Tournament Preview: Class 2A, Region 4

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 4 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>MFL MarMac (20-1) Cascade, Western Dubuque (19-1) Maquoketa Valley (18-2) Bellevue (17-3) East Buchanan (14-6) Alburnett (13-6) Belle Plaine (11-6) Beckman Catholic (10-9) South Winneshiek (8-10) Lisbon (9-13) Clayton Ridge (3-16) Postville (1-17) <span style="text-decoration: underline;font-size: 14pt"><strong>The Favorites</strong></span> <strong>MFL MarMac </strong>MFL MarMac is one of the two teams in this region that have only one loss this season. They are scoring 61.5 points a game this year and are outscoring their opponents by an average of 30.2 points a game. They aren't a team that will beat you from the outside, but they have the ability to hit shots from deep at a good clip. Junior <strong>Bailey Winter</strong> leads the team in scoring at 16.4 points a game and is shooting 46.7 percent from behind the line. <strong>Cascade, Western Dubuque </strong>Unlike MFL MarMac, Cascade doesn't score as much but they are still very good. They have made 111 3-pointers this season and that is the best in the region. Their defense is really solid as they allow just 32.1 points a game. They have a loss to Bellevue on the season as their only loss. They are led by <strong>Nicole</strong> <strong>McDermott</strong>, a junior as she scores 16.1 points per game. She has made 84.8 percent of her free throws. <strong>Maquoketa Valley </strong>Even though they have two losses on the season, Maquoketa Valley is the best scoring team in this region. They are scoring 62.9 points a game and have made 109 3-pointers. They are shooting the deep ball at 34 percent on the year and because of it have a great shot to win this region. Of the three teams that have the best shot to win, Maquoketa Valley has the best draw avoiding Cascade and MFL MarMac until the championship game. The region's leading scorer hails from Maquoketa Valley as senior <strong>Sam Wall</strong> is scoring 21.4 points a game. <strong>Ella Imler</strong> is a sophomore who has dished out 102 assists, 33 more than the next most in the region. <span style="text-decoration: underline;font-size: 14pt"><strong>The Sleeper</strong></span> <strong>Bellevue </strong>After starting 16-0, Bellevue has dropped three of their last four and are in a little bit of a slump. In those three losses they have scored 36 points or less in each game. For a team that is averaging 52.5 points a game on the season, that is very worrisome. Also in those three losses is a loss to Cascade, a team they split with this year. If they correct their downfalls, they could play spoiler in a potential matchup against Maquoketa Valley. <strong>Giana Michels</strong>, a senior, is scoring a ton this year and has shot 43 percent the floor to allow her to score 16.4 points a game. <span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><strong>The Outside Shot</strong></span></span><strong> </strong><strong>Alburnett </strong>With six losses on the season, Alburnett is probably the best of the three teams with six losses this year. They have fallen to Maquoketa Valley twice this season, split with East Buchanan and got beat by almost 50 points in the season opener against North Linn. They have a first round matchup with East Buchanan that will surely be a good game. <strong>Madison Osborn</strong>, a senior, is scoring 15.7 points a game this year <strong>East Buchanan</strong> Two losses to North Linn, and four losses to region foes, East Buchanan looks like a long shot to win their region. They have beaten Alburnett recently and score 58.4 points a game but struggle shooting the ball from distance. This year they are 92-of-442 from deep, not a great percentage. If they get down early, it is tough for them to be able to come back. They are led by junior <strong>Erica Hoffman</strong> as she puts up 15.7 points per game. <span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></span></span> <strong>2019</strong> Sam Wall (Maquoketa Valley) Giana Michels (Bellevue) Madison Osborn (Alburnett) Maddy Schuchman (Alburnett) Kenzie Mantz (Belle Plaine) <strong>2020</strong> Nicole McDermott (Cascade, Western Dubuque) Bailey Winter (MFL MarMac) Erica Hoffman (East Buchanan) Nicole Pettinger (East Buchanan) Lindsey Banowetz (Bellevue) <strong>2021</strong> Ali Hoffert (South Winneshiek) Ava Richardson (Lisbon) Ella Imler (Maquoketa Valley) Bethany Richardson (Lisbon) Teresa Paulsen (Bellevue) <strong>2022</strong> Riley Moreland (MFL MarMac) Lauren Donlea (East Buchanan) Kimberly Muncia (Postville) Ally Hoffman (Cascade, Western Dubuque) Lara Fox (East Buchanan)