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