More scores from Monday evening:
Dyersville Beckman 82, Solon 64
Camanche 78, Anamosa 40
Janesville 62, Gladbrook-Reinbeck 50
Mason City 73, West Hancock 47
Oskaloosa 62, Chariton 52
Pella Christian 71, West Marshall 54
Rock Valley 58, Sheldon 56 in a squeaker
Sergeant Bluff- Luten 60, CB Thos. Jeff 41
Tri-Center 71, Shenandoah 34
Van Meter 48, Winterset 46--Notable score between two powers
West Branch 57, Mid Prairie 55 in OT
West Sioux 86, Dakota Valley 43
To reply to Cheese2- All good points re: Dub. Wahlert. They are a school of 475 students (four years) playing in a league of huge 4A schools, many top-rated, plus a few top 3A schools, resulting in a suicide schedule. The Eagles have three excellent senior players, all guards, and a really, really weak junior class with no tall or especially talented players. When Wahlert joined the MVC many years ago, they were 1800 students. Now, they are smaller, but holding, and the talent pool has definitely shifted to Senior and Hempstead. Some of the Hempstead and Senior stars have attended Mazzuchelli Catholic Middle School, the main Wahlert feeder school, but their families have a tradition of transfering to public schools in 9th grade, which is fine. Aside from the Pemsl- Till, etc. class that went through the system a few years back, Wahlert has had a losing season in basketball seven of the last ten years. Most people don't realize that. They have a good freshman-sophomore talent pool with tall kids coming up, but even they have a losing record at this juncture. Yes, I do see them joining the Wamac in a few years if the losing seasons keep piling up. Wamac teams like Marion and Mt. Vernon have knocked Wahlert out of the last two state tournaments. This year their projected substate could have Assumption, Xavier, Marion, Central DeWitt, Mt. Vernon and Wahlert all bunched together- as has happened in the past, but the IHSAA could not possibly let that happen again (I hope). I don't see CR Xavier joining the Wamac or moving down because they are a larger school in a much larger metropolitan area, with a strong talent pool. Wahlert does not "choose to play up and then step down for the 3A tourney." It is what the IHSAA mandates. The only way Wahlert can be successful going forward is if they play much more aggressive defense and hope/wait for the talent pool to improve. Enough said. Wahlert's a great academic school, but the reality is that the vast majority of the top athletes in the city/area are at the public schools.