Six area players earn all-SICL boys basketball recognition

Junior Dawson James and senior Carson Maston were strong inside the lane for the Lynnville-Sully boys basketball team this past season.

Junior Sawyer Veldhuizen was one of the best shooters in the South Iowa Cedar League and sophomore Will Van Vark did a little bit of everything for the Hawks this winter.

All four L-S players were recognized on the all-conference squad recently. James led the way with a first-team nod, while Maston was a second-team selection.

Van Vark and Veldhuizen were the honorable mention picks for Lynnville-Sully, which finished third in the SICL West Division.

Colfax-Mingo was limited to just two conference wins and the Tigerhawks were represented by seniors Harrison Rhone and Shane Hostetter, who both earned honorable mention recognition.

All-conference recognition is based on statistics inside conference play only. The all-conference teams were released to the public after the league’s top squad, North Mahaska, was eliminated in the substate championship game on March 1.

James’ first-team selection came after he ranked sixth in the SICL West in points per game at 12.9. He ranked fifth in rebounds per game at 7.4 and averaged 1.9 assists and 1.0 steals per contest.

James shot 51.7 percent from the floor and buried 38 free throws, which both ranked fourth in the division.

Maston’s 10 points per game ranked tied for ninth in the SICL West. He ranked second in the division in rebounds per game at 8.4 and averaged 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals per contest.

Maston’s 62.2 percent shooting from the floor led the SICL West, and he was sixth in free throw percentage at 75.

Veldhuizen ranked eighth in points per game at 10.1 and averaged 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest.

He was one of the best shooters in the division, ranking second in 3-point percentage at 40.2 and third with 41 made 3s. Veldhuizen also was 8-of-9 from the foul line.

Van Vark averaged 8.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. His 2.8 assists per contest ranked sixth in the division and he was 11th in steals per game at 1.6.

Van Vark’s 76.5 percent shooting from the foul line ranked fifth among players with at least 12 attempts. He also ranked tied for 10th with 19 made 3s.

Rhone ranked third in the SICL West in scoring at 17.1 points per game. He was 10th in rebounds per game at 5.9, second in steals per game at 3.4 and averaged 1.9 assists and 1.0 steals per contest.

Rhone’s 28 made 3s ranked sixth in the division, his 50 made free throws was second, and he ranked eighth in the SICL West with a free throw percentage of 68.5.

Hostetter averaged 3.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game in his final season at Colfax-Mingo.

South Iowa Cedar League

Boys Basketball

Final Standings

West Division

Team    Conference   Overall

North Mahaska 14-1  21-4

Montezuma 13-2  20-4

Lynnville-Sully 10-5  18-6

HLV-Tri County 6-9  9-13

BGM  2-13  5-18

Colfax-Mingo 2-13  2-19

East Division

Team   Conference   Overall

Keota  12-2  19-4

Sigourney  10-4  16-7

Iowa Valley 7-7  12-11

Belle Plaine 3-11  5-17

English Valleys 1-13  4-20

Coach of the Year

Kevin Kelderman, North Mahaska

All-Conference

First Team

Dawson James, jr., Lynnville-Sully; Caleb Haack, sr., Iowa Valley; Peyton Roth, sr., HLV: Asher DeBoef, sr., North Mahaska; Gabe Hora, sr., North Mahaska; Brady Boulton, jr., Montezuma; Billie Kindred, sr., Keota; Isaac Bruns, sr., Sigourney.

Second Team

Carson Maston, sr., Lynnville-Sully; Kohen Holland, sr., Montezuma; Chase Haifley, jr., Keota; John Berg, jr., Sigourney; Lucas Nunnikhoven, sr., North Mahaska; Solon Yates, jr., Sigourney; Cole Long, so., Iowa Valley; Same DeMeulenarere, sr., Belle Plaine.

Honorable Mention

Sawyer Veldhuizen, jr., Lynnville-Sully; Will Van Vark, so., Lynnville-Sully; Harrison Rhone, sr., Colfax-Mingo; Shane Hostetter, sr., Colfax-Mingo; Tucker Wright, sr., BGM; Ben Cadden, jr., BGM; Ty Alcott, sr., Belle Plaine; Lane Vokoun, sr., Belle Plaine; Everett Bender, so., English Valleys; Kane Axmear, so., English Valleys; Levi Molyneux, sr., HLV-TC; Tucker Donaldson, jr., HLV-TC; Owen Ary, jr., Iowa Valley; Layne Peska, so., Iowa Valley; Jace Chalupa, sr., Keota; Jackson Vittetoe, jr., Keota; Max Anderson, sr.. Montezuma; Dave Strong, so., Montezuma; Adrian Smith, sr., North Mahaska; Jack Kelderman, sr., North Mahaska; Ike Molyneux, so., Sigourney; Brayden Wood, jr., Sigourney.