2023 Rivalry Saturday Preview
This past week and a half has been the official start to the girls high school basketball season throughout Iowa. In that start, we have already had some intense matchups and close contests with some interesting results. It’s only been…
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Continue ReadingThis past week and a half has been the official start to the girls high school basketball season throughout Iowa. In that start, we have already had some intense matchups and close contests with some interesting results. It’s only been a week but you can tell that this season is going to be a wild one to say the least.
One of the best events of the year, put on by the HC of Maquoketa Valley Scot Moenck, will take place tomorrow at Kirkwood’s campus in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This event will feature 16 teams from across the state of Iowa. Every team competing is either favorited to win the State Title for their Class or they are seriously considered a top competitor in their perspective Class. Either way, they are legitimate.
In the article below, I have featured all of the matchups of the day, what time they take place, and a brief write up about each. The first game will kick off at 9:15 AM and last will tip at 8:30 PM, giving us a full day of competitive and riveting basketball. There are a lot of contests here that are eye-catching because of the personal each roster holds and the ability of each team. If everyone plays to their full potential, it’s going to be a memorable day of hoops.
Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!
Cascade (0-0) vs Springville (0-1) – 9:15 AM
We start off the day with a matchup where I’m not exactly sure what you are going to get. There is a possibility that either of these teams start off the day hot and runs away with it or it may be a tough defensive battle, where buckets are hard to come by. I’m not sure but I know that both teams are going to come out with a ton of energy to start. Coming off of the Thanksgiving holiday can sometimes be rough but both of these coaching staffs have prepared their players and are ready to see what they can do. This early on in the season, it can’t hurt to see what you need to work on as a program so any action like this is a positive.
Monticello (1-0) vs Maquoketa Valley (0-0) – 10:50 AM
Smart. Efficient. Calculated. These are all terms that you hear used when referring to the girls basketball programs at Monticello and Maquoketa Valley High School. Both groups pride themselves on the treacherous preparation and notice to detail that they take into consideration while ramping up for their seasons. The best way to put it is, this one is going to be a chess match. A battle between two teams and coaching staffs, each possession, to see who can get the competitive edge. I’m not sure who is going to come out victorious but whoever it is, is going to show everyone watching that they are serious this season in their Class. That they are ready to go no matter the location, date, or opponent and that is something we can all respect.
Estherville-Lincoln Central (1-0) vs Western Dubuque (1-1) – 12:25 PM
One of the top scorers throughout the entire state of Iowa will be at this event competing with her Estherville Lincoln Central High School team. While Western Dubuque is prepared for a successful year after coming off of a season that created a lot of learning experiences for everyone on the roster. This game is one of the more intriguing contests of the day in my opinion because you don’t really know what is going to happen. Not in the slightest. ELC has D2 commit Haylee Stokes Haylee Stokes 5'6" | PG Estherville Lincoln Central | 2025 State IA , while Western Dubuque has NDSU commit Karrington Asp Karrington Asp 6'2" | PF Western Dubuque | 2025 State IA . Two players that will be competing at a high-level of ball once this season comes to a close. If those two show up, for their perspective squads, then this could turn into heated battled rather quickly but right now that is too early to tell so we will just have to wait and see what happens after tip.
Linn-Mar (1-0) vs Marion (0-0) – 2:00 PM
I don’t want to call this game a rivalry game but it definitely has the feel of that sort-of contest going into it. Both of these programs come from the same area and put together a decent season a year ago. They will both come into this contest looking to show who is boss and win convincingly. Something that is more then possible for each team when looking at this matchup on paper. The director of this event did a great job pairing up these teams to compete against one another throughout this event and this game is no different.
Mount Vernon (0-0) vs Maquoketa (2-0) – 3:35 PM
One of the top games of the day from a college-level personal perspective is between Mount Vernon and Maquoketa. Mount Vernon comes into this season as a dark horse throughout their Class while Maquoketa has hit the ground running, starting the year 2-0 with some impressive wins. It’s clear that both of these programs are trending upward and have been for a year or two. If they stay on track and take care of the job in front of them, not only will this be a high-light game of Rivalry weekend but it’ll open the eyes to a lot of future opponents that may be paying attention from afar. All in all, this should be a good one.
Pleasant Valley (0-0) vs Ankeny Centennial (1-0) – 5:20 PM
PV is going to be one of the most intriguing teams to watch this season. Coming off of their first state title in school history, the Spartans have reloaded and are prepared for another big run once the playoffs start at the beginning of 2024. It’s not going to be so easy though. To start this season they will have one of their biggest tests of the year in the form of Ankeny Centennial. The Jaguars are a crew that the Spartans and everyone need to take seriously this winter. They possess multiple D1 commits and have a great coaching staff to back them when it comes to the strategic part of the game. They are going to be a team that makes some waves come playoff times and the state tournament. They made it to Des Moines last season and will be looking to repeat that again this time around. As for this contest though, we are going to see what everyone is made out of, that’s for sure.
Dike-New Hartford (1-0) vs Solon (1-0) – 6:55 PM
The DNH VS Solon matchup of this event is going to feature the top two teams of the 2A and 3A Class’s to begin this season. The Wolverines are coming off of a state title at the 2A level, while the Spartans are returning off of a State Tournament appearance themselves. Both teams will have had a few games under their belt at this point and will be looking to make a statement in this event. It is very early on in the season so you should only take things at face value but this matchup is going to be an important one down the road in retrospect. As long as both teams compete, this one should be a close contest in the end.
North Linn (1-0) vs Clear Creek Amana (0-0) – 8:30 PM
The last game tipping off for the day is between the North Linn Lynx and the CCA Clippers. Both teams are highly ranked in their perspective Class going into this season and they are trying to build on that. These are two more rosters that possess personal who will compete at the collegiate level once their high school days come to an end but in this one, it’s going to come down to which coaching staff uses their players in the most efficient way. If you have seen either of these teams play in the past few years, they both like to push pace and really pressure their opponents into some bad decisions. It’ll be interesting how this one will play out but it is sure to be another contest that is telling as to what each program is looking to do this season against an elite opponent.