Class 3A substate semifinals on tap for boys basketball: 4 area games to watch

CEDAR RAPIDS - Class 3A boys basketball has reached the substate semifinal stage of the postseason.

There are games throughout the state, including seven involving schools from the Gazette area. Each begin at 7 p.m.

Here is the full schedule and four games we have picked out that you’d be wise to attend. There also are schedules for Friday night’s Class 4A substate semifinals and substate final pairings for Saturday in Class 1A and 2A.

Let’s get after it!

Waverly-Shell Rock (13-9) at Cedar Rapids Xavier (13-8)

Class 3A Substate 3 semifinal

This is a rematch, but it has been a long time since these teams played. Way back on Dec. 6, Xavier won its season opener, 58-33, at home. That was W-SR’s second game. A lot of season has happened since then. Xavier plays, of course, in the primarily 4A Mississippi Valley Conference and has not lost to a 3A team. Waverly-Shell Rock has won five in a row and six of seven, edging Vinton-Shellsburg in a substate quarterfinal Monday night, 42-40. Xavier, meanwhile, disposed of Maquoketa, 64-40.

Decorah (15-6) at Dubuque Wahlert (14-8)

Class 3A Substate 3 semifinal

Another rematch from the regular season. Wahlert beat Decorah at home right before Christmas at home, 76-45. The Golden Eagles did have freshman center Alex Tanny then to combat Decorah all-stater Cael LaFrentz in the post. Tanny is out with an injury. Wahlert went win-loss-win-loss down the stretch but crushed Independence in a substate semifinal, 83-40. Decorah, meanwhile, beat West Delaware, 68-48. It has been a grind of a season for the Vikings, who don’t have a conference and have had to play a lot of neutral-site games. Decorah’s travel has been just shy of 4,000 miles.

Marion (16-7) at DeWitt Central (14-8)

Class 3A Substate 4 semifinal

Marion has been playing well down the stretch, winners of six in a row and eight of 10. Ditto Central, which has won nine of 10. There is a common opponent in Center Point-Urbana. Central lost to the Stormin’ Pointers, 76-57, very early in the season. Marion lost twice to CP-U, 61-51 and 69-58. Central plays in a mostly 4A Mississippi Athletic Conference. Central beat West Liberty in a 3A substate semifinal, 77-34. Marion beat Western Dubuque, 62-39. This is an intriguing matchup between hot teams.

Keokuk (18-4) at Center Point-Urbana (18-5)

Class 3A Substate 5 semifinal

Speaking of Center Point-Urbana ... The Stormin’ Pointers beat up Grinnell in a Monday night substate semifinal, 64-35. CP-U finished second to Solon in the Wamac Conference’s East Division but did hand the Spartans their lone conference loss in late January, 72-46. Don’t sleep on this Keokuk team. Half of its losses were to out-of-state teams (one from Missouri, one from Illinois. It also lost by two to a good Oskaloosa team and to top-five ranked Pella. These teams have never played each other, according to Bound.

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3A SUBSTATE SEMIFINALS

Area

Benton Community (13-9) at Adel-DeSoto-Minburn (20-2)

Davenport Assumption (10-12) at Solon (21-2)

Decorah (15-6) at Dubuque Wahlert (14-8)

Keokuk (18-3) at Center Point-Urbana (18-5)

Marion (16-7) at DeWitt Central (14-8)

Washington (13-10) at Pella (19-4)

Waverly-Shell Rock (13-9) at Cedar Rapids Xavier (13-8)

State

Algona (16-7) at Storm Lake (21-2)

Bondurant-Farrar (6-16) at Nevada (20-3)

Des Moines Christian (15-7) at Huxley Ballard (21-1)

Gilbert (14-8) at Knoxville (20-3)

North Polk (13-10) at Clear Lake (20-2)

Saydel (14-8) at Carroll (18-5)

Sioux Center (15-8) at MOC/Floyd Valley (18-4)

Sioux City Heelan (12-9) at Sergeant Bluff-Luton (17-6)

Winterset (13-10) at Oskaloosa (13-9)

(All games at 7 p.m.)

CLASS 4A SUBSTATE 4A SEMIFINALS

Metro-Iowa City

Cedar Rapids Kennedy (15-7) at Muscatine (17-4)

Davenport Central (10-12) at Cedar Rapids Prairie (16-5)

Davenport North (12-9) at Linn-Mar (13-8)

Iowa City High (7-14) at Cedar Falls (20-0)

Iowa City Liberty (8-14) at Waukee Northwest (18-4)

State

Ankeny Centennial (9-13) at Urbandale (12-8)

Council Bluffs Lewis Central (14-8) at Waukee (19-2)

Dallas Center-Grimes (13-8) at Johnston (12-8)

Des Moines East (12-10) at Des Moines Roosevelt (16-5)

Mason City (12-10) at Ames (19-2)

North Scott (15-7) at Bettendorf (17-4)

Pleasant Valley (11-11) at Dubuque Senior (19-2)

Sioux City East (11-12) at West Des Moines Dowling (18-3)

Sioux City West (16-6) at Norwalk (14-7)

Southeast Polk (8-13) at Council Bluffs Lincoln (17-3)

West Des Moines Valley (2-19) at Ankeny (11-10)

CLASS 1A SUBSTATE FINALS

Area

Montezuma (21-4) vs. Bellevue Marquette (22-2) at Iowa City High, 6 p.m.

South Winneshiek (21-3) vs. Algona Garrigan (22-2) at Mason City, 7 p.m.

State

Bellevue (21-3) vs. East Marshall (18-6) at Solon, 7 p.m.

Burlington Notre Dame (23-2) vs. Calamus-Wheatland (23-2) at Solon, 4 p.m.

Coon Rapids-Bayard (23-1) vs. Boyden-Hull (17-7) at Sioux City East, 6 p.m.

Madrid (20-4) vs. Woodbine (16-8) at Des Moines (Knapp Center), 5:30 p.m.

Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn-Remsen-Union (24-1) vs. North Union (15-9) at Storm Lake, 6 p.m.

Oakland Riverside (14-8) vs. Fort Dodge St. Edmond (22-2) at Des Moines (Knapp Center), 7 p.m.

CLASS 2A SUBSTATE FINALS

Iowa City-Area

Cascade (16-7) vs. Aplington-Parkersburg (21-3) at Cedar Falls (McLeod Center), 8 p.m.

Dyersville Beckman (14-10) vs. Grundy Center (22-1) at Cedar Falls (McLeod Center), 6:30 p.m.

Iowa City Regina (21-1) vs. Northeast Goose Lake (17-7) at Muscatine, 7 p.m.

Union Community (21-3) vs. Pella Christian (14-10) at Marshalltown, 7 p.m.

State

Orange City Unity Christian (21-2) vs. Southeast Valley (21-1) at Storm Lake, 8 p.m.

Roland-Story (18-5) vs. Carroll Kuemper (21-2) at Jefferson, 7 p.m.

Tri-Center (21-2) vs. Western Christian (17-6) at Sioux City East, 8 p.m.

Underwood (19-4) vs. Treynor (21-3) at Council Bluffs Jefferson, 5 p.m.

Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com