Region 1: Johnson over DM Roosevelt
The reign of Johnston continues—another one-seed, undefeated regular season and another breakout star in Sophomore Ari Phillips. She joins Jenica Lewis and Amani Jenkins to make for another scary dragons team. Most CIML teams thought this could be the year they could touch Johnston, and some nearly did, but they are nationally recognized for a reason. While I like what head coach Ronnie Lewis has been able to develop with the Roughriders, particularly with Junior Keke Walker, it seems it won’t be enough to stop Johnston.

Score prediction: Johnston wins in a blowout 67-30.

Region 2: Dowling Catholic beats Bettendorf
Truthfully, I think Bettendorf got unlucky with this draw. They have been sneaky good all year, yet they get stuck having to be in the same region as a great Dowling Catholic. An 18-3 record is slightly deceiving, as two of the losses were to Johnston, however both in single digits. If you were to ask me the MVP of class 5A, it would have to be Ellie Muller, averaging sixteen and a half points from over 56% from the field, and it seems impossible to slow her down.

Score prediction: Maroons fly high with a win 61-44.

Region 3: Waukee Northwest over Ankeny

This is one of the more intriguing regions to me, as NW swept Ankeny, but the second game seemed like the Hawkettes were able to slow down Coach Sam Powell’s offense. Ankeny has been shown to ride momentum a lot more than other teams, and with a win against Sioux City East, I think they could come in and keep pace. If Ankeny can get double digits from Senior Savannah Gage or Junior Ainsley Kiene, this game could very well go in the Hawkette’s favor, but I have to give the edge to Northwest.

Score prediction: NW wins a close one, 61-57.

Region 4: Centennial over Ottumwa

This region is probably the weakest one there is. To me, the most interesting match is the two-three between SEP and Ottumwa. While Polk is under .500, they play in one of the toughest conferences versus a 13-7 Ottumwa. I’m not particularly high on Southeast Polk, so I am giving the edge to Ottumwa, but either way, Centennial will get an easy win to go down to the Well.

Score prediction: Jaguars easily win, 47-25.

Region 5: Iowa City West over Cedar Rapids Prairie

This bracket is so much fun. I love both of these teams. Both were not predicted to do much, yet they are both in the top 15 in the class. Prairie won the last time these two played, but I like the Trojans here. The Hawks have had some miscues, and with West looking for revenge after a weak night from their main scorers in Junior Grace Fincham and Sophomore Sasha Baldwin, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them explode.

Score Prediction: Trojans pick up the upset, 59-50.

Region 6: Pleasant Valley over Waukee

Waukee is a solid team, but they have had some weak competition outside the conference. Not only that, they have only had to travel outside the metro once, which makes an impact. Those long bus drives can level out your excitement. Plus, having to play a great duo in Seniors Quinn Vice and Reagan Pagiano, who average 18 and 15, respectively. I don’t see a way Waukee can pull off the major upset, so I’m giving the edge to the Spartans.

Score Prediction: Waukee keeps it close, but the Spartans pull away in the 4th, 72-59.

Region 7: Cedar Falls over Davenport North

If one thing is universal for state playoffs, it’s that depth is a requirement. That is much more the case for Cedar Falls, where Davenport’s third-highest scorer only averages eight points, and there is not much more behind her. Cedar Falls has a similar case, but there is more behind her. This game won’t be decided by the star players in Journey Houston and Karis Finley, but rather by how deep each team is.

Score Prediction: Tigers get the ticket, 59-52.

Region 8: Iowa City Liberty over Iowa City High

The battle for Iowa City. The one time these two met in the regular season, Liberty was able to win a close one. I expect something similar. Both teams have been red-hot all season but have been slipping as of late. While depth is key, I think the overall star power of liberty is enough to beat the Little Hawks.

Score prediction: Lightning strikes twice, 61-55.