Boys basketball district and substate brackets set

The postseason has begun to take shape for the boys high school basketball season since the recent announcement of the district and substate brackets.

Starting in Class 4A, Newton will begin its postseason quest against Fort Dodge in Newton on Feb. 20. The CIML-based Dodgers are currently 4-12 and the two teams didn’t meet during the regular season. The winner of that game will move on to play Des Moines Roosevelt in Des Moines on Feb. 24. Class 4A No. 2 Ankeny awaits on the other side of the bracket.

Moving to Class 2A, ninth-ranked Prairie City-Monroe earned a first-round bye and will face the winner of Albia and Pella Christian in Monroe on Feb. 16. The Mustangs did not face Albia in the regular season, but did suffer one of its two losses to this point to Pella Christian on Dec. 8.

It will be a Jasper County showdown on Feb. 13 when Collins-Maxwell-Baxter hosts Colfax-Mingo in the first round of the District 14 bracket. The Raiders picked up two of their three wins on the year against the Tigerhawks, who are still in search of their first win. The winner will move on to play North Polk, which swept both CMB and Colfax-Mingo in the regular season.

In Class 1A, Lynnville-Sully also earned a first-round bye and will meet the winner of North Mahaska and Meskwaki Settlement School on Feb. 16 in Sully. The Hawks swept South Iowa Cedar League foe North Mahaska in the regular season and did not play Meskwaki. Another SICL opponent awaits in the next round for the winner, as BGM and Montezuma will square off against one another.