The Montezuma Braves will take on conference rival HLV in their first game of district tournament play Thursday evening, Feb. 20, at home.
The game is the second of a doubleheader. The Braves and Warriors will tip off about 8 p.m., after North Mahaska and Moravia get the night under way at 6:30.
The Braves are 19-2, with two of those wins over the Warriors.
Montezuma beat HLV 78-42 on Dec. 10, and 65-32 on Jan. 31.
Since then, HLV, 7-16, has won four of its six games.
The Warriors are led by 6-1 seniors Carson Cheney and 6-3 Brody Wolf. Cheney averages 12.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and has dished 63 assists, about three per game. Wolf has identical scoring and rebound averages.
The Braves come in with the seventh highest scoring average in Class 1A at 76.4 points a game. Their defense ranks 21st.
In recent games, the Braves have been able to put four players into double figures. And, they have been a good shooting team all season.
Montezuma hits at a .538 clip from the field, including .383 from behind the arc. They move and pass quickly, and their assists outnumber their turnovers by a three-to-one margin.
Guard Trey Shearer averaged 25.2 points per game. He shoots .635 from the field, which includes .439 on three-pointers He is an .832 free throw shooter. He averages right at five assists per game.
Cole Watts scores 18.2 per game, on a .575 shooting average that includes .397 from behind the arc. He is an .806 free throw shooter.
Sophomore post Eddie Burgess has stepped up his production in the latter half of the season. His average is 11.3 points per game, and he pulls down 11 rebounds per game.
The Braves have more than held their own on the boards despite having no starter other than Burgess taller than 5-10. Blocking out has been their key.
Burgess also averages three assists per game, but had nine in a recent win against Gladbrook-Reinbeck.
The fourth Brave into double figures scoring lately has been freshman Masin Sheaer. He averages 8.7 points, and .421 from three-point range.
Senior guard Brayden Arendt adds speed, quickness and steadiness. A 4.8 scorer, he has made just six turnovers the entire season.