The #9 (2A) Aplington-Parkersburg boys basketball team will begin the playoffs by hosting Waukon in a 2A District 5 semifinal Thursday on 99 The Wave.
The Falcons (19-2) will begin the playoffs as the top seed in the district, having earned a first round bye. They’ve had a week off since their regular season finale, a 64-30 home win over Hampton-Dumont-CAL. Head Coach Aaron Thomas says it’s given the team time to prepare a thorough scouting report for Waukon.
“They’ve played almost primarily man to man, and then they played almost all 1-3-1 zone against New Hampton,” Thomas says. “So we’ll be adjusting a little bit what we’re doing in preparation for Thursday, whether we see zone or man. And for them, their kids play very hard. They haven’t shot it great from three, but they do have some individuals. The Stegen kid is by far their best three point shooter percentage-wise. So making sure we find him and then limit them. I think they rebound very well, I think they’re physical and aggressive. So we’ve got to match that. We’ve got to win the toughness battle. I think that’s going to be a huge key in this ball game.”
Benny Waller led the team with 21 points per game in the regular season, where they committed just 12 turnovers per game.
Waukon (10-12) advanced with Monday’s 59-50 home win over New Hampton, where they surged in the second quarter but got little more separation. Talin Hemann leads with 14.1 points per game and Vaughn Stegen adds 13.1.
Pregame coverage will start at 6:40 p.m., followed by the tipoff at 7:00. The winner will advance to Tuesday’s district final against either Oelwein or North Fayette Valley.
Aaron Thomas interview:
