Iowa high school boys’ state basketball 2022: Brackets, predictions, top players and more

The following are thumbnails on each of the four classes for the 2022 Iowa high school boys’ state basketball tournament.

Class 1A

THE SCHEDULE

Quarterfinals

Monday, 10:30 a.m. — No. 4 seed Lake Mills (24-1) vs. No. 5 Danville (23-2)

Monday, 12:15 p.m. — No. 1 Grand View Christian (24-0) vs. No. 8 Bellevue (13-12)

Monday, 2 p.m. — No. 2 North Linn (24-1) vs. No. 7 North Mahaska (20-5)

Monday, 3:45 p.m. — No. 3 Remsen St. Mary’s (24-0) vs. No. 6 West Harrison (22-3)

Semifinals

Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. — Top bracket

Wednesday, 7:15 p.m. — Bottom bracket

Championship

Friday 1 p.m. — Semifinal winners

THE FAVORITE

Grand View Christian without a doubt. The Thunder beat opponents by an average of 37.7 points per game. Their closest win was by five points twice, over Avoca AHSTW and Des Moines North. GVC beat two 4A teams this season: North and Des Moines East. Guards Manny Hammonds and Josh Baucum are a powerful one-two scoring punch. Daniel Tobiloba is a major defensive presence in the lane at 6-foot-11. Motivation won’t be a problem since Grand View was upset by Montezuma in last year’s semifinals.

THE LOCALS

North Linn has been a state tournament qualifier six years in a row. The Lynx have a state championship, three runner-up finishes and a third-place finish over the previous five years. This team had a 107-game regular-season win streak snapped by Edgewood-Colesburg just before Christmas but regrouped and has run the table the rest of the way, including a win over Ed-Co in a substate final. All five starters return from last year’s team, which lost to Montezuma in the 1A state championship game.

THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH

Austin Hilmer, 5-10, senior, North Linn — Upper Iowa signee is a four-year varsity regular and three-year starter. Averages 20 points, 7.8 assists and 4.4 steals. The assists rank second in the state, regardless of class.

Manny Hammonds, 6-1, senior, Grand View Christian — Leads Class 1A in scoring at 23.9 points. Took over 100 shots more than any other player on the team. Shoots 42 percent from 3-point range.

Daniel Tobiloba, 6-11, junior, Grand View Christian — No one even close to this size in this field. He has a rudimentary offensive game, averaging just 8.3 points, but his size and wingspan help prevent opponents from getting much of anything in the lane. Averages 14.5 points and 4.8 blocked shot per game.

JOHNSON’S PREDICTIONS

Quarterfinals

Lake Mills over Danville

Grand View Christian over Bellevue

North Linn over North Mahaska

Remsen St. Mary’s over West Harrison

Semifinals

Grand View Christian over Lake Mills

North Linn over Remsen St. Mary’s

Championship

Grand View Christian over North Linn

Class 2A

THE SCHEDULE

Quarterfinals

Monday, 5:30 p.m. — No. 1 Central Lyon (22-2) vs. No. 8 Red Oak (18-7)

Monday, 7:15 p.m. — No. 4 Pella Christian (18-6) vs. No. 5 Roland-Story (22-2)

Tuesday, 10:30 a.m. — No. 2 Rock Valley (19-5) vs. No. 7 Jesup (19-5)

Tuesday, 12:15 p.m. — No. 3 Mid-Prairie (24-0) vs. No. 6 Monticello (21-3)

Semifinals

Thursday, 10:30 a.m. — Top bracket

Thursday, 12:15 p.m. — Bottom bracket

Championship

Friday, 3 p.m. — Semifinal winners

THE FAVORITE

In its first state tournament, Central Lyon is the top seed in what is a pretty open field. The Lions finished second behind Boyden-Hull in the always-strong Siouxland Conference. CL’s split with B-H and Rock Valley, which also is in the 2A field as the No. 2 seed. Mid-Prairie is the lone unbeaten team but was given the third seed in a vote of coaches whose teams played in substate finals. Pella Christian plays in the 3A-centric Little Hawkeye Conference and could factor. You honestly could make a case for just about every team here.

THE LOCALS

Mid-Prairie is in the state field for the first time since 2010. The Golden Hawks have won all 24 of their games, including one over Raytown South of Missouri, a big school from the Kansas City area. Monticello went 60 years between state tournament appearances, but is making its third straight here. The Panthers qualified in 3A last season and in 2A in 2020. Mid-Prairie beat Monti at the end of the regular season, 65-50, and the teams are matched up in the quarterfinals here. Jesup upset Aplington-Parkersburg in a substate final to qualify for the fourth time, the first since 2016. The J-Hawks have won 16 games in a row.

THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH

Carson Lienau, 6-5, senior, Jesup — Leading scorer and rebounder in the 2A field at 20.9 points and 11.5 rebounds. A 1,000-point scorer in his outstanding career.

Carter Harmsen, 6-5, senior, Mid-Prairie — Over 1,100 points scored in his outstanding career. Averages 20 points, 8.3 rebounds, two steals, two assists and a blocked shot per game.

Tate Petersen, 6-0, junior, Monticello — The Panthers always rely heavily on their superb point guard, but probably even more so here since he’s already started in two state tournaments. Averages 19.2 points and 5.5 assists.

JOHNSON’S PREDICTIONS

Quarterfinals

Central Lyon over Red Oak

Pella Christian over Roland-Story

Jesup over Rock Valley

Mid-Prairie over Monticello

Semifinals

Central Lyon over Pella Christian

Mid-Prairie over Jesup

Championship

Central Lyon over Mid-Prairie

Class 3A

THE SCHEDULE

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, 2 p.m. — No. 1 Dallas Center-Grimes (19-5) vs. No. 8 Carroll (16-8)

Tuesday, 3:45 p.m. — No. 4 Winterset (19-5) vs. No. 5 Marion (19-5)

Tuesday, 5:30 p.m. — No. 2 Decorah (22-1) vs. No. 7 DeWitt Central (18-6)

Tuesday, 7:15 p.m. — No. 3 Davenport Assumption (19-5) vs. No. 6 Humboldt (21-3)

Semifinals

Thursday, 2 p.m. — Top bracket

Thursday, 3:45 a.m. — Bottom bracket

Championship

Friday, 5 p.m. — Semifinal winners

THE FAVORITE

Pick a team, any team in this field and make a case for them to win it all. You could. Despite five losses, Dallas Center-Grimes was given the top seed. Two of the Mustangs’ defeats came to 4A schools, including state tourney entrant Johnston. Decorah is the second seed in its first state tournament appearance since 1977. The Vikings lost their second game of the season to Western Dubuque and are on a 21-game win streak. Assumption is the third seed, played a predominantly 4A schedule and has taken off since 6-9 European transfer Ivan Prug became eligible. Marion and Winterset are similar teams with good athletes. DeWitt Central is a dangerous seven which played in the Mississippi Athletic Conference with Assumption.

THE LOCALS

Decorah is a state tournament team for the first time in 45 years, and that’s a heck of a story. The Vikings lead 3A in scoring (71.4 points per game), relying on balance. Four players average double figures, with two more averaging 9.5 and 8.5, respectively. Marion is in the field for the third time in five years and has multiple players with big-game experience, members of the school’s state championship baseball team last summer.

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THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH

Shawn Gilbert, 6-9, senior, DeWitt Central — Despite his size (6-9 and 300 pounds), this kid has good feet and good skills. Averages 23.8 points and 10 rebounds a game. Went off for 45 points in a substate semifinal win over Cedar Rapids Xavier. Shoots 62 percent from the field.

Brayson Laube, 6-2, senior, Marion — Took his game to another level this season, incorporating the dribble-drive to go along with his already proven 3-point shooting. Averages 19.3 points and three assists a game. Shoots 42 percent from beyond the arc.

Kaleb Booth, 6-1, senior, Carroll — Second-leading scorer in the 3A field (20.3 ppg) and tops in assists (5.0). Also leads his team in rebounding. That’s doing about everything. Will play college ball at Northwestern College in Orange City.

JOHNSON’S PREDICTIONS

Quarterfinals

Dallas Center-Grimes over Carroll

Marion over Winterset

Decorah over DeWitt Central

Davenport Assumption over Humboldt

Semifinals

Dallas Center-Grimes over Marion

Davenport Assumption over Decorah

Championship

Davenport Assumption over Dallas Center-Grimes

Class 4A

THE SCHEDULE

Quarterfinals

Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. — No. 4 Cedar Rapids Kennedy (20-3) vs. No. 5 Waukee Northwest (20-4)

Wednesday, 12:15 p.m. — No. 1 Ames (20-3) vs. No. 8 Burlington (17-7)

Wednesday, 2 p.m. — No. 2 Cedar Falls (20-2) vs. No. 7 Cedar Rapids Prairie (17-6)

Wednesday, 3:45 p.m. — No. 3 Johnston (19-3) vs. Ankeny (19-4)

Semifinals

Thursday, 5:30 p.m. — Top bracket

Thursday, 7:15 p.m. — Bottom bracket

Championship

Friday, 7 p.m. — Semifinal winners

THE FAVORITE

It’s gotta be Ames. Yeah, the Little Cyclones have lost three games, but two of them were without star point guard Tamin Lipsey, who sat out some games late with an ankle injury. He has signed with Iowa State. Ames’ other loss was to Christian Brothers, one of the top teams in Missouri. All in a all, a solid field. Burlington is the surprise entry, upsetting previously unbeaten Pleasant Valley in a substate final.

THE LOCALS

Cedar Rapids Kennedy is a state tourney team for the first time since 2017, when it finished fourth in 4A. The Cougars are a dangerous club definitely capable of making a run due to a strong guard court and the ability to score both inside and out. Cedar Rapids Prairie is at state for the first time since 1998, when it won it all in 3A. The Hawks got a tough quarterfinal draw in Cedar Falls, but the teams split a pair of regular-season games. Starting guard Elijah Ward broke his hand in a late January game and had surgery, though he has returned to play here in the postseason. Like Kennedy, you can’t discount Prairie’s chances of making a run.

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FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tamin Lipsey, 6-2, senior, Ames — Iowa State signee averages 15.9 points and 6.1 assists per game. Shoots 57 percent from the field despite having made just 9 of 43 3-pointers (20.9 percent), showing you he can get to the hole. Sets the tone defensively for a good defensive team as well.

Trey Campbell, 6-4, senior, Cedar Falls — Another outstanding point guard headed to a D-I program (Northern Iowa). Division player of the year in the Mississippi Valley Conference, averages 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

Pryce Sandfort, 6-7, junior, Waukee Northwest — His brother, Payton, has shown off his shooting skills as a freshman at Iowa. This kid can stroke it, too. Leads 4A in scoring at 27.2 points per game, shooting 41 percent from 3-point range and 89.3 percent from the free-throw line. Also averages 10.5 rebounds.

Trey Lewis, 5-10, senior, Johnston — Had to add a fourth player to watch in this class. Averages 21.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists. Candidate for Mr. Basketball. Has signed with Division II Drury (Mo.).

JOHNSON’S PREDICTIONS

Quarterfinals

Waukee Northwest over Cedar Rapids Kennedy

Ames over Burlington

Cedar Falls over Cedar Rapids Prairie

Johnston over Ankeny

Semifinals

Ames over Waukee Northwest

Cedar Falls over Johnston

Championship

Ames over Cedar Falls

Comments: jeff.johnson@thegazette.com