East, North host 4A substate semifinals tonight
By Jerry GieseJournal sports writer | Posted: Friday, February 22, 2008
Eighth-ranked Council Bluffs Lewis Central hasn't been beaten since falling 71-63 to East on Jan. 5 in the CNOS Foundation Basketball Classic at the Tyson Events Center.
Lewis Central (21-2) enters tonight's 7 o'clock Class 4A substate semifinal at East (16-5) with a 14-game winning streak. Meanwhile, North (15-6) will host Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln (7-14) in another semi, also beginning at 7 p.m.
The winners will meet in the substate finals next Tuesday. If either of the Sioux City teams win, the game will be played at the Tyson Events Center, but if both Abraham Lincoln and Lewis Central win, the final will be at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs.
East and Lewis Central each feature effective inside games.
When the two met earlier, Carlos Perez, a 6-8 senior, scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Titans while 6-8 Augustana College recruit Eric Jorgensen recorded 27 points and 11 boards for East.
Lewis Central also features 6-7 senior Marcos Perez, who, like his brother, scores at a 13-point clip. Keenan Lindsey, the Titans' outside shooting leader, averages 19 points, but scored 13 against the Black Raiders, seven from the free throw line.
Lindsey was limited to 3-for-14 shooting thanks to the defense of 6-foot junior Taylor Pollow.
"Lewis Central is about the same as us," said East Coach Jeff Vanderloo. "They have a good inside/outside game and can go a lot of different directions.
"We've shown that we can score in a lot of ways. I like to believe teams can pick their poison on us.
"We've shot the ball well, other than the Heelan game. We're OK in transition, we can score off the glass, we can hit from the outside. We're kind of diversified."
Jorgensen leads the Black Raiders with averages of 18.9 points and 10.5 rebounds. Jordan Gentry, a 5-11 junior, has a 12.0 mark, joining Pollow (11.0) and 6-3 senior Dane Larson (9.9) as effective outside shooters.
North, which tied East for second place in the Missouri River Activities Conference with 7-3 records, swept the season series against Abraham Lincoln.
Alex Walker, a 6-6 junior, scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a 50-36 win Dec. 4. Walker tallied 23 points while 6-4 junior Nick Tillo added 15 points in a 72-50 win on Jan. 22.
Walker leads the team with a 13-point scoring average. North's balanced offense also includes 6-3 senior Brian Wanner (12.2), 6-1 sophomore Damek Tomscha (11.5) and Tillo (8.2).
"We've played better competition the last part of the year," said North Coach John Vanderloo. "I thought we stepped up to the plate and played well against Waukee and Marshall (Minn.), but against East, we didn't play as well as we had.
"We have to start with more intensity. One thing we have going for us, we've come with the right mindset to practice and games, by being aggressive.
"Second, we've concentrated on rebounding. Defense and rebounding will give us a chance to win the game."
Tyler Johnson, Abraham Lincoln's leader with a 14.5 scoring average, scored 13 points in the December loss to North in Council Bluffs. He didn't play in the rematch at North.
Lewis Central (21-2) enters tonight's 7 o'clock Class 4A substate semifinal at East (16-5) with a 14-game winning streak. Meanwhile, North (15-6) will host Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln (7-14) in another semi, also beginning at 7 p.m.
The winners will meet in the substate finals next Tuesday. If either of the Sioux City teams win, the game will be played at the Tyson Events Center, but if both Abraham Lincoln and Lewis Central win, the final will be at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs.
East and Lewis Central each feature effective inside games.
When the two met earlier, Carlos Perez, a 6-8 senior, scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Titans while 6-8 Augustana College recruit Eric Jorgensen recorded 27 points and 11 boards for East.
Lewis Central also features 6-7 senior Marcos Perez, who, like his brother, scores at a 13-point clip. Keenan Lindsey, the Titans' outside shooting leader, averages 19 points, but scored 13 against the Black Raiders, seven from the free throw line.
Lindsey was limited to 3-for-14 shooting thanks to the defense of 6-foot junior Taylor Pollow.
"Lewis Central is about the same as us," said East Coach Jeff Vanderloo. "They have a good inside/outside game and can go a lot of different directions.
"We've shown that we can score in a lot of ways. I like to believe teams can pick their poison on us.
"We've shot the ball well, other than the Heelan game. We're OK in transition, we can score off the glass, we can hit from the outside. We're kind of diversified."
Jorgensen leads the Black Raiders with averages of 18.9 points and 10.5 rebounds. Jordan Gentry, a 5-11 junior, has a 12.0 mark, joining Pollow (11.0) and 6-3 senior Dane Larson (9.9) as effective outside shooters.
North, which tied East for second place in the Missouri River Activities Conference with 7-3 records, swept the season series against Abraham Lincoln.
Alex Walker, a 6-6 junior, scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a 50-36 win Dec. 4. Walker tallied 23 points while 6-4 junior Nick Tillo added 15 points in a 72-50 win on Jan. 22.
Walker leads the team with a 13-point scoring average. North's balanced offense also includes 6-3 senior Brian Wanner (12.2), 6-1 sophomore Damek Tomscha (11.5) and Tillo (8.2).
"We've played better competition the last part of the year," said North Coach John Vanderloo. "I thought we stepped up to the plate and played well against Waukee and Marshall (Minn.), but against East, we didn't play as well as we had.
"We have to start with more intensity. One thing we have going for us, we've come with the right mindset to practice and games, by being aggressive.
"Second, we've concentrated on rebounding. Defense and rebounding will give us a chance to win the game."
Tyler Johnson, Abraham Lincoln's leader with a 14.5 scoring average, scored 13 points in the December loss to North in Council Bluffs. He didn't play in the rematch at North.
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