The Class 1A boys’ basketball playoffs begin this evening, and local teams will be looking to make their way into the next round in their respective substate brackets.

That includes the Winfield-Mount Union Wolves, who take on Pekin in 1A Substate 4. WMU has a record of 13-9 and is looking to win the season series with Pekin, winning the first meeting with the Panthers 47-45 on January 7th before falling 49-45 when the two teams collided this past week.

Point guard Jake Edwards leads Winfield-Mount Union by posting nearly 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals per game, while fellow senior Cooper Buffington is the team’s top interior presence with nine-and-a-half points and 8.5 rebounds per contest. The Wolves face a Pekin team that is 15-7

The Columbus Wildcats will travel to take on Holy Trinity Catholic in the first round in Substate 4. Columbus is 6-15 and paced by sophomore Ellis Hills-Carrier, who puts up nearly 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and three assists a game.

The Wildcats will take on a Holy Trinity team that is 17-4 and is led by one of the highest-scoring players in the state, as senior Luke Hellige is pouring in over 26 points per game.

The Highland Huskies will also hit the road in the first round of Substate 4 to meet North Linn. Highland defeated Rivermont Collegiate 57-52 Friday night in a play-in game for their second win of the season.

Junior Bryce Hazelett scores a team-high 14.5 points a game for the Huskies, who are taking on a North Linn team that is the defending state champions and is ranked number one in Class 1A.

Over in Substate 5, the Sigourney Savages will look to start the postseason by knocking off HLV. Sigourney had an excellent second half of the season, winning 11 of their last 13 games to raise their record to 15-6.

Senior Isaac Bruns pours in a team-high 16.5 points per contest, while junior John Berg averages a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds per game. The Savages will be taking on an HLV squad that is 9-12 and that they defeated 62-37 earlier this season. All substate playoff games tip off tonight at 7 o’clock.