Postseason groups announced

The Iowa High School Athletic Association has decided what Class 3A and 4A boys basketball teams are grouped together for the postseason goal of reaching the state tournament. Brackets will be drawn after a coaches meeting of the teams in a particular substate.

Class 4A and 3A begin postseason play with first-round substate games Monday, Feb. 22.

Mt. Pleasant, which has a record of 9-8 and Fairfield (3-8) were placed in Class 3A's Substate 5 with a ranked Davenport Assumption (10-4), Mount Vernon (9-3) and Cedar Rapids Xavier (6-7). Two fellow Southeast Conference teams, Fort Madison (7-8) and Keokuk (10-5), join the Trojans and Panthers in Substate 5.

Of the two remaining Southeast teams, Burlington is a 4A school and Washington (11-4) is in Substate 6. The winners of Substate 5 and 6 play the game to go to state tournament. The Demons are grouped with former No. 1, now No. 2 Pella (13-1), Clear Creek-Amana (13-2) which would be ranked 11th, Centerville (3-10), Grinnell (7-8), Knoxville (8-4), Oskaloosa (1-11) and Newton (5-7).

Due to restrictions related to COVID-19, consolation games will be suspended for the 2021 IHSAA State Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. Games will now have at least two hours between tipoff times throughout the complete schedule, with four championship games contested on Friday, March 12. The updated schedule was a decision made in collaboration with the IHSAA's basketball advisory committee, the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association, and Iowa Events Center.