North Dakota Class A Rankings
Rankings are fluid. Rankings are mostly meaningless. But rankings are fun. So here are my rankings for Class A North Dakota as we hit about the midway point of the season: 1. Jamestown Jamestown has been the best team in…
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Continue ReadingRankings are fluid. Rankings are mostly meaningless. But rankings are fun. So here are my rankings for Class A North Dakota as we hit about the midway point of the season:
1. Jamestown
Jamestown has been the best team in Class A and honestly with further inspection, it hasn’t been all that close. The Blue Jays have beaten every contender in the WDA with the exception of Minot which they play Saturday. And with the exception of a five-point win over Williston, they’ve won every game by double-figures. Boden Skunberg’s been a rock star, averaging better than 24 points per game and Mason Walters has been a force inside averaging a double-double. Jared Kallenbach is picking his play up as of late too.
2. Fargo Davies
Davies was the top-ranked team in Class A and looked like the clear best team before a loss to West Fargo last week. One loss doesn’t change that much in my opinion as they are still the team to beat in the EDC and likely still the favorite to win a state title. The Eagles, when healthy, have more depth and firepower than any team in the state.
3. West Fargo Sheyenne
The Mustangs don’t have the size of Jamestown or the scoring depth of Davies but they’ve got a terrific cast of perimeter players led by Christian Kuntz and enough pedigree at this point to not be counted out. They are right in the mix in the EDC and will get another shot at Davies to potentially take the league.
4. West Fargo
The Packers started the year a little slow but have picked things up as of late. They’ve got a couple good tests in the next few days with Moorhead (Friday) and Grand Forks Red River next week before a soft stretch of games. If the Packers can keep winning games they should win, they’ll be right in the mix in the EDC. Luke Lennon and Hunter Lyman might be the best big man duo in the state.
5. Mandan
The Braves haven’t been quite as good as expected but still sit at 8-4 with a chance to finish second in the WDA (assuming Jamestown has the top spot locked up at this point). Elijah Klein has been terrific and Trey Weist has been productive on the wing. The offense for the Braves has been humming pretty much all year and it makes them dangerous.
6. Bismarck
The Demons have been on a tear since a 1-2 start, winning eight straight thanks to outstanding play from a great group of seniors. Everybody knows of Joe Jahner, who might be the best prospect in the senior class but Canyon Stonecipher has been a force inside, averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds.
7. Bismarck Century
The Patriots are as down as they’ve been in a while, but counting them out would be a big mistake. A backcourt led by Treyton Mattern and Cade Feeney is still as good as any and those two have been great, averaging a combined 40 points per game. If Century’s complementary pieces can progress a little more, this will be a team nobody wants to see in March.
8. Minot
The Magicians are in the thick of that fat second tier with Mandan, Bismarck and Bismarck Century and have the opportunities to climb with tough games looming. Four double-figure scorers led by junior sharpshooter Jaxon Gunville and sophomore guard Deonte Martinez.
9. Grand Forks Red River
The Roughriders have a critical stretch coming up in their next three games with West Fargo Sheyenne, West Fargo and Davies over the next week. They lost that same stretch at the very beginning of the year. How far have they come?
10. Bismarck Legacy
The Sabers are headed in the wrong direction with three straight losses. Perhaps more alarming than three losses in a row (to very good teams) is the fact that the point differentials in those games were 14, 23 and 26. There’s nowhere to hide in the WDA, so Legacy will have to earn its way back.
***Photo Credit: Jamestown Sun***