Tournament Preview: Class 2A, Region 3

With the 2A tournament set to get underway on Saturday, February 9th, 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 3 bracket is posted below. <hr /> <span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><strong>The</strong></span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-size: 14pt"> Teams</span></span> </strong>Grundy Center (18-0) Saint Ansgar (16-4) Sumner-Fredricksburg (15-4) West Fork (15-5) Jesup (13-7) Wapsie Valley (11-9) Denver (10-10) BCLUW (9-9) Hudson (9-10) Central Springs (8-13) Lake Mills (8-13) Eagle Grove (2-18) <span style="text-decoration: underline;font-size: 14pt"><strong>The Favorite</strong></span> <strong>Grundy Center </strong>Grundy Center is looking to get back to Des Moines for a second year in a row. They are well set up to do so as they are the most experienced team in the state. Grundy Center starts five seniors and their first three players off the bench are generally seniors. They played a game earlier this year where no one other than a senior played. They are seriously set up for a run at the title. Their shooting percentages are through the roof. Senior <strong>Hannah Wallis</strong> is the leading point scorer in the region as she averages 16.9 points a game. <span style="text-decoration: underline;font-size: 14pt"><strong>The Sleepers</strong></span> <strong>Saint Ansgar </strong>Saint Ansgar is a little bit of a mixed bag. Having played West Fork twice this year thus giving us a good measuring stick, it is safe to say that this is a team that is going to get their shots up. They split against West Fork and beat them down in the first game. This is a team that has shot the ball 1,071 times which is tops in the region. They are going to shoot it and get to the line a good combination for an upset seeker. Sophomore <strong>Hali Anderson</strong> has scoring the ball at a 15.8 point per game clip and senior <strong>Jadyn Anderson </strong>has added in 14.3 points a game. A balanced scoring effort could lead them to the region finals. <strong>Sumner-Fredericksburg</strong> A very dangerous team who can beat anyone, but could be on the losing end against anyone, Sumner-Fredericksburg is peaking at the right time. They fell to Hudson earlier this year but got revenge in a 34-29 win. They are a balanced team who have the ability to put points up. A good 3-point shooting team, they have only put up 116 on the season. <strong>Cassidy Pagel</strong>, a junior, averages 13.9 points a game and 10.2 rebounds a game. Not far behind her is <strong>Ivy Hirsch</strong>, a senior who is averaging 13.1 points a game on 45.3 percent shooting. <strong>West Fork </strong>When their shots aren't falling, it is tough for West Fork to win. Thankfully for them, their shots have fallen more often than not as they only have five losses on the season. This isn't a team that is going to shoot the outside shot well as they are shooting just 19.2 percent from deep. They will look to get it inside and score in the paint. West Fork is outscoring their opponents by 7.9 points on the year. Junior <strong>Emily Caspers </strong>is scoring 15.3 points a game this season, without attempting a 3-point shot. Senior <strong>Morgan Meier</strong> has dished out 112 assists, top in the region. <span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><strong>The Outside Shot</strong></span></span><strong> </strong><strong>Jesup</strong> While they have struggled recently, I think that Jesup has the best chance to throw a wrench into the region. They have lost to Sumner-Fredericksburg twice, Denver, and Wapsie Valley from the region as well as Aplington-Parkersburg twice. I think that this is a team that since they have a bye could make it to the semi-finals, but there they would find Grundy Center. <strong>Emily Treptow</strong>, a senior has scored 303 points this year which is just three points behind the lead in the region. <span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></span></span> <strong>2019</strong> Hailey Wallis (Grundy Center) Emily Treptow (Jesup) Jadyn Anderson (Saint Ansgar) Ivy Hirsch (Sumner-Fredericksburg) Erin Riordan (Wapsie Valley) <strong>2020</strong> Emily Caspers (West Fork) Cassidy Pagel (Sumner-Fredericksburg) Madison Ubben (BCLUW) Jessa Gasteiger (Lake Mills) Kaci Beesecker (Wapsie Valley) <strong>2021</strong> Hali Anderson (Saint Ansgar) Brooklyn Hackbart (Saint Ansgar) Jessica Carolan (Hudson) Lea Friedl (Eagle Grove) Ari Lyman (Eagle Grove) <strong>2022</strong> Alivea Harms (Central Springs) Amanda Treptow (Jesup) Reese Johnson (Danver) Allison Engle (BCLUW) Maddie Hubka (West Fork)