Thursday’s best: Five area boys basketball district games to watch (Class 1A, 2A)

It’s down to 128 remaining teams in the Class 1A and 2A boys basketball postseason. That’s 64 in each class.

District semifinals are being played around the state Thursday night. Each game tips off at 7 p.m.

Here’s a quick look at what seems to be five intriguing games around The Gazette area. That includes a regular-season finale in Class 4A that is plenty enticing.

Keota (15-6) at Hillcrest Academy (19-4)

Class 1A District 10 semifinal

Keota handed Hillcrest Academy its first loss this season back in early January, 59-44, t Keota. This game will be in Kalona. Interestingly, Keota has 10 guys on its varsity roster: nine of the 10 are 6-foot or shorter. The tallest is 6-2. Hillcrest’s leading scorer is Kale Bailey at 6-3. He averages 17.1 points per game. The winner here gets either Calamus-Wheatland or Iowa Valley in a district final.

Sigourney (18-4) at Montezuma (19-4)

Class 1A District 4 semifinal

Montezuma won the regular-season encounter between these South Iowa Cedar League rivals, 69-54. Does the high school career of prolific Montezuma senior guard Brady Boulton continue? He averages 22.1 points per game and recently surpassed 2,000 career points. Sigourney has won seven games in a row and 12 of its last 13. Barring a massive upset, the winner gets undefeated and 10th-ranked Lynnville-Sully in a district final.

Dyersville Beckman (12-10) at Alburnett (14-8)

Class 2A District 3 semifinal

Alburnett made a pretty seamless transition into the River Valley Conference. It beat Beckman late in the regular season, 75-72, at home. Beckman has dealt with more than its fair share of injuries and illness since the Christmas break but is capable of beating anyone on any given night. The winner here gets either Denver or North Fayette Valley in a 2A district final.

Waukon (18-5) at Crestwood (17-5)

Class 2A District 7 semifinal

The coaching adage says it’s hard to beat a team three times in a season. Especially one that is equal in quality. So here you go. Crestwood won the big school division of the Upper Iowa Conference and beat Waukon twice in the regular season: 52-46 at home and 77-70 on the road. Crestwood has a decided size advantage, led by 6-foot-7 sophomore Cody Sobolik.

Dubuque Senior (18-2) at Cedar Rapids Prairie (16-4)

Regular season finale

OK, so this isn’t a postseason game, but you don’t often get a big game like this to end a regular season. Senior is ranked fifth in Class 4A, Prairie seventh. Senior lost by three Tuesday night to top-ranked Cedar Falls, while Prairie edged Cedar Rapids Xavier for its seventh win in a row and its 13th in its last 14 games. Both of these teams are No. 1 seeds in their respective 4A substates. Senior beat Prairie last season in a 4A substate final.

Class 1A district semifinals

Metro-Area

Cedar Valley Christian (12-8) at Bellevue Marquette (20-2)

Ed-Co (15-8) at Maquoketa Valley (18-5)

Elkader Central (15-7) at Bellevue (21-2)

Gladbrook-Reinbeck (9-13) at South Winneshiek (19-3)

Iowa Valley (12-10) at Calamus-Wheatland (21-2)

Keota (15-6) at Hillcrest Academy (19-4)

North Tama (14-8) at East Marshall (16-6)

Sigourney (18-4) at Montezuma (19-4)

Springville (14-8) at Easton Valley (13-10)

Turkey Valley (14-8) at Wapsie Valley (16-7)

State

ACGC (10-12) at Coon Rapids-Bayard (21-1)

AHSTW (7-15) at Woodbine (14-8)

Boyer Valley (12-11) at Council Bluffs St. Albert (18-5)

Central Decatur (14-8) at Madrid (18-4)

Danville (13-9) at Burlington Notre Dame (21-2)

Don Bosco (15-7) at Baxter (18-5)

Earlham (13-10) at Fort Dodge St. Edmond (20-2)

Fort Madison Holy Trinity (15-7) at Pekin (19-4)

Southeast Warren (17-6) at Ankeny Christian (19-4)

Fremont-Mills (11-11) at Bedford (18-4)

IKM-Manning (14-8) at Audubon (14-9)

Janesville (15-6) at Nashua-Plainfield (17-6)

Kingsley-Pierson (16-7) at LeMars Gehlen (15-7)

Lawton-Bronson (12-10) at Boyden-Hull (15-7)

Martensdale-St. Mary’s (17-6) at Mount Ayr (18-5)

Moravia (16-7) at Lynnville-Sully (22-0)

North Union (13-9) at Mason City Newman (17-4)

Oakland Riverside (12-10) at Southwest Valley (19-3)

Saint Ansgar (14-8) at Algona Garrigan (20-2)

Sibley-Ocheyedan (14-8) at South O’Brien (17-6)

West Fork (10-13) at Belmond-Klemme (16-5)

Woodbury Central (10-11) at Marcus MMCRU (22-1)

Class 2A district semifinals

Iowa City-Area

Dyersville Beckman (12-10) at Alburnett (14-8)

Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (8-14) at Iowa City Regina (19-1)

Mediapolis (15-6) at Mid-Prairie (15-6)

North Fayette Valley (6-16) at Denver (14-7)

Sumner-Fredericksburg (7-15) at Union Community (19-3)

Waukon (18-5) at Crestwood (17-5)

West Branch (14-9) at Monticello (15-6)

Wilton (15-7) at Cascade (14-7)

State

Albia (9-12) at Pella Christian (12-10)

Clarion-Goldfield-Dows (14-8) at Sioux Central (17-4)

Dike-New Hartford (10-12) at Aplington-Parkersburg (19-3)

Durant (8-15) at Northeast Goose Lake (15-7)

Garner-Hayfield-Ventura (14-8) at Forest City (15-6)

Grand View Christian (13-9) at Centerville (16-5)

Hudson (13-9) at Waterloo Columbus (13-8)

Manson-Northwest Webster (11-11) at Carroll Kuemper (19-3)

Milford Okoboji (9-13) at Orange City Unity Christian (19-2)

Missouri Valley (9-14) at Underwood (17-4)

Odgen (6-17) at Tri-Center (19-3)

Osage (14-7) at Roland-Story (16-5)

Pleasantville (14-8) at Grundy Center (20-1)

Prairie City-Monroe (14-8) at Van Meter (13-8)

Pocahontas (12-10) at Southeast Valley (19-1)

Red Oak (12-10) at Treynor (19-3)

Rock Valley (14-8) at Hinton (16-4)

Sheldon (7-16) at Western Christian (15-6)

Shenandoah (13-9) at Ridge View (18-4)

South Central Calhoun (12-10) at Cherokee (14-6)

West Burlington (13-8) at Central Lee (14-7)

West Central Valley (13-10) at OABCIG (16-5)

West Lyon (10-12) at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn (14-7)

Woodward-Granger (14-8) at South Hardin (12-9)