Notes from the North (1/12/18)
This week’s installment of “Notes from the North” offers three quick hits from the last week, and looks forward to the action this weekend. We’ll feature one team to watch, one game to watch, and one player to watch.
Team to Watch
Bemidji Lumberjacks
Teams without a conference affiliation, like Bemidji, often do not get discussed as much this time of year, as conference play is starting to heat up for most teams around Minnesota. However, this Bemidji squad is a balanced, deep team that deserves some mention.
Through 11 games this season, the Lumberjacks currently have a 7-4 record, after stumbling last night in a 76-60 loss to another Independent team, Grand Rapids. They’ll get a chance to avenge their most recent loss next Tuesday, as they travel to Grand Rapids to take on the Thunderhawks.
Their other three losses were all one-possession games, and they came by a combined 8 points. Heading into their game last night, Bemidji was sitting in second place in Section 7AAA.
They are comprised of a solid core of juniors and seniors with considerable varsity experience, with a handful of dynamic perimeter players to surround a blossoming big-man in the paint.
Senior PG Jace Peterson steers the ship for the Lumberjacks, averaging 4.6 AST to go along with 7.2 PPG while shooting 80% from the charity stripe. He has been very effective this year in terms of distributing the ball to three very capable perimeter threats.
Kade Peterson is currently the leading scorer for this balanced Lumberjack attack, with 11.6 PPG through 10 games. Last Tuesday against Moorhead, he notched his career-high in points with 24 in the victory, but he is also a very capable defender. The 6’1” junior is strong and athletic, and averages 3.3 steals a contest.
Ryan Bieberdorf is another junior that is cut from the same cloth as Kade Peterson. The six-foot junior is another strong wing defender, and is second on the team in scoring with 11.2 PPG and 5.1 REB.
Six-foot senior SG Linaes Whiting has been working back from a soccer injury from the fall, but he is a player that should reach the 1,000-point plateau this season, and is currently shooting the ball at a 43% clip from deep. Did I mention that this kid is a 5-sport athlete? Amazing!
Spencer Konecne is a 6’9” junior center that coach Travis Peterson says is “improving rapidly!” In their win last Friday against St. Paul Johnson, Konecne had one of the finest games of his career, registering a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds to go along with 5 blocks.
Coach Peterson put together a tough early-season schedule for the Lumberjacks, that, along with their senior leadership and growing contributions from juniors and other underclassmen, will make the Lumberjacks a tough-out the remainder of the season.
Game to Watch
Nevis vs. North Woods (at Duluth East HS), 1/13/18 at 1:15 pm
The #2 ranked team in NHR’s Top 10 rankings from Class A, North Woods has breezed to a 10-0 record so far this season. Their smallest margin of victory this season was an 18-point victory over Bigfork in their second game of the season.
I touched on their dynamic duo last week, senior Tate Olson is averaging 24.3 PPG and junior Cade Goggleye is scoring 21.7 PPG. However, in what will be their toughest test of the season so far, they will likely need the likes of seniors Brendan Parson and Tanner Lokken, junior Chase Kleppe, and sophomore Trevor Morrison to step up.
Nevis is the #7 team in NHR’s Top 10 rankings for Class A, and their contrast in style to North Woods will be something to watch in this game. All but two of their games this season have been won with them scoring in the 60’s or less, on their way to a 9-0 record. They did score 91 points in a win over Laporte and 112 points in a victory against Northland, but this wasn’t out of necessity. Those contests were against inferior opponents, and Nevis generally prefers a more methodical approach.
Leading their balanced attack are junior Michael Landquist with 13.3 PPG and senior Thomas Wormley with 11 PPG. Again, the supporting casts could be the deciding factor in this matchup, and Nevis has a lot of upperclassmen who have experienced success not only on the court (state participant last winter), but on the gridiron as well (state participant last fall). Seniors Dylan Spain-Brist, Zach Henry, Caden Kramer, and Jack Landquist will be crucial to their success.
Player to Watch
There is another team in northern MN that is quietly and effectively going about their business this season, and it is the Pequot Lakes Patriots. They are knocking on the door of the NHR Top 10 with a record of 9-2, with their only losses of the season coming against #7 in AA St. Cloud Cathedral, and a very talented Grand Rapids squad.
Senior forward Zach Sjoblad is the player to watch on this year’s Patriots club. He is currently averaging 20.2 PPG, and has notched a pair of 28-point efforts in games against Mora and Staples-Motley.
As Pequot Lakes continues to stay on our radar in terms of the Top 10, Zjoblad should be on the radar of basketball fans and teams that are preparing to square off against the Patriots.