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Iowa boys' state basketball 2021: The Gazette's predictions

DES MOINES — The Gazette's predictions for the 2021 Iowa high school boys' state basketball tournament, to be held this week at Wells Fargo Arena.
Class 1A
Quarterfinals
North Linn over South Winneshiek
Martensdale-St. Marys over Easton Valley
Lake Mills over Montezuma
Grand View Christian over Remsen St. Mary's
Semifinals
North Linn over Martensdale-St. Marys
Grand View Christian over Lake Mills
Championship
Grand View Christian over North Linn
Overview — Very deep field here. Very deep. Could make a case for multiple teams to win it all. The 4-5 game, seed wise, is Martensdale-St. Marys and Easton Valley, two undefeated teams. Montezuma is the 7-seed, and this is the third straight trip to Des Moines for the Braves. 8-seed Remsen St. Mary's also has been a recent tourney regular. Going with Grand View because its only loss was to a good 4A team from Ottwuwa (57-50) and no other team has a 6-foot-11 kid in the middle like GVC sophomore Daniel Tobiloba.
Class 2A
Quarterfinals
Boyden-Hull over South Central Calhoun
Aplington-Parkersburg over Van Meter
Dyersville Beckman over Des Moines Christian
Western Christian over Camanche
Semifinals
Boyden-Hull over Aplington-Parkersburg
Western Christian over Dyersville Beckman
Championship
Boyden-Hull over Western Christian
Overview — What are the odds we'll have a championship game involving teams from the same town? If things progress according to seed, that'll be the case. Boyden-Hull is the defending 2A champ and unbeaten. Western Christian is the second seed and also is located in Hull (population 2,307). Des Moines Christian is the third seed. Beckman plays in a powerful 3A league in the Wamac Conference. Let's just move the championship game to Sioux City.
Class 3A
Quarterfinals
Huxley Ballard over Clear Lake
Davenport Assumption over Dallas Center-Grimes
Western Dubuque over Sergeant Bluff-Luton
Monticello over Pella
Semifinals
Davenport Assumption over Huxley Ballard
Western Dubuque over Monticello
Championship
Western Dubuque over Davenport Assumption
Overview — Another really, really good field here. Heck, Clear Lake is the 8-seed and has a 22-2 record. You could make a serious championship case for any of these eight teams. The quarterfinal between Pella and unbeaten Monticello (the 7-seed) is delicious just because of the extreme difference in styles of the teams. Assumption guard Emarion Ellis is a University of Texas signee. Just a guess here, but the teams from primarily 4A conferences (Assumption is in the Mississippi Athletic Conference, Western Dubuque in the Mississippi Valley Conference) will meet in the finals.
Class 4A
Quarterfinals
Johnston over West Des Moines Dowling
Cedar Falls over Dubuque Senior
Ames over Council Bluffs Lincoln
Waukee over Pleasant Valley
Semifinals
Cedar Falls over Johnston
Waukee over Ames
Championship
Cedar Falls over Waukee
Overview — It's going to be a surprise if it's not Cedar Falls and Waukee in the final. Waukee is 13-2, but the losses were early in the season by a point to Johnston (a game in which leading scorer Tucker DeVries didn't play) and to Bellevue West, Nebraska's top-ranked team. CF's closest game this season was a six-point win over Dubuque Hempstead. Waukee's DeVries has signed with Drake, Payton Sandfort with Iowa and CF's Landon Wolf and Chase Courbat with Northern Iowa.
Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com
Monticello's Justin Recker (3) high-fives Tate Petersen (12) after a basket during the second quarter of their Class 3A substate final at Maquoketa High School in Maquoketa on Monday, March 1, 2021. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)