Newton boys draw Pella to open 3A substate

Newton High’s Cardinal boys learned officially Thursday who they are will play in the opening round of the Class 3A basketball postseason.

The Cardinals face a familiar opponent — fellow Little Hawkeye Conference’s Pella. The Class 3A fifth-ranked and top-seeded Pella Little Dutch will host a Class 3A Substate 6 doubleheader on Feb. 18.

Another LHC team, Grinnell plays Carlisle at 6:30 p.m. at Pella High School. Newton and Pella take the court at 8 p.m. The winners play in a semifinal game at the highest-seeded team remaining.

Also hosting a quarterfinal substate doubleheader on Feb. 18 is Ballard. Nevada plays Bondurant-Farrar at 6:30 p.m. followed by Knoxville against Ballard at 8 p.m. The winners play in a semifinal game at the highest-seeded team remaining.

Newton, which is winless, has lost to Pella twice this season — 88-60 and 76-57 — in LHC play. The Cardinals have played Grinnell, Nevada and Knoxville each one time.

The 3A Substate 6 semifinals are at 7 p.m. on Feb. 21. The substate championship game will be at 7 p.m. on Feb. 25, but the site has not been determined.

Substate champions advance to the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s 2019 Iowa Boys State High School Basketball Tournament March 4-8 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Monies.