In 3A - Wahlert or the field
- Thread starter LukeFeddersen
- Start date
Not even a debate...the field....who's knows if Wahlert will have everyone healthy....if I knew for sure Wahlert
I'd say Wahlert again even though there are some really good 3A teams out there. Even with the injuries.
I was at the Wahlert/ICW game Tuesday night. If Wahlert plays with the same focus and intensity all tourney as they did the first half against ICW, no one will come within 10 points of them.
Playing 'down' a class at tourney time after taking all the bumps and bruises playing a majority 4A schedule all year is such an advantage for a few schools.
Pella, WSR an a few others have nice teams too, but they haven't faced the same type of schedule.
I was at the Wahlert/ICW game Tuesday night. If Wahlert plays with the same focus and intensity all tourney as they did the first half against ICW, no one will come within 10 points of them.
Playing 'down' a class at tourney time after taking all the bumps and bruises playing a majority 4A schedule all year is such an advantage for a few schools.
Pella, WSR an a few others have nice teams too, but they haven't faced the same type of schedule.
I think Wahlert could soon be healthy for the first time all season, and I don't think anyone in 3A can match them for talent, but they also have a bizarre way of self-destructing at times. I'll take the field, but it's close. If they are hot, I think Pella, Xavier, Waverly, Assumption and maybe one more like LeMars, Spirit Lake or Ft. Madison could take them out, but they'd have to shoot well over 50% and limit their turnovers. I think the teams that get to the Well in 3A are going to be considerably stronger, for the most part, than last year's teams. Heck, I didn't even mention good teams like Williamsburg and MOC-- that's how strong this field could be.
Because I saw what Wahlert did last year in the state tournament, with a not 100% Pemsl, I have to take them. They looked human during the first half of their 1st round game and most of their championship game, but still they made it look so easy.
The biggest problem with Le Mars that I see right now is that they bring 1 person off the bench (Sitzmann) that will give them good minutes, and even that is a stretch. I went to the Le Mars vs. Spirit Lake game and they brought one kid off the bench at the end of the half so a starter wouldn't pick up a 3rd foul (Schneider), another kid came in late in the game to give them a more physical defender (Ellefson, only played a minute or so), and the 3rd kid came in at the end to give them all good free throw shooters on the floor (Sitzmann). I know that the starting 5 is in tremendous shape and in the big games they don't come out (Western, Heelan & Spirit Lake), but making a deep run in the playoffs would require some quality bench minutes in my opinion. I hope they prove me wrong, because I think Dave Irwin is a heck of a coach and it would be nice for this bunch to get him his first State Tournament appearance, but I don't know if they will have enough in the tank to get there!
Sounds like a conversation I had Saturday night during the West game. You are absolutely right. If anyone gets in foul trouble (especially Borchers), it spells trouble. In Saturday's game, Le Mars led at the end of the 3rd quarter by 23. Borchers was pulled early in the 4th after picking up a technical, per coach's policy, didn't play the rest of the game. West started pressing and cut the lead to six. It got very dicey. Should be interesting to see how it all plays out!
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