5 things we learned from recent Iowa high school boys basketball games

‘Let It Snow’ is a fan-favorite holiday song, but the sentiment might not be appreciated by high school activities directors in Iowa.

The first week of high school basketball after the winter break went off without any weather issues. But the winter weather took over, and several inches of snow dumped on Des Moines – and all over Iowa – on Tuesday and Friday, the two days when high school games are regularly scheduled.

So, there aren't as many games as usual to watch and evaluate. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t things to learn.

Here is what we took away from this week’s slate, albeit limited, of Iowa high school boys basketball games.

Stats and averages are based on what was inputted to GoBound as of Friday, Jan. 12 at 12 p.m.

1. Cedar Rapids Kennedy plays like the No. 1 team in the state against Linn-Mar

Linn-Mar is on a three-game skid, but to the Lions’ credit, those games were against some of the top programs in the state.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy is something special, though, and the Cougars proved that they rightfully deserve the top spot in the rankings. In the 79-53 win, Joe Bean scored 19 points, including four 3-pointers, and he led the team with 11 rebounds. Three other Kennedy players finished in the double-digits.

More: Des Moines Register's Iowa boys high school basketball Super 10 rankings at season's halfway point

2. Waukee holds off a fourth-quarter comeback attempt by Ankeny

Ankeny scored 26 points in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game against Waukee, but it wasn’t enough to get past the Warriors. Waukee scored in the double digits in each quarter of the game and played solid defense when it mattered most – despite letting Carson Johnson collect 24 points and Lio Aguirre score 17.

It was the team effort from the Warriors that mattered most, with five Waukee players scoring in double figures.

3. Valley stumbles in loss to Waukee Northwest

The Tigers bounced back from their loss to Waukee with a win over Linn-Mar, but followed that with a loss to Waukee Northwest on Thursday. And the Wolves came to play, shooting 51.2% from the field and 48% from 3-point range. Grant Tigges stepped up with a 21-point, 11-rebound performance, and he added five assists and a block.

4. It’s a week late, but let’s give some credit to Tristen Burkhart

We raved about Mason Costello’s shot of the season in last week’s article, but we hadn’t seen the clip from the Boyer Valley vs. MVAOCOU game. So, let’s set the scene.

There were less than four seconds left when a Rams player missed his free throw, and the game was tied at 65 apiece. Tristen Burkhart collected the rebound and, with about 1.5 seconds left on the clock, chucked the ball from within the arc. His shot sailed through the hoop as time expired and secured the 68-65 win for Boyer Valley.

The best part about Burkhart’s shot? It was only the second 3-pointer he’d made all season. Talk about making an impressive shot when it mattered most.

5. Bode Goodman succeeds despite Southeast Polk’s struggles

Bode Goodman, Southeast Polk’s star junior guard, is second in Class 5A with 236 total points. He’s fifth with 28 steals, and the rest of his stats show that he is a threat in all areas of the game. Goodman has averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 points per game this season.

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 5 things we learned from Iowa high school boys basketball recently