Ranking North Dakota’s Eight State Tourney Teams
1. Hillsboro-Central Valley
Coming off a 2016-17 state title campaign, the Burros lost six key seniors and four starters. It seemed their championship run had come to an end. But this season H-CV finished the regular season 20-1 and won the Region 2 crown Saturday. The Burros received the No. 1-seed in next week’s state tournament. With a sophomore guard that averages close to 20 points per game in Carson Henningsgard and a senior forward that averages a double-double in Jack Camrud, the Burros are the favorite.
2. Stanley
To start the month of February, Stanley lost back-to-back games but rattled off seven straight wins to end the season. The Blue Jays defeated New Town 56-49 for the Region 8 title and are loaded with a tall lineup as they have five players 6-foot-4 of taller. Minnesota State University Moorhead commit Wyatt Hanson leads Stanley offensively and seniors Kaedyn Hanson and Matt Patten offer a difficult matchup for any team.
3. St. John
Eight seniors and a few underclassmen steered St. John to a 23-1 record this season as the Woodchucks received the No. 2-seed. St. John likes to run the ball up and down the court and will put points up fast. Eight times this year, the Region 4 team scored 85 points or more.
4. Bishop Ryan
Bishop Ryan has a handful of upperclassmen with postseason experience and finished the year 23-2 behind two junior guards. Ben Bohl and Mason Hedberg are a stellar 1-2 punch in the front court. They both combined for 35 of Bishop Ryan’s 56 points in the Region 6 championship game against Rugby.
5. Carrington
The Cardinals haven’t been to state since winning the Class B title in 2010 but Garrett Bickett wants that to change. The senior guard is one of the best in the state of North Dakota. He scored a game-high 23 points in the Region 3 title game. If teams don’t limit Bickett’s looks, Carrington could make some noise in the quarterfinal round and even deeper into the tournament.
6. Wyndmere/Lidgerwood
Possible one of the most athletic teams of the eight, Wyndmere-Lidgerwood will challenge any team at the rim. The War Birds won’t beat you using their outside shooting but they do drive to the basket and dish. This team has a ton of confidence coming into the state tournament after beating Region 1 favorite Oak Grove 74-67.
7. Shiloh Christian
The Skyhawks are a very talented team from beyond the arc. The fear is that they aren’t ready to face the top teams in state come Thursday at the Bismarck Event Center. Shiloh Christian lost two of its last four regular season games and had one game in the Region 5 tournament that was decided by less then 19 points. The Skyhawks have just one senior on the team but he’s an important part to the offense. Senior guard Jonas Mitzel leads Shiloh Christian and can hit the deep ball and play inside.
8. Beulah
The Mines survived a double overtime thriller to win the Region 7 title but Beulah is going to have to dig deeper in the state tournament. Senior Derek Ferebee is the key to this team and as he goes, Beulah goes. Ferebee is a lengthy and athletic guard and Beulah’s game plan features breaking down opponents with its speed.