Little Hawkeye Conference

[HawkPT]

PC went into Newton last night and emerged with a victory.

It didn't look like it would happen for quite awhile though. After trailing 15-17 at the Q1 break, Newton broke out for 24 points in the second quarter and took an 11-point lead into the break. Newton dominated the boards in Q2; a majority of their points came on second chance opportunities.

After extending the lead to 13 early in the 3rd quarter, PC put on a full-court press that seemed to increase their energy level. They clawed back to tie it early in the 4th quarter and pulled away late. PC can credit the win to a much better defensive effort in the 2nd half. After giving up 24 in Q2, they held Newton to 23 in the second half.

There were some fireworks with about 14 seconds to play. PC led by 4 with the ball when it was discovered that a Newton player who had fouled out had re-entered the game. Newton was assessed a technical foul, and an assistant coach got another technical for throwing his clipboard. The Newton coaches claimed that they hadn't been informed that their player had fouled out, but their own official scorekeeper told them she held up 5 fingers to the home bench when he was removed from the game earlier.

PC ended with a 68-62 win and left with second place in the conference to themselves. That was a big win because Newton had run the table in the second half of conference play. They had won 7 straight since their loss at PC, including a 23-point win at Pella.

Newton is a very good team despite the fact that they only are 6-7 deep. They definitely haven't worn down like many (including myself) thought they would. It will be interesting to see how they compete in their 4A substate. I really think they can make some noise; I hope they do.

 

[HawkPT]

Osky hosts DC-G tonight in a weather postponed game, which will be the last LHC contest of 2016-17. All other teams are in the clubhouse, and here are the standings:

Pella: 12-2 (19-2)
PC: 10-4 (17-4)
Newton: 9-5 (14-5)
DC-G: 7-6 (12-7)
Norwalk: 6-8 (10-10)
Osky: 5-8 (11-8)
Grinnell: 5-9 (9-11)
Indianola: 1-13 (2-18)

DC-G took Pella to 3OT on Friday night before falling by 7. Norwalk avenged a beating from earlier in the conference schedule by winning at Grinnell, 75-69.

It was a fun year in the Little Hawkeye Conference, but, as expected, the experienced, senior-dominated teams - Pella, PC, & Newton - came out on top.

Surprise team of the year: DC-G.

Early prediction for teams to beat in 2017-18: Norwalk and Oskaloosa.

 

[mylameusername]

Thanks for the updates HawkPT! From reading the recaps, it was a very competitive year in the conference.

Just my opinion, I think your Eagles have the best shot of advancing the farthest. I would think they make state, but tough to tell how things stack up once they get there.

I am curious to see how Pella does in the tournament. Just my opinion, I can see them making it to state - but wouldn't surprise me either if they came up short. Even if they made it, I would guess the teams in E/NE Iowa are likely stronger.

 

[HawkPT]

PC has a favorable path to state, but you never know what happens in a one and done format. They will face no teams that they have played this year, which I believe is more often an advantage for the better team.

Pella finds ways to win when they don't play their best. That's what good teams with senior leaders do. They have teams very familiar with them in their substate, though, so we'll see.

 

[HawkPT]

Oskaloosa handled DC-G in the make-up game, so here are the final standings in the Little Hawkeye Conference:

Pella: 12-2
PC: 10-4
Newton: 9-5
DC-G: 7-7
Norwalk: 6-8
Osky: 6-8
Grinnell: 5-9
Indianola: 1-13

DC-G continues to struggle. After the loss to Osky, the also lost against Urbandale. After starting 9-0, they've finished 3-9. I think Boone is the team to beat in that 3A substate now, but we'll see.

Newton manhandled ADM in the final regular season game of the year, and Grinnell won against Mount Vernon, which was a bit of a surprise. The fact that Grinnell, the 7th team in the 8-team conference, has won at Mount Vernon and Cedar Rapids Washington (I know they're not great) this year is more evidence of the strength of the conference.

 

[mylameusername]

WEAK conference ...Mt Pleasant DESTROYS Osky in substate 70-40...Bunch of bad teams beating each other

I don't see how you can call it a bad conference when 3 of its members already made it to state (the final eight), with a possibility of a fourth member making it to state. Combine that with two teams making it to substate, that's pretty dang impressive in my book.

If you really think it's that weak of a conference, feel free to point me to other conferences and their teams that have fared better so far.

 

[Bulldog198240]

I don't see how you can call it a bad conference when 3 of its members already made it to state (the final eight), with a possibility of a fourth member making it to state. Combine that with two teams making it to substate, that's pretty dang impressive in my book.

If you really think it's that weak of a conference, feel free to point me to other conferences and their teams that have fared better so far.

....I agree ....got a little ahead of myself when I saw that score....how did Mt. Pleasant destroy them that bad?

 

[thorntm1]

....I agree ....got a little ahead of myself when I saw that score....how did Mt. Pleasant destroy them that bad?

Osky got beat in every phase of the game. You name it, Mt. P did it better. Coach spent way too much time officiating and not enough coaching.

 

[HawkPT]

I don't see how you can call it a bad conference when 3 of its members already made it to state (the final eight), with a possibility of a fourth member making it to state. Combine that with two teams making it to substate, that's pretty dang impressive in my book.

If you really think it's that weak of a conference, feel free to point me to other conferences and their teams that have fared better so far.

The team that finished tied for 5th in the conference, Oskaloosa, made it to the 3A substate final. The team that finished 7th, Grinnell, lost by two in the 3A substate final to Pella (ranked in the top three) after beating Norwalk, the team that finished tied with Oskaloosa for 5th in the conference.

So far, only two of the eight LHC teams have been knocked out of tournament play by teams not in the LHC.

How did MtP kill Osky? I wasn't there, but I'm guessing that it's because they're pretty darn good and Osky, while talented, has had some difficulty with consistency. It sounds like the bigs got in foul trouble in the first half, which I'm sure didn't help. Just because the LHC is good doesn't mean that there aren't other great teams in the state.

 

[GatorBait1988]

Probably just upset that MP isn't getting any love for playing the likes of Keokuk, Fairfield, Fort Madison, Washington, Burlington, Central Lee, Ottumwa, and Chariton.

MP is a solid team and I am the opposite of a lot of people on here, I believe that playing an easier schedule (if done correctly) can help you with sustaining stamina at the end of the season. Teams that play in the LHC will be worn down by the time they get to Wells, which I believe will come back and bite them.

 

[mylameusername]

....I agree ....got a little ahead of myself when I saw that score....how did Mt. Pleasant destroy them that bad?

I think Bulldog does have bit of truth in there too though. Similar to Gator's post, except for PC, I don't think Pella or DCG makes much of a splash at state. The E or NE teams (Waverly, Xavier, MtP, possibly WD) are likely better at this point.

 

[HawkPT]

I think Bulldog does have bit of truth in there too though. Similar to Gator's post, except for PC, I don't think Pella or DCG makes much of a splash at state. The E or NE teams (Waverly, Xavier, MtP, possibly WD) are likely better at this point.

Yes, that's possible. The thing is that Pella has a knack for coming out on the right side of close games. From the semifinal football win against Xavier on, no one feels comfortable against Pella until the final buzzer sounds. They just have the ability to play good enough to be in every game and then beat teams in the end. Last night, they trailed by 6 with under 3 minutes to play, and I don't think anyone was surprised when they won. That's been the story of their year. Pella may very well lose in the state tournament, but they will definitely go out with a huge fight.

DC-G, on the other hand, will likely be a low seed and lose by 10-15 in the first round. I haven't checked on BCMoore, but they probably had the easiest path to the 3A state tournament.

I'm excited to see how Newton does tonight against Johnston. I think they have a pretty good chance to win that game and make the 4A field. Pella's only losses, then, would be to a 2A and a 4A state qualifier.

 

[HawkPT]

Probably just upset that MP isn't getting any love for playing the likes of Keokuk, Fairfield, Fort Madison, Washington, Burlington, Central Lee, Ottumwa, and Chariton.

MP is a solid team and I am the opposite of a lot of people on here, I believe that playing an easier schedule (if done correctly) can help you with sustaining stamina at the end of the season. Teams that play in the LHC will be worn down by the time they get to Wells, which I believe will come back and bite them.

Getting worn down is a possibility with a grind of a schedule, and teams can use a light schedule to their advantage. However, I'm of the opinion that facing tough competition is more likely to be beneficial than facing weak competition in preparation for tournament play.

 

[GatorBait1988]

Pella also didn't shoot well last night in the first half and was still leading. I will agree, Pella just knows how to win.....at everything. Most of Pella's basketball team played football as well, so, a long football season, mixed with playing a tough regular season in basketball could spell disaster at the Well.

 

[HawkPT]

Sounds to me like you're just preparing yourself for the responses you'd get if they lose, GatorBait. Hedging your bets a bit can be a smart move.

 

[GatorBait1988]

Sounds to me like you're just preparing yourself for the responses you'd get if they lose, GatorBait. Hedging your bets a bit can be a smart move.

I'm just a realist. This senior class has won 3 state football titles in a row and made to state for basketball at least twice. Long seasons call for some tired kids, especially when you're facing the best competition. I would definitely like to see Pella win, but in all reality, it will be a monumental task.

 

[Boltup]

Four of the eight on to State! Covers 2A, 3A, and 4A. Hard to argue how good/tough this conference is...

 

[HawkPT]

A

Four of the eight on to State! Covers 2A, 3A, and 4A. Hard to argue how good/tough this conference is...

And two more were knocked out by LHC teams. Only two of the 8 lost to another conference team in district and substate play.