Published: February 20, 2009 08:57 am      

Postseason hardwood action heats up for area teams

Well, here we are headlong into postseason basketball and the stakes are getting higher.

Area teams now need to show their mettle by getting hot at the right time. While the hopes of some have been dashed, the dream of a state tournament berth is alive and well for others.

In girls play, Northeast surprised some by taking out Big East Conference champion Camanche on Saturday. The Rebels then defeated Wilton and now will face Tipton tonight in a regional final.

The Clinton River Queens snapped a 16-game losing streak in their first playoff test with a decisive 51-27 win over Dubuque Hempstead. Things get considerably tougher for the River Queens as they travel to Marion Saturday to take on top-ranked Linn-Mar. The Lions are undefeated this season and are set on a state championship.

Central DeWitt pulled off the upset of Davenport Assumption on Wednesday by limiting the Knights to just two fourth-quarter points.

Now on to the boys brackets.

Irish, Trojans hope to set up rematch

For the first time in a while, the area failed to produce a state qualifying team on the Iowa side last season. Preston came close with a substate loss to Burlington Notre Dame, but it was not in the cards as the Nikes advanced.

This season, the Trojans hope to punch their ticket to the state tournament for the first time since 1999. The inside duo of Brady Oldag and Derrick Trenkamp are formidable. Preston and Bellevue Marquette will do battle on Tuesday in a district semifinal. The Trojans have defeated the Mohawks twice this season, but it is very difficult to beat a team three times in one season.

On the other side of the district, Prince of Peace will face Calamus-Wheatland Tuesday hoping to set up a rematch of last season’s district final with Preston.

That game went down to the wire and was decided on 3-pointer by Mark DeVries at the buzzer to send the Trojans past the Irish. This season, the Irish are led by senior guard Drew Sikkema and junior forward Sean Mulholland. Add the Nelson twins (James and John) to the mix and the Irish have a good core of veterans that will challenge the Trojans.

River Kings draw Blue Devils

The Clinton River Kings will face a familiar opponent on Monday when they travel to Davenport to take on the Central Blue Devils. It will be the third time the teams have met this season and the second time in 72 hours.

The River Kings are playing well right now and the last time they played Central they gave the Blue Devils all they could handle, falling by only two points. The inside game of Matt Murphy and Alonzo Greenslade have sparked Clinton on their recent hot streak.

The winner between the River Kings and the Blue Devils will face Bettendorf on Friday, Feb. 27. The Bulldogs are playing some of the best basketball in the state right now and have their sights set on Des Moines. Having the game at home, further strengthens Bettendorf’s chances of advancing.

Sabers start with Knights

In class 3A, Central DeWitt starts with Davenport Assumption on Monday. The Knights finished 10-10 while playing in the Mississippi Athletic Conference, while the Sabers went 13-8 in the WaMac. With the game on their home floor, Central DeWitt hopes to get the edge on Assumption.

Weston Ketelsen has been the driving force all year for the Sabers’ balanced scoring attack and first-year coach Jeff Frick.

The winner of this matchup will face the winner of Mount Vernon/Anamosa, two WaMac rivals that the Sabers have already defeated this season.

Steamers face Pearl City

In Illinois, Fulton starts with Pearl City at Mount Carroll, Ill. on Monday at 7:30 p.m.

The Steamers were given a four seed in the Lanark Regional, while Pearl City is a five seed.

The winner of this game will go on to face Annawan, which received a first-round bye.

Fulton is led by a physical inside game and looks to pound it inside to Eric Geronzin, Tyler Renkes and Andrew Weaks. Joel Ankrom and Joe Tomman provide a backcourt presence for the Steamers.

Mustangs hope for big run

Morrison will begin their postseason with a regional game with Riverdale at Port Byron. The two teams will meet at 8 p.m. on Wednesday with the winner going on to face the winner between Rock Falls and West Carroll or Sterling Newman.

Morrison received a two seed, while the Rams are seeded third.

Jason Smith is the driving force for the Mustangs and the supporting cast is athletic and physical.

While the teams still in contention continue to shrink, the basketball will only get better as we go along and I, for one, cannot wait for the next game.

Jay Rickertsen is the assistant sports editor at the Clinton Herald and can be reached at jay@clintonherald.com