Last Wednesday night’s season finale has cemented the Game Time League playoffs, set for July 22. The Daily Iowan takes a look at both of the semifinal matchups.
No. 1 Vinton Merchants/Culver’s vs. No. 4 Cullen/Greater Iowa Financial
The opening matchup of the Game Time playoffs pits Melissa Dixon’s and Claire Till’s team against Bethany Doolittle and Ally Disterhoft’s team. The two teams met earlier in the season with Dixon’s team coming out on top, 79-70.
But a lot has changed since the initial meeting.
Dixon has been the most impressive player during the summer months, in terms of scoring. The junior guard routinely puts up 30 points and does so from behind the 3-point arc — something most Hawkeye fans are used to seeing from Dixon — and she has also shown an increased ability to get to the rim off the dribble.
Dixon’s team is easily the smallest team in the league, but what the players lack in size, they make up for with speed. Dixon’s team gets up and down the floor and isn’t shy about hoisting up treys. They stand alone as the only league squad to put up 100 points in a game — and they’ve done so in their last two games.
Doolittle’s team has taken a more traditional approach to the game in terms of using a post presence. Doolittle’s been efficient in the paint on the offensive end and anchoring her team on the defensive end.
A pleasant sight for Hawk fans has been the emergence of Disterhoft as a scorer. The 6-foot freshman has shown she’s ready to step in and make an immediate impact for the Hawkeyes, especially as of late. In her final two games she posted scoring totals of 30 and 22.
Doolittle and Disterhoft will be huge factors for their team if they are going to down Dixon’s undefeated team. They have to slow the game down and play at their pace, or Dixon’s squad will run them out of the gym.
No. 2 Joensy’s Iowa City/Monica’s and Bob’s Your Uncle vs. HawkeyeReport.com/Comfort Care
In the second matchup, Sam Logic’s and Alexa Kastanek’s team takes on Theairra Taylor’s team. The two met a few weeks ago, and Logic’s team provided Taylor’s team with its first loss in the summer league.
Logic has done everything during the summer months and notched her first triple-double in her regular season finale, despite coming close every other week. The Black and Gold junior enters postseason play averaging 28.2 points, 11.7 boards, and 8.3 assists per game.
Logic had to do everything for her squad in the first couple weeks of the summer. But recently, she has received plenty of help — most of which is coming from freshman Kastanek. Paired with her aggressive play on the defensive end, Kastanek has taken charge offensively and provided much needed scoring assistance for Logic. In her two final games, both wins, she has posted scoring clips of 27 and 25.
Taylor’s team is a bit of an anomaly now. Once an elite squad, they struggled this past week because of a limited roster. Taylor’s team isn’t nearly as imposing down low as they once were now that Kiah Stokes is gone. Also, it is unclear whether Taylor will suit up — she sat out last week with a sore hamstring.
Injuries may not matter — Logic’s team defeated Taylor’s team, 77-71, when Taylor’s squad was at full strength, though. If Taylor does play, then she likely will have to dominate in order for her team to move on to the championship game.
