North Dakota Preview: White Shield
The White Shield Warriors were one of the sneaky excellent teams in Class B last year, going 18-6 on the season. Two of those losses were forfeits at the beginning of the year to Montana schools and the Warriors lost…
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Continue ReadingThe White Shield Warriors were one of the sneaky excellent teams in Class B last year, going 18-6 on the season. Two of those losses were forfeits at the beginning of the year to Montana schools and the Warriors lost in the Region semifinal game to Mandaree before beating Stanley to finish third. The Warriors could very well go into this upcoming season as the favorite in Region 8.
KEY RETURNERS: Jesse White, Riley Hodgkiss, Chontay LaCroix
White is one of the best players in the North Dakota 2021 class and coming off a season in which he averaged better than 16 points per game. He’s a potential all-state guard as an upperclassman, as he’ll take on greater ball-handling and shot-creating responsibility. He’s a terrific three-level scorer, as he’s an explosive slasher, strong finisher and solid shooter from the mid-range and beyond.
Hodgkiss averaged better than 12 points per game for the Warriors and is a talented wing with good length and size who can fill it up. LaCroix was a rotation guy last year who was solid in a complementary role playing with White and Frederick Fox on the perimeter.
STEPPING INTO NEW ROLES: Jonas Dickens, Jase Dickens,
Both the Dickens boys earned minutes last year and should be primed to step into starter/rotation roles this winter. Jase will be just a freshman, but he’s capable of contributing on both ends of the floor.
QUESTION: Can the Warriors continue to defend at a high level?
White Shield allowed just 47 points per game a year ago while scoring more than 64. Both marks were among the best in the area. The Warriors shouldn’t have much trouble piling up points despite graduating a few solid scorers, but can they continue to lock people down? If they stay at that kind of level defensively, they should finish with 15-20 wins again.
SEASON OUTLOOK
White Shield returns a significant amount of talent from last year’s 18-win team including one of the best guards in the state in junior combo guard Jesse White. It won’t be easy replacing star point man Frederick Fox, but this group has the talent and experience to win at a high level.