It was a busy weekend for the North Scott Lancers. On Friday night they defeated Davenport Central and then early Saturday morning, they hit the road and traveled to Des Moines to play in the Heartland Shootout against traditional state power Linn Mar. Led by sophomores Grant Graham and Cortez Seales, the Lancers picked up a pair of victories and hope to get back to Wells Fargo Arena in March for the state tournament.

"It was a good experience for our kids to play in this environment and we obviously want to get back here in March," said North Scott Head Coach Shamus Budde.

While the victory over Central was relatively easy, with Graham leading the way with 17 points, Saturday's victory over Linn Mar was much more challenging. The 50-48 victory was capped by Seales making a game saving block in the final seconds.

"I was guarding my guy and he's a shooter, so I didn't want to come off him, but I went over to help and got a piece of the shot and then the horn sounded," Seales said.

Graham and Seales are already generating buzz on the recruiting trail. Seales, who scored 15 points in the win over Linn Mar, picked up an offer from Northern Iowa this fall. Graham picked up his first offer recently from Truman State. Schools like Iowa, Nebraska, UW-Milwaukee, and Creighton have been in touch and are keeping tabs on both players. The duo visited Iowa for the Black and Gold Blowout and also took an unofficial visit to UNI this fall. On Saturday, Iowa assistant coach Kirk Speraw was in Wells Fargo Arena taking a closer look.

Graham, a 6-foot-1 guard, has put in a lot of work in the gym this fall, according to Budde.

"He's a great kid and he's really worked very hard this fall to improve his shot and become a better player. He still has work ahead, but I am really happy with the way he is playing right now."
Seales, who stands 6-foot-3, has recently moved over to the point guard position and he likes leading the Lancers offense.

"It really hasn't been much of an adjustment," Seales said. "I like to get my teammates involved, so it's been nice being out there running the offense."

Neither prospect has an unofficial visits set up at this time, but they do have an open invitation from Iowa to visit this season.


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