Taking a look back: Boys? hoops

With fall sports at a close for all the area schools, it?s time to start looking forward to the winter sports season.

On Friday, it was a glance back at the girls? hoops season that was, and now we?ll look at the boys? basketball teams from the area.

Strong regular seasons and individual performances highlighted the 2015-16 hoops season, with Keota making the biggest mark in the postseason.

Take a quick glance and refresh yourself on what happened in 2015-16.

Washington

Record: 7-16

Season recap: After falling in nine of their first 12 contests last season, the Demons picked up a nice set of victories in a week to change their momentum toward the end of the season.

After a pair of wins in early February, the Demons went up against Clear Creek-Amana in the postseason, in a tightly contested 75-71 game.

Key losses: The Demons lost one of their top scorers for the past couple of seasons, Derek Anding, to graduation in May.

Anding averaged 19.1 points per game last year, to go with four rebounds per game.

The Demons also lost guard Jack Giardino (4.3 points, 2 assists per game) and Dakota Suchan (2.7 points per game) to graduation

Key returners: The Demons figure to turn the top guard duties over to a pair of juniors, with the top returning scorers being Dalton Myers (11.0 PPG) and Jack Redlinger (8.8 PPG), while their inside presence will be anchored by a pair of seniors.

Bryce Sinn (7.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG) and John Dillon (4.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG) will look to handle the post game for the Demons, with Dillon likely holding down the center position after posting 18 blocks a season ago.

Dillon also picked up a team-best 37 steals through the 23 contests last season, making him an important defensive spark for the 2016-17 Demons.

First contest: at Muscatine, Dec. 2

Keota

Record: 17-7

Season recap: The Eagles may have been the most consistent team in Washington County last season, and they used their balanced, experienced attack to advance all the way to the district finals.

Opening up the year winning nine of their first 11 contests, the Eagles fell in three of their next four games, with two coming by six points or fewer.

The Eagles rallied off wins in seven of their next eight contests, including a pair of postseason victories over North Mahaska and rival Sigourney, before falling to Montezuma by 11 points in the district final.

Montezuma fell to state qualifier Grand View Christian by 10 points in the ensuing substate contest.

Key losses: The Eagles featured a balanced attack last season, but a pair of those offensive weapons will not be present on the 2016-17 squad.

The graduated Zach Mousel was the team?s leading scorer last season, averaging 12.3 points per game (adding 3.8 assists and 2.2 rebounds) as the team?s primary point guard, while fellow guard Isaiah Hahn (10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds) was a key driving threat for the Eagle offense.

Key returners: However, a pair of double-digit scorers will return for the Eagles this season. Keota senior Jacob Wickenkamp will look to build on his strong all-around performance a season ago, averaging 11.5 points, 4.4 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game, while big man Avery Conrad picked up 10.6 points and a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game in his junior campaign.

First contest: at Lone Tree, Nov. 28

Highland

Record: 16-7

Season recap: A promising regular season ended in disappointment for the Highland boys? basketball team last season.

A strong start to the season, winning eight of their first nine contests, led to lots of optimism surrounding the Huskies? program.

The Huskies had a midseason lull, going .500 over the next eight contests, including a four-point loss to Lone Tree, but finished the season strong with four straight victories before falling to Burlington, Notre Dame in the SEISC shootout game.

In the district tournament, the Huskies didn?t shoot the ball well in their first-round game to an upstart New London squad, only hitting on 29 percent of their field goal attempts en route to a tough 64-45 upset loss that ended the Huskies? season prematurely.

Key losses: The Huskies will lose four of their top six scorers from 2015-16, including post threat Tereze Lanfair, who averaged 9.9 points per game, largely coming off the bench.

One of their big losses will be in guard Tucker Hall, who was a 3-point specialist (hitting a team-best 55 long balls on the year at a clip of 40.4 percent), while averaging 9.2 points per game.

Hall?s biggest contribution came on the defensive side of the ball, as he was routinely asked to defend the opposition?s best guards, in a conference that featured a lot of talent in that position.

Nick Sandburg and Chris Mellinger, two more of the Huskies? forward threats, averaging 5.7 and 5.0 points per game respectively, also have graduated.

Key returners: Despite the multiple top senior losses, the Huskies will also bring back a good amount of talent.

Trent Lasek (12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.6 steals per game) had a statistical drop-off in points from his sophomore campaign, but figures to be in the SEISC player of the year conversation during his senior season, while his sophomore brother, Trey Lasek, averaged 3.8 points and 1.9 rebounds per game as a freshman, and is coming off a strong football season where he was one of the team?s top rushing threats.

Bill Burton is going to be one of the conference?s most fun players to watch, as he can likely jump higher than anyone on the team, one of the reasons he led the team in rebounding, picking up 5.3 boards per game, to go with his 7.5 points per contest and team-best 27 blocks a season ago.

First contest: vs. Columbus, Nov. 29

Iowa Mennonite

Record: 12-11

Season recap: a strong 5-0 start to last season highlighted another season that finished above .500 for IMS, but a tough district tournament loss to Lone Tree (50-43) will linger on the memory for IMS, as they saw their season get cut short.

Key losses: IMS lost arguably one of the most valuable players in Southeast Iowa in Eli Gingerich to graduation.

IMS? do-everything athlete averaged 17.6 points, 6.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 rebounds and led the team with 14 blocks on the year, while helping his squad finish above .500.

The team also lost Jacob Schmieder to graduation, after he averaged 5.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in his final year at IMS.

IMS will also be without one of its post threats this year, as senior Drake Brezina (6.7 points, 4.5 rebounds per game) tore his ACL while playing football for Clear Creek-Amana this fall.

Key returners: Nick Yutzy will be the top returning scorer for IMS, as the senior averaged 10.7 points per contest last season, also picking up 4.3 assists per game. If Yutzy can continue to increase his production, he could emerge as a dark-horse contender as one of the conference?s MVP.

He will have help from Reggie Bortrager (4.3 points, 1.5 steals, 1 assist per game) and Cole Yoder (3.8 points, 1 assist, 2.2 rebounds per game) on the court this season as well.

First contest: at Lone Tree, Nov. 29

WACO

Record: 5-19

Season recap: The Warriors picked up a pair of early-season wins in December, but a tough stretch of games saw them drop 15 games in a row until Feb. 9, when they finished the regular season with three straight wins.

The Warriors picked up a pair of wins over Columbus to end the season, also knocking off Holy Trinity.

WACO saw its season end against Danville, from a 16-point loss in the district tournament.

Key losses: The Warriors will be without a high number of contributors to last season?s squad, including losing three of their last season?s top scorers due to graduation.

Duncan Pickard (10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds), Bryce Achen (7.5 points, 7.4 rebounds) and Jackson Gerot (4.5 points, 5.3 rebounds per game).

Due to injury, the Warriors will also be without their top scorer from last season, Jackson Roth, who averaged 12.3 points per game, and led the team in assists and steals.

Key returners: WACO will turn to its top offensive returners in Gabe Black and Colton Horak to be big forces in 2016-17, with Black (2.8 points, 3.9 rebounds per game) being the top returner in both those statistical categories.

Horak is coming off a strong football season, and averaged 2.5 points per game as a freshman last year.

First contest: at Danville, Nov. 29

Mid-Prairie

Record: 1-21

Season recap: The Golden Hawks were winless throughout the season until Jan. 30 when they knocked off Durant, beating them 55-50 in a home Saturday contest.

Mid-Prairie fell in the district tournament by 14 points to Wilton, ending their season.

Key losses: The Golden Hawks will be without one of their top offensive threats from last season, Nolan Faselt, who led the team in scoring (8.1 PPG), assists (2.9 per game) and steals (1.5 per game).

The Golden Hawks will also lose Ben Stone, who averaged 4.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game a season ago.

Key returners: Statistically, the Golden Hawks will return Caleb Statler, who led the team with 5.7 rebounds per game last season, while finishing second on the squad with 7.6 points per game.

Mid-Prairie will also have Noah Altenhofen (5.8 PPG) and Nathan Reed (4.6 PPG) penciled in to return to the action this season.

First contest: at Tipton, Nov. 29

Columbus

Record: 0-23

Season recap: It was a tough season for the Wildcats, as they couldn?t find a win on their schedule in 2015-16.

Of their losses, the closest contest of the season came in the district tournament against Wapello, as they fell 66-55.

Key losses: Dalton Bright is the top offensive threat the Wildcats graduated, as he picked up 5.4 points per contest last season.

The Wildcats also lose their top four rebounders from 2015-16 to graduation, led by Devon Henry?s 5.3 boards per game.

Key returners: The attention will fall on Carter Colby this season, as Colby led the squad with 12.7 points per game last year.

He will also figure to be helped by senior Ruben Paz, who led the squad in assists and steals last season.

First contest: at Van Buren, Nov. 28