No. 1 Rock Valley height against No. 5 MOC-Floyd Valley's speed
By Steven Allspach sallspach@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Thursday, January 08, 2009
When you've got horses like Rock Valley what's the harm in changing in mid-stream.
"In the past we've run more of a structured set offense, but after last season we implemented a true motion offense,'' said Rockets Coach Heath Swanson. "The majority of colleges run the motion offense.
"We borrow a lot of the stuff we run from the University of Wisconsin. It's beneficial, of course, for kids who hope to play at the college level.''
Tonight in the CNOS Foundation Classic at the Tyson Events Center, Rock Valley, ranked No. 1 in Iowa Class 1A, will put its new offense to the test in a classic duel with Siouxland Conference rival MOC-Floyd Valley, ranked fifth in Class 3A.
The showdown of unbeatens promises to a dandy. Rock Valley is 7-0 and MOC-FV 6-0.
The Thursday portion of the 13-game weekend prep basketball extravangza opens with a girls game matching Sioux City North and MOC-Floyd Valley (5 p.m.), followed by Rock Valley and MOC at 6:45 and the Westwood and Lawton-Bronson boys at 8:30.
There are four games Friday and six Saturday, all of them in the Tyson.
Fans are in for a treat in the showdown of Sioux County powers.
Rock Valley features its twin junior towers of 6-9 Jordan Dykstra and 6-9 Marcus Heemstra, both three-year starters, along with 6-4 senior guard Austin VandeVegte, a four-year starter.
Dykstra verbally commited to a scholarship offer from Iowa State as a freshman and Heemstra is also being courted by several Division I schools.
Heemstra averages 18.7 points, Dykstra 16.3 and VandeVegte 16.0. Point guard Nic Bakker and Zach Van Engen are the other starters.
MOC-Floyd Valley takes its lead from 6-6 Dan Van Kalsbeek and 6-footers Corey Van Gorp, Kyler Mulder and Davis Bloemendaal.
Van Kalsbeek, a dead-eye from the field, averages 22.3 points on 68.7 percent shooting, while Van Gorp contributes 15.3, Bloemendaal 13.3 and Mulder 8.7 points a game.
"We'll have a height advantage,'' said Swanson, who took the boys coaching helm at Rock Valley in 2003 after serving as an assistant girls coach on three state championhip teams at the school, "But, nobody matches up with MOC's speed. They try to run you off the floor.''
Rock Valley is operating on added emotion this season. The Rockets were expected to reach the state tourney last year, but were knocked off by Boyden-Hull in the second round of the district and finished 19-4 overall, including a 16-2 conference mark that produced the school's first title in nine years.
MOC-Floyd Valley Coach Loren DeJong is in his 18th season at the school with 295 wins. The Western Christian and Dordt graduate (1986) coached one season at Manhattan Christian in Churchill, Mont., and owns 312 career victories.
"We've basically got all our guys back from last year and so far we seem to be improving each time out,'' said DeJong. "Playing a team of Rock Valley's caliber is always exciting and with the game in the Tyson Center that just increases the excitement that much more.
"Obviously, we'll have our hands full.
"Balance, offensively and defensivley, has the been the key for us.
"Rock Valley has the great height with Heemstra and Dykstra, but, honestly, we focus more on what we have to do to win games rather than concentrate on the other guys. Rock Valley beat us twice last season.''
The Dutchmen were 12-9 last season with a host of underclassmen, but six games were decided on either the last shot or next-to-last shot and four resulted in losses.
Westwood-Lawton-Bronson boys
The two Western Valley Conference rivals conclude the first night of competition at the Tyson.
Senior Michael Gallagher leads Westwood with a 13.7 scoring averagte and reigning Class 1A state high jump champ Kody Gillaspie averages 8.2 points and nearly eight rebounds a game.
Westwood, 5-1, suffered its first loss Monday night in overtime to Woodbury Central, 50-49. Earlier this season the Rebels rolled to a 73-9 victory over Kingsley-Pierson.
Lawton-Bronson Coach Vince Johnson was a sparkplug on the Westwood team that finished second in the 1996 Class 1A state tournament. The Eagles take a 2-3 record into the contest. Corrie Schroeder (11.0), Mike Beavers (10.4) and Mike Tolkamp (10.2) average in double figures for the Eagles.
North-MOC-FV girls
North, Iowa's second-ranked Class 4A club, faces two challenging contest in the Classic. Coach Kirk Walker's Stars take a 7-0 record into tonight's contest with MOC-Floyd Valley (5 p.m.) and meet Bishop Heelan's reigning Class 3A state champs Friday (6:15).
Senior Jalyssa Ceasar and sophomore Brittni Donaldson are North's scoring leaders, averaging 16.9 and 14.6 points, respectively.
Coach Mark Gunderson's MOC-FV girls improved their record to 7-1 with a 57-54 Siouxland Conference win over Rock Valley Tuesday night. Junior Andrea Anderson is the lone double figure scorer, averaging just over 14 points a game.
However, Gunderson relies on depth and four others average right at seven points a game and sophomore Jessica Locker averages just over eight points a game. MOC's lone loss is to Orange City Unity Christian, 63-54.
Like MOC, North thrives on depth with eight players averaging 4.4 points or more.
"In the past we've run more of a structured set offense, but after last season we implemented a true motion offense,'' said Rockets Coach Heath Swanson. "The majority of colleges run the motion offense.
"We borrow a lot of the stuff we run from the University of Wisconsin. It's beneficial, of course, for kids who hope to play at the college level.''
Tonight in the CNOS Foundation Classic at the Tyson Events Center, Rock Valley, ranked No. 1 in Iowa Class 1A, will put its new offense to the test in a classic duel with Siouxland Conference rival MOC-Floyd Valley, ranked fifth in Class 3A.
The showdown of unbeatens promises to a dandy. Rock Valley is 7-0 and MOC-FV 6-0.
The Thursday portion of the 13-game weekend prep basketball extravangza opens with a girls game matching Sioux City North and MOC-Floyd Valley (5 p.m.), followed by Rock Valley and MOC at 6:45 and the Westwood and Lawton-Bronson boys at 8:30.
There are four games Friday and six Saturday, all of them in the Tyson.
Fans are in for a treat in the showdown of Sioux County powers.
Rock Valley features its twin junior towers of 6-9 Jordan Dykstra and 6-9 Marcus Heemstra, both three-year starters, along with 6-4 senior guard Austin VandeVegte, a four-year starter.
Dykstra verbally commited to a scholarship offer from Iowa State as a freshman and Heemstra is also being courted by several Division I schools.
Heemstra averages 18.7 points, Dykstra 16.3 and VandeVegte 16.0. Point guard Nic Bakker and Zach Van Engen are the other starters.
MOC-Floyd Valley takes its lead from 6-6 Dan Van Kalsbeek and 6-footers Corey Van Gorp, Kyler Mulder and Davis Bloemendaal.
Van Kalsbeek, a dead-eye from the field, averages 22.3 points on 68.7 percent shooting, while Van Gorp contributes 15.3, Bloemendaal 13.3 and Mulder 8.7 points a game.
"We'll have a height advantage,'' said Swanson, who took the boys coaching helm at Rock Valley in 2003 after serving as an assistant girls coach on three state championhip teams at the school, "But, nobody matches up with MOC's speed. They try to run you off the floor.''
Rock Valley is operating on added emotion this season. The Rockets were expected to reach the state tourney last year, but were knocked off by Boyden-Hull in the second round of the district and finished 19-4 overall, including a 16-2 conference mark that produced the school's first title in nine years.
MOC-Floyd Valley Coach Loren DeJong is in his 18th season at the school with 295 wins. The Western Christian and Dordt graduate (1986) coached one season at Manhattan Christian in Churchill, Mont., and owns 312 career victories.
"We've basically got all our guys back from last year and so far we seem to be improving each time out,'' said DeJong. "Playing a team of Rock Valley's caliber is always exciting and with the game in the Tyson Center that just increases the excitement that much more.
"Obviously, we'll have our hands full.
"Balance, offensively and defensivley, has the been the key for us.
"Rock Valley has the great height with Heemstra and Dykstra, but, honestly, we focus more on what we have to do to win games rather than concentrate on the other guys. Rock Valley beat us twice last season.''
The Dutchmen were 12-9 last season with a host of underclassmen, but six games were decided on either the last shot or next-to-last shot and four resulted in losses.
Westwood-Lawton-Bronson boys
The two Western Valley Conference rivals conclude the first night of competition at the Tyson.
Senior Michael Gallagher leads Westwood with a 13.7 scoring averagte and reigning Class 1A state high jump champ Kody Gillaspie averages 8.2 points and nearly eight rebounds a game.
Westwood, 5-1, suffered its first loss Monday night in overtime to Woodbury Central, 50-49. Earlier this season the Rebels rolled to a 73-9 victory over Kingsley-Pierson.
Lawton-Bronson Coach Vince Johnson was a sparkplug on the Westwood team that finished second in the 1996 Class 1A state tournament. The Eagles take a 2-3 record into the contest. Corrie Schroeder (11.0), Mike Beavers (10.4) and Mike Tolkamp (10.2) average in double figures for the Eagles.
North-MOC-FV girls
North, Iowa's second-ranked Class 4A club, faces two challenging contest in the Classic. Coach Kirk Walker's Stars take a 7-0 record into tonight's contest with MOC-Floyd Valley (5 p.m.) and meet Bishop Heelan's reigning Class 3A state champs Friday (6:15).
Senior Jalyssa Ceasar and sophomore Brittni Donaldson are North's scoring leaders, averaging 16.9 and 14.6 points, respectively.
Coach Mark Gunderson's MOC-FV girls improved their record to 7-1 with a 57-54 Siouxland Conference win over Rock Valley Tuesday night. Junior Andrea Anderson is the lone double figure scorer, averaging just over 14 points a game.
However, Gunderson relies on depth and four others average right at seven points a game and sophomore Jessica Locker averages just over eight points a game. MOC's lone loss is to Orange City Unity Christian, 63-54.
Like MOC, North thrives on depth with eight players averaging 4.4 points or more.
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