Ready for ‘District of Death’

Quite frankly, they are good enough not to have to play Monday night.

But not only do Anamosa and Dyersville Beckman have to play a first-round Class 2A district boys' basketball game, they have to do so against each other.

It's doubtful you'll find a better double-header than what you'll see at Dyersville. Alburnett (14-6) and MFL/Mar-Mac (12-9) tip things off at 6:30, with Anamosa and Beckman following at about 8.

They are part of what is an almost unfair District 7.

'You never know what's going to happen with these things,” Beckman Coach Dan Correy said. 'I guess it's just more or less the luck of the draw. I'm sure Anamosa is saying the same thing.”

'It's two really good basketball teams,” Anamosa Coach Kevin Barnes said.

These clubs finished the regular season with so-so 13-8 records, but consider the competition they played. Both were part of the Wamac Conference's East Division, which features mostly Class 3A teams and a good 4A team in Western Dubuque.

Six of Beckman's losses were to 3As, with the others against Western Dubuque and to 2A sixth-ranked Cascade. Anamosa lost to Western Dubuque, five 3A teams and twice to Beckman, but beat Cascade and is the only team to beat 3A fourth-rated Williamsburg.

Bottom line is this is a district final quality game. Monticello (19-2) and Clayton Ridge (18-3) - which has won 14 games in a row - earned first-round byes and await Monday night's winners.

Clayton Ridge gets either Beckman or Anamosa, Monticello the MFL-Alburnett winner Thursday night at Beckman. Every coach in what you could call the 'District of Death” wonders why the Iowa High School Athletic Association put so many good teams together instead of shifting things around.

Geography is the presumed answer, with schools like Monticello, Anamosa, Beckman and Cascade (in corresponding District 8) so close together. Coaches believe it wouldn't have been difficult to slide one or two of those teams elsewhere, whether that meant north or south.

'Yeah, it sure seems unfair,” Barnes said. 'When the state decided to wait to put districts together and not do it in the preseason, it was supposedly to identify who the better teams were. That such a large contingency of good teams are grouped together, that's a little frustrating.”

'Unfortunately you can't do anything about it,” Correy said.

Beckman beat Anamosa in the regular season by scores of 73-71 and 64-56.

There are 2A first-round games across the state Monday night and a few 'pigtail” first-round district games in Class 1A. Second-round district games in both classes are Thursday.

Regular-season conference champions around the area were Cascade (River Valley North), Iowa City Regina (River Valley South), Bellevue Marquette (Tri-Rivers East), North Linn (Tri-Rivers West), Belle Plaine (South Iowa Cedar), Clayton Ridge (Upper Iowa Large) and West Central (Upper Iowa Small).

With a week left in their regular seasons, Western Dubuque and Williamsburg have clinched the East and West divisions of the Wamac Conference.

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