T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - The Gladbrook-Reinbeck boys’ basketball team poses with its Class 1A state qualifier banner after beating North Mahaska in the Substate 5 final on March 1 at the Roundhouse. The Rebels are advancing to state for the third year in a row and will meet North Linn in Wednesday’s state quarterfinals at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

DES MOINES — Gladbrook-Reinbeck boys basketball is looking for some third-time charm as the Rebels return to the state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on Wednesday morning.

G-R drew the fourth seed, taking on fifth-seeded North Linn at 10:30 a.m. in Des Moines in a Class 1A quarterfinal.

All four senior starters for the Rebels agreed getting over the hump after back-to-back quarterfinal exits would be a great start to their last appearance at the state tournament.

“Last year, I don’t think anyone thought we’d make it to state, so expectations are a little more than just making it to state this year,” G-R big man Michael Boyd said. “We’re excited to get down there, but we’re looking to play a few more games this time.”

Boyd and fellow senior post player Drew Eilers are the big standouts for the Rebels, both statistically and physically — Boyd measures 6-foot-5, averaging 15.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 blocks per game for the Rebels; the 6-3 Eilers puts in 15.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest.

With North Linn’s regular rotation at 6-2 and shorter, the Rebels have the height advantage down low.

“Hopefully Michael and I can get started off in the paint, they’ll come down and double us and we can just get it out to our guards to shoot a lot of threes,” Eilers said.

The Rebels make a lot of hay from beyond the 3-point line, making 38.5 percent of their long-range attempts this season, second only to Madrid (39.6 percent) among 1A schools.

Brandon and Austen Mathern are the two most prolific shooters of the bunch, both shooting around 41 percent individually. Brandon averages 12.8 points and 4.2 assists, Austen 12.7 points and 2.5 assists per game.

Like many teams, the Rebels are practicing at bigger courts like UNI’s McLeod Center and Drake’s Knapp Center in the past week to get used to the college-sized court and the college-sized backdrop behind the basket at “The Well”.

“It’s a little different from those small high schools,” Brandon Mathern said. “It was a little weird shooting at first but as the practice progressed, I think it got a lot better for all of us, and it’s important to do stuff like that. … If we can go down there and shoot, it’ll help out a lot.”

G-R is tasked with slowing down one of the best 1A offenses. The Lynx are third in 1A at 74.7 points per game, led by senior Mason Bechen, a Northwest Missouri State baseball commit averaging 30.1 points per game, the third most in the state regardless of class.

North Linn, last year’s state champion in 1A, is making its ninth-consecutive appearance at state and has not finished worse than runner-up since the 2017 tourney.

“We’ve got to communicate,” Austen Mathern said of trying to slow down the Lynx. “Bring a lot of help, but not too much, we can’t let our bigs get into foul trouble. They’ll have a bigger floor, a lot more space to create, but if we have two guys helping on every shot, that’ll make it tough for them.”

G-R head coach Brett Bengen believes controlling the pace of play may be crucial to success.

“They want to get up and down, they’re going to pressure you,” Bengen said. “And for the most part this year, we’ve done a really, really good job of handling that pressure this year. If we can play our basketball, that would give us the advantage. … Bechen is a really special player and their guards do a great job of complementing what he does. It’s going to be a tough game for us, and we’ve got to come out and play our best ball.”

The defensive effort for the Rebels arguably starts with junior starter Hudson Clark, averaging 4.6 points and nearly two steals a game for the Rebels but executing his role as “the energy guy”, as Austen Mathern puts it, to perfection.

“He’s done it for us for three years now,” Bengen added. “It’s no secret that teams play off him a little bit, but he does a lot of little things that don’t end up on the stat sheet. He’s winning 50-50 balls, diving on loose balls, setting good screens so whoever can get open. He understands our offense, understands his role and when to attack.”

The time is now for Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s seniors.

“We’ve played together growing up and our goal was never to win the little kid tournaments, but to always get better for now, get down to Des Moines and handle business,” Boyd said. “I think we’re going to be well-prepared for the moment and just go out there and play.”

Boys State Basketball Tournament

At Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines

CLASS 1A

Quarterfinals

Wednesday, March 12

No. 4 Gladbrook-Reinbeck (22-3) vs. No. 5 North Linn (23-2), 10:30 a.m.

No. 1 Bellevue Marquette (25-1) vs. No. 8 Remsen-St. Mary’s (21-4), 12:15 p.m.

No. 2 Madrid (25-0) vs. No. 7 Boyden-Hull (18-8), 2 p.m.

No. 3 Fort Dodge St. Edmond (22-3) vs. No. 6 Woodbine (23-2), 3:45 p.m.