Tournament Preview: Class 1A, Region 6

With the 1A tournament set to get underway on Thursday, February 7th, we are going to be breaking down each region with in depth analysis. We will cover who you should watch for, the teams that could come out of nowhere, and of course, the bracket buster candidate. We will also list five players from each class that you need to keep an eye on throughout the bracket as they can really change the game in a hurry. The complete Region 6 bracket is posted below.

The Teams
Seymour (17-0)
Lamoni (14-4)
Diagonal (12-4)
North Mahaska (12-4)
Murray (12-7)
Stanton (11-10)
Bedford (9-8)
Southeast Warren, Liberty Center (9-10)
Lenox (8-11)
Essex (4-13)
Mormon Trail, Garden Grove (3-12)
South Page (2-16)
East Union (0-20)

The Favorite
Seymour
Unbeaten on the year, Seymour has to be the favorite for an appearance in the State Championships. They are blowing their opponents out of the water as their closest win has been just nine points. Their next closet win is 21 points. This is an experienced squad and one that is very dangerous. Their five starters are seniors, and they are looking to win a title. They’ve played two games against Lamoni, and beaten them by a combined 51 points. The senior trio of Acey Jellsion, Riley Jewett, and Hannah Hinners are leading the team with a balanced attack. All three are between 12.4 and 11.5 points a game this year.

The Sleepers
Lamoni
Lamoni has four losses on the season, and two of them have came at the hands of Seymour. They have the potential to knock them off though. They just need to play a lot better when they meet again, if they meet again. Lamoni has been playing well as of late and they are hoping that it carries over into the tournament. They are led in scoring by freshman Abrielle Martin who is second in the region at scoring the ball at a 17.7 points per game clip.

North Manhaska
This is a team that hasn’t played anyone in this region and their four losses have been to top teams. They have lost to Lynnville-Sully twice and Montezuma twice. North Manhaska is a team that has a ton of solid players but rarely goes more than seven or eight deep. They are scoring 53.8 points a game this year which is good for second most in the region. Junior Kassidi Steel is scoring 16.5 points a game to lead the team.

The Outside Shots
Diagonal
Only allowing their opponent to top 50 points once this season, Diagonal is a team that is fun to watch and has the ability to lock you down. They aren’t going to outscore you in a run-and-gun scheme, but will slow you down and force bad shots. Diagonal has only taken 719 shots on the season which is the lowest amount in the region. Senior Emily Newton has scored 16.3 points a game and fellow senior Bailey Taylor is bringing down 9.4 rebounds a game.

Players to Watch

2019
Bre Klein (Murray)
Emily Newton (Diagonal)
Acey Jellison (Seymour)
Riley Jewett (Seymour)
Hannah Hinners (Seymour)

2020
Kassidi Steel (North Mahaska)
Erin Sobotka (Diagonal)
Kami Tibben (Stanton)
Emma Tyrrel (North Mahaska)
Leslie Guyer (Lamoni)

2021
TJ Stoaks (Lenox)
Jessalee Neihart (South Page)
Skylar Watsabaugh (Mormon Trail, Garden Grove)
Hope Ogletree (Stanton)
Darcy Davis (Bedford)

2022
Abrielle Martin (Lamoni)
Josie Hartman (Southeast Warren, Liberty Center)
Kaylin Lack (East Union)
Layla Hargis (North Mahaska)
Cheyanne Sunderman (South Page)