Waukee District Rivalry

On Tuesday, December 6th, at Waukee Northwest High School, the two best basketball teams in the state face off… and they happen to be rivals. Waukee and Waukee Northwest are the two highest-ranked teams in the state (at the time of publication) and for good reason. The Waukee district’s athletics have almost become synonymous with winning, and nowhere is that more evident than their basketball programs. From runner-ups to champions of Iowa, Waukee basketball has been a force in past years.

This will be the second meeting of the two powerhouses, with the first meeting going to the Wolves in a nail-biting comeback win in overtime last year. This year, however, will be very different as a 5-star recruit and the 9th-best player in the nation Omaha Billew returns for his senior season. The Wolves also have a star player on their side in the name of Pryce Sandfort, a 4-star recruit who just committed to Iowa. The main focus will be on Omaha and Pryce, but you can not underestimate the rest of the Northwest roster. With players like senior Cade Kelderman, senior Henry Manning, junior Grant Tigges and Sophomore Nitish Sankaranthi. This game means a lot to the people in Waukee and especially to the players. Sophomore Nitish Sankaranthi said, “[the game] means a lot because we can prove this season that we really are the better Waukee school.”

The Northwest team seems to share Sankaranthi’s confidence, as none of the players or staff seem overly worried about the game. Coach Brett Watson stated, “We’re taking it one game at a time.”

For Waukee to win the game, they have to do a few main things. The first is to feed Omaha and get mismatches, forcing the Wolves defense to try and scramble to stop him. Second, they need to knock down open shots. With all the attention Omaha is going to get, their shooters are going to be open, and they need to convert. Lastly, they need to stay calm. The worst thing they can do is get riled up by the crowd.

On the other side, Northwest also needs to stay calm and not try to get overwhelmed by the crowd. Senior Cade Kelderman said, “It’s an exciting atmosphere, and the crowd will probably be bigger than others but at the end of the day it’s just basketball, and the results will take care of themselves.” Second for the Wolves, they obviously need to stop Omaha, but mainly they need to force the other players on Waukee to step up and win the game, not Omaha. Last for the Wolves, is to take the pressure off of Pryce. The assumption is that Omaha will be guarding Pryce, and with Omaha’s stifling defense, the other players need to step up and make a difference.

The stage is set: Waukee vs. Waukee Northwest. The Wolves vs. The Warriors. Pryce Sandfort vs. Omaha Billew. For pride and dominance over the City of Waukee, it all comes down to 32 minutes of basketball.