Class 4A substate semifinals on tap for boys basketball: 5 games involving Metro/Iowa City schools

CEDAR RAPIDS — Another “Five To Watch” segment with exactly five games involving Metro and Iowa City schools on tap Friday night. It’s Class 4A substate semifinal action in boys basketball.

Each of these games begins at 7 p.m.

Substate finals will be conducted Tuesday night around the state. Then it’s the state tournament in a bit over a week.

Here is the full schedule and your “Five To Watch.”

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

Class 4A Substate 5 semifinal

Kennedy has been a state tournament qualifier four years in a row but five straight is an especially tough task since the Cougars are a ‘3’ seed in Substate 5. That means they have to win three substate games instead of two. The first one is out of the way, as Kennedy beat Cedar Rapids Jefferson in a substate opener Monday night, 83-28. The Cougars have won 12 of their last 13 games. Second-seeded Muscatine lost twice in the regular season to Bettendorf, a team Kennedy beat by 18 points on a neutral court. Iowa City High also is a common opponent: Muscatine beat the Little Hawks, 66-57, while Kennedy beat them 73-53. The winner here gets either Dubuque Senior or Pleasant Valley in a substate final.

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

Class 4A Substate 4 semifinal

Linn-Mar seeks a repeat trip to state. The second-seeded Lions went through a four-game losing streak in late January/early February but seem to have recaptured some of their mojo. North beat Dubuque Hempstead in a Monday substate quarterfinal, 73-56. Hempstead is a common opponent both of these teams have handled. So is Bettendorf (North lost twice to it, Linn-Mar once) and North Scott (North lost twice to it while Linn-Mar beat it). Winner of this game most certainly draws top-ranked Cedar Falls in a substate final.

Iowa City High (8-14) at Cedar Falls (20-0)

Class 4A Substate 4 semifinal

Rematch of an early January game in which Cedar Falls won at City High, 74-50. The top-ranked Tigers are the only unbeaten team left in Class 4A and have only three games this season they haven’t won by double figures. One of those came in their regular-season finale at Dubuque Senior, 54-51. City High has won six of its last seven games, the exception a 20-point loss to Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

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

Class 4A Substate 5 semifinal

Like its city mate City High, Liberty is a prohibitive underdog here. The Lightning had a seven-game losing streak late in the regular season, partially due to the injury of leading scorer Jerimiah Washpun. But he has returned, and Liberty has won three straight, including upsetting Indianola in a substate quarterfinal, 72-67 earlier this week. Third-ranked Northwest is one of the favorites to win it all in 4A, thanks to the presence of a pair of Big Ten Conference recruits. Six-foot-9 forward Landon Davis has signed with Illinois and 6-8 Colin Rice with Nebraska. Winner here draws either Ankeny or West Des Moines Valley in the substate finals.

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

Class 4A Substate 6 semifinal

Prairie had a seven-game win streak snapped in the regular-season finale by sixth-ranked Dubuque Senior. Still the Hawks have played well since the holiday break and are heavily favored here. Central turned around a loss in its regular-season finale by beating Clinton in a substate quarterfinal Monday, 67-59. The common opponents are Davenport North (Central split two games while Prairie lost) and Dubuque Hempstead (both won handily). Winner gets the winner of the substate semifinal game between Bettendorf and North Scott.

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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