North Dakota Preview: Oak Grove
After enjoying a run as one of the elite teams in Class B, Oak Grove went through a bit of a retooling season last winter, finishing 14-10 and losing to Richland in the Region 1 semifinals. The Grovers did ultimately…
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Continue ReadingAfter enjoying a run as one of the elite teams in Class B, Oak Grove went through a bit of a retooling season last winter, finishing 14-10 and losing to Richland in the Region 1 semifinals. The Grovers did ultimately claim a third-place finish in the region despite losing a lot to graduation from the previous season. With one of the best returning duos in the area, the Grovers could be improved in 2019-20.
KEY RETURNERS: Noah Swenson, Mayson Bolme, Jake Lang
Swenson has a chance to be one of the best big men in Class B. the 6-foot-6 forward averaged 15 points and six rebounds as a sophomore, establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with inside. That could be just the surface of how good he can ultimately be though. Swenson has a hot motor, good footwork inside, a nice shooting touch to the mid-range, great hands and terrific finishing ability in traffic. He’s good enough to put up 18-22 points and double-digit rebounds regularly. If he does, he’s a potential all-state guy.
Bolme is a jack-of-all-trades type guy who averaged 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals per game. The 6-foot-4 swingman is a decent outside shooter, but a very difficult guy to matchup with because of his strength, length and skill level. He’s a heady player who can impact the game in a lot of ways and if he may need to be a little more aggressive looking for his own shot.
Lang started last year and averaged five points per game while shooting 30 percent from the 3-point line. He’s a solid role player who does his best work off the ball. If that percentage comes up a little bit, he’s a weapon for a team that wants to run its offense inside-out.
STEPPING INTO NEW ROLES: Mason Martinson, Jorgen Dietz, Zach Wolf, Conner Asche
Martinson was a role player last year for the Grovers off the bench and established himself as the team’s best long-range shooter. He’ll be in line for a lot more playing time and could be a big key in supplying some perimeter scoring if he is able to take that typical sophomore-to-junior jump.
Dietz and Asche are guards who saw minimal playing time last season but will have opportunities to step into key roles this winter. With Tommy Conmy gone to graduation, the Grovers will need somebody to step up as the primary ball-handler.
QUESTION: Can the Grovers find a third consistent scorer?
Oak Grove returns two rock-solid pieces in Swenson and Bolme, but the Grovers will have to offset the losses of Tyrel Rodriguez and Conmy. Rodriguez averaged 10 points and seven rebounds last year and was very good especially late in the season. They ran a lot of offense through Rodriguez and Swenson inside plus Bolme on the wing. At times, the offense got bogged down by a lack of perimeter scoring though. If someone like Martinson can step up and give the team some juice, the team becomes that much more dangerous.
SEASON OUTLOOK
Oak Grove is in a grinder of a region as Richland and Kindred both figure to be top-10 teams in the state. Throw in Central Cass and Enderlin and its easy to pass over the Grovers as a contender. But don’t sleep on them. Swenson and Bolme provide the floor for a team that can win 12-15 games. If some of the less-experienced guards can step into new roles effectively, this team could be in the mix to challenge those upper-echelon clubs late in the year.