsis: Western is a big, big favorite in this game. Its losses have been to two out-of-state teams and a 4A Waukee team that also made it to state. Of all four classes, the Wolfpack might be the most heavily favorite to win a championship. Just for Jesup to be here is a heck of an accomplishment. The school had all-time leading scorer Jack Miller graduate last season. He’s now playing collegiately at Upper Iowa. The J-Hawks upset MFL MarMac, Cascade and North Fayette Valley in that order to earn this trip to Des Moines.

Tournament history: Jesup has been a state qualifier four times, all between 1995 and 2020. The J-Hawks have won quarterfinal games twice. Western’s state tournament history is impeccable. This is the school’s 25th qualification and it has a 48-16 all-time state tournament record. Western Christian won last year’s 2A championship, finished runner-up in 2022 and won it in 2021. Its other titles have been in 1985, 1991, 1996, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2017. That’s 11 titles, more than any school in state history.

No. 7 LaPORTE CITY UNION COMMUNITY (17-9) vs. No. 2 WEST LYON (21-3)

Time: 5:30 p.m.

Top players: Union Community is a very balanced team offensively, with four starter averaging between 12.4 ppg (Tate Van Dyke) and 10.9 (Cameron Mullen). The guys in the middle of them are center Eric Neipert (11.6 ppg, team-high 9.1 rebounds per game) and Caden Sorensen (11.3). Senior guard Carson Hoogeveen leads West Lyon in scoring at 17.5 ppg. Jordan Meyer is next at 15.2

Synopsis: Union Community is like its North Iowa Cedar League brethren Jesup in that its a surprise to be here. The NICL qualified four teams for this tournament, these two, Grundy Center in 2A and Gladbrook-Reinbeck in 1A. West Lyon’s losses were by a point to Sioux Center, by three to second-ranked Carroll Kuemper and by 15 to MOC/Floyd Valley, a qualifier in 3A.

Tournament history: This is the second state tournament qualification for LaPorte City Union Community, the other coming in 2018. LaPorte City High School made it in 1970 and 1974. West Lyon’s first qualification came in 2014, and the Wildcats won it all.

Tuesday’s other games

Class 3A quarterfinal

No. 4 Huxley Ballard (21-2) vs. No. 8 MOC/Floyd Valley (20-4), 12:15 p.m.

Class 2A quarterfinals

No. 5 Grand View Christian (23-1) vs. No. 7 Treynor (22-3), 3:45 p.m.

No. 3 Orange City Unity Christian (20-4) vs. No. 7 Grundy Center (22-2), 7:15 p.m.

Comments: jeff.johnson@thegazette.com