This year’s edition of the annual Southeast Iowa Super Conference Shootout will get underway later tonight, as local basketball teams will be facing their counterparts from across the conference in the South division over the next three days.
That includes the four local teams that are sitting near the top of the Super Conference North playing against the best of the South division Saturday at Southeastern Community College in West Burlington. The day will start with the Columbus girls taking on Danville. The second-place Wildcats are 14-5 this season behind junior Ariana Vergara’s 13 points and four-and-a-half steals per game. Columbus will face a Danville squad that is 15-4.
The Lone Tree girls will be up next Saturday when they face Holy Trinity Catholic. The Lions sit in first place in the Super Conference North and are 18-2 overall thanks to sophomore Finley Jacque scoring 16 points a game. Lone Tree will try to topple a Holy Trinity team that is 16-2.
In the boys’ games Saturday, WACO will look to build on a 13-4 record so far this season when they face Holy Trinity. Seniors Hunter Hughes and Colton Leichty have combined to put up almost 30 points per contest for the Warriors, who are taking a Crusaders squad that is 14-4 and has already beaten WACO 59-50 in the season opener on November 27th.
The conclusion of the Saturday quadrupleheader will see the Winfield-Mount Union boys taking on the hometown team in West Burlington. Not only is WMU undefeated in the Super Conference North and 15-1 overall, but the Wolves have worked their way up to the number-four ranking in the state in Class 1A.
Behind seniors Abram Edwards and Cam Buffington averaging over 30 points per game and solid guard play from junior Jake Edwards and Carter Loyd, Winfield-Mount Union will try to be the first team to defeat West Burlington this season, as the Falcons have gone 15-0 on their way to being ranked 10th in Class 2A.
The rest of the schedule will get underway with girls’ games this evening. Highland will be hosting a pair of games tonight, the latter of which will see the 14-5 Huskies face Mediapolis. Before that, 11-8 WACO will take on Burlington Notre Dame from Riverside. Tomorrow night, boys’ basketball battles include the 3-13 Columbus Wildcats visiting New London and the 6-13 Lone Tree Lions also meeting Van Buren County in New London.
The KCII Area Game of the Week will bring you the boys’ doubleheader from Saturday’s Super Conference Shootout games as WACO takes on Holy Trinity Catholic and Winfield-Mount Union meets West Burlington. Pregame coverage will begin streaming Saturday afternoon at 4:30 exclusively on KCIIradio.com.