North Dakota Class A State Preview: First Round Matchups
The North Dakota Class A State Tournament tips off Thursday. Here are the matchups for the first round: Game 1: Fargo Davies vs. Bismarck Legacy Fargo Davies started the year as the No. 1 team in the state and with…
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Continue ReadingThe North Dakota Class A State Tournament tips off Thursday.
Here are the matchups for the first round:
Game 1: Fargo Davies vs. Bismarck Legacy
Fargo Davies started the year as the No. 1 team in the state and with state title aspirations. The Eagles’ team goals were to win the EDC regular season title, the EDC Conference Tournament title and a state title. Two of those three have been checked off and the third is still a realistic goal.
Braeton Motschenbacher is one of the best guards in the state. Cole Hage, Cam VanDam and Jaden Klabo all average double figures in scoring and control the paint on both ends of the floor. Harrison Thom, Ty Slatter, Justice Noel and Grayson Haman can all provide shooting and defense.
Legacy has been tested throughout the year and while the Sabers haven’t scored consistently throughout the year, they are playing well as of late. Rhett Clements is a consistent frontcourt player who can compete inside and Nick Kupfer is an explosive guard who can pop off for 20-pls on any given night.
This Fargo Davies team is as complete a team as there is in the state and it’ll be difficult for the Sabers to keep up with them. Bismarck Legacy is going to have a hard time slowing down the high-powered offense of the Eagles so the Sabers’ best hope is that they can match them shot for shot and keep the Eagles off the free throw line.
Game 2: Mandan vs. Grand Forks Red River
Both of these teams were in the state tournament a year ago and while some of the catalysts in those runs are gone, a number of major key guys from both are back. The Braves have one of the best offenses in the state with four double figure scorers and a bevy of shooters around a dominant big man. The Roughriders have been solid most of the year and have a terrific group of juniors that should be able to soak in this experience and use it going forward.
The guard matchup of Jaxton and Trey Wiest against Brady Dvorak should be a good one. Trey Wiest is one of the most explosive guards in the state and is playing his best ball of the season. Jaxton is a terrific facilitator and does a good job controlling the tempo. Dvorak has been a scoring machine for big chunks of the season and while he’s slowed down a bit lately, he’s got the ability to take over a game.
Elijah Klein is the best player in this game though and it’ll be interesting to see how Red River tries to defend him. They don’t have a guy with his combination of size and mobility but they do have athletic and active forwards in Will Obioha and Bryce Enerson.
Mandan has shown it is good enough to beat anybody while also being vulnerable enough to let lesser teams stick around. If the good Braves show up, they should win this game. But Grand Forks Red River is playing well. The Roughriders have solid depth and get contributions from a lot of places though, so this game could be one of the better ones of the first round.
Game 3: Jamestown vs. Wahpeton
The Bluejays take their undefeated record and put it to the test against a Wahpeton team that has no shortage of big, strong, athletic kids. Driven by the best duo in the state, Jamestown’s been the best team in the state this winter while Wahpeton earned a couple of tough wins to secure a spot in the state field.
On paper, Jamestown should make quick work of the Huskies as Boden Skunberg and Mason Walters have been dominant all year against high-quality teams and the Bluejays get enough shotmaking from their complementary guys.
Wahpeton won’t be intimidated by the star power though as the Huskies have the depth and athleticism to pose some problems for Jamestown’s top guns. Bryce Rader has been one of the best players in the state this year and in Josh Darwin, Corbin Cornelius and Josh Bartels, they’ve got guys who can disrupt the Bluejays on the offensive end.
This one feels like it could be a defensive game as both teams are solid on that end. Jamestown has significantly more scoring juice though and it’s hard to imagine Wahpeton being able to keep up for a full game.
Game 4: West Fargo vs. Bismarck Century
The most intriguing game of the day is undoubtedly the final one when West Fargo takes on the defending state champions in Bismarck Century. Both these teams return key guys from last season’s state tournament runs though for the most part, these rosters are vastly different.
The stylistic difference is one that should be fun to keep track of as West Fargo rolls out arguably the best frontcourt pairing in the state in Luke Lennon and Hunter Lyman while the Patriots employ maybe the best backcourt in the state in Treyton Mattern and Cade Feeney.
The Packers have gotten more from more places as guys like Matt Miller, Carter Birrenkott and Braxton Bruer have all had strong moments though. The Patriots will need guys like Mason Peterson, Bryce Auck and Blake Stuart to step up and make plays.
This one feels like a game the Packers should ultimately win. They’ve been playing as well as any team in the state since early January and while Century turned things up over the second half of the season to, I think West Fargo has a little more juice with Lennon and Lyman inside.