Gazette boys’ basketball poll: West Delaware your new No. 1 in Class 3A

CEDAR RAPIDS — They'll get a test right out of the gate.

The West Delaware Hawks are the new No. 1 Class 3A boys' basketball team in the state in the latest Gazette rankings. West Delaware inched forward from the second spot after Waverly-Shell Rock, last week's No. 1, dropped its first game of the season Saturday night to 4A Cedar Falls, 57-52.

Waverly-Shell Rock has a 17-1 record. West Delaware is 16-0 going into its Monday night game against Dyersville Beckman.

That will be no pushover, considering Beckman (14-4) is ranked fifth in Class 2A.

Mount Vernon (13-4) moved up a spot from sixth to fifth in this week's 3A rankings. Iowa City West (4A), Western Christian (2A) and North Linn (1A) remain your other No. 1s.

West (14-1) was very impressive last week, blasting Cedar Rapids Kennedy by 30 points and Dubuque Senior, 77-63, despite not having three-year starting guard Devontae Lane for that latter game. He was assessed two technical fouls and ejected from the Kennedy game.

As always, 4A saw a ton of movement. Des Moines Hoover moved up from fifth to second, Waukee from sixth to third after another tumultuous week in which six of the top 10 lost.

The same 10 teams from last week remain ranked in 2A, though there was a bit of shuffling. That was caused by eighth-rated Pella Christian handing No. 9 Van Meter its first loss.

It's the identical 10 in Class 1A as well, with the same top five as last week.

Here are the entire rankings, with last week's rating in parentheses. This is the final week of the regular season for Class 1A and 2A schools.

CLASS 4A

1. Iowa City West 14-1 (1)

2. Des Moines Hoover 14-3 (5)

3. Waukee 15-3 (6)

4. Sioux City East 15-2 (3)

5. Dubuque Senior 14-3 (2)

6. Dubuque Hempstead 14-3 (10)

7. West Des Moines Valley 13-4 (NR)

8. West Des Moines Dowling 13-4 (4)

9. North Scott 13-4 (8)

10. Bettendorf 13-4 (7)

CLASS 3A

1. West Delaware 16-0 (2)

2. Waverly-Shell Rock 17-1 (1)

3. Pella 17-2 (3)

4. Mount Pleasant 16-2 (4)

5. Mount Vernon 13-4 (6)

6. Spirit Lake 15-3 (9)

7. Sioux City Heelan 11-5 (5)

8. Atlantic 12-5 (8)

9. Glenwood 12-5 (10)

10. Dallas Center-Grimes 12-5 (NR)

CLASS 2A

1. Western Christian 16-2 (1)

2. Carroll Kuemper 17-2 (2)

3. Osage 18-1 (5)

4. Garner-Hayfield-Ventura 18-1 (3)

5. Dyersville Beckman 14-4 (6)

6. Cascade 19-1 (7)

7. South Hamilton 17-2 (8)

8. Pella Christian 15-4 (9)

9. Van Meter 18-1 (4)

10. Dike-New Hartford 17-3 (10)

CLASS 1A

1. North Linn 19-0 (1)

2. Gladbrook-Reinbeck 17-2 (2)

3. Remsen St. Mary's 17-0 (3)

4. Ar-We-Va 20-0 (4)

5. Grand View Christian 19-1 (5)

6. Lynnville-Sully 18-1 (7)

7. Don Bosco 19-1 (8)

8. New London 16-2 (6)

9. West Fork 15-5 (10)

10. Boyden-Hull 12-7 (9)

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com