Conference Preview: Tri-Rivers East
The Teams
Bellevue Marquette (8-14): After getting off to a 5-0 start last season, the Mohawks struggled to an 8-14 record. With their top seven scorers back, they’ll look to regain that ability they had in the first five games of the season. They’ll be led by the duo of Nate Brinker (13.1) and Blayne Banowetz (10.3), a pair of players who could be the best one-two punch in the division if they can improve their efficiency a bit. Brinker is one of the best in the league at attacking the rim, notching 117 free throw attempts last season. Justin Herrig (6.7) returns as the lead guard after leading the team in assists last season, and Hunter Michels (6.3) can take some of the ball handling pressure off of him after dishing out 41 helpers. Ethan Pfiffner (5.4) will likely round out the starting unit, while Will Draus (3.9) and Ben Kettmann (2.6) return after getting valuable bench minutes. This group is the most experienced in the league, and if they can become a more efficient offensive unit (38-32-57 last year), they can win the division.
Calamus-Wheatland (18-5): The top three scorers are gone from a Warriors team that put together perhaps the school’s best season with 18 wins. The good news is that they bring back some quality players who could be ready to step into larger roles. Brant Boeckmann (8.1) is an efficient forward who shot 52.3% from the floor last season and was among the team leaders in rebounding and steals. Hunter Rickels (7.8) dished out a whopping 143 assists last year to go with 52 steals. He’ll step into a larger scoring role following the graduation of older brother Garrett, who was the team’s second leading scorer. Jacob Looney (5.4, 58.7 FG%) is the other returning rotation player for the Warriors, another efficient post player who knows where he excels. This group will have a different look than last year’s bunch, and may not be as successful, but the pieces are still in place to contend for a division title.
Cedar Valley Christian (5-16): Since the school’s inception, the Huskies have struggled to score, and last year was no exception, averaging 41 points on 30-25-56 shooting splits. They lose two of their top three scorers from last year’s group, who take more than 50% of the production with them. Kyle Gustafson (9.3) will be the leading scorer for this group. He’s a capable shooter from the arc. Cole Telecky (5.2) also returns after ranking second on the team in steals last year. With little experience returning, it’s hard to expect this year to be much better than last year was.
Easton Valley (12-11): The River Hawks had an uncharacteristically poor season last winter, finishing just a game over .500 and really struggling (by their standards) on the defensive end, allowing 51.2 points a game. A program that is routinely among the top 10-15 in 1A in scoring defense, they were just 38th last season. And now they lose four of their top six rotation players from last year. The good news is that Logan Miller (17.0) is back, and is our division POY in the preseason. He’s a versatile combo forward who makes a major impact on both ends of the floor and should have a huge senior year. Keegan Blake (4.7) and Hunter Horst (3.2) are the only other returnees of significant note. They’ll welcome back Conner Gregorich (4.0) from an injury after he played in just the first four games a year ago. He showed he can be a valuable scorer with a 10-point game against Calamus-Wheatland. Nate Trenkamp (1.7) broke into the starting lineup late last year as a freshman and will be a valuable piece moving forward. There are certainly some roles to fill, but if this group can improve on the defensive end and ride Miller on the offensive side of the ball, there’s no reason they can’t be back up among the division’s best.
Midland, Wyoming (5-17): It figures to be another long season for the Eagles, who lose four of their top five scorer, including leading scorer Alex Martens, who accounted for nearly 25% of their season output. Fisher Bisinger (8.7) is the leading returnee, but he’ll need to improve his shooting numbers across the board if he wants to keep this team afloat. Kyle Paulsen (3.1) is the only other rotation player who returns, meaning this group needs to find some players to plug into a lot of holes, and fast.
Prince of Peace Prep (18-6): The top four scorers are gone from what was one of the most successful teams in Irish history, taking with them nearly 80% of last year’s production. This year’s group will be led by a pair of role players from last season in Patrick Mulholland (5.5) and Kaidion Larson (5.5). Both are fairly efficient, with Mulholland more perimeter based while Larson will control the paint. With a whole lot of question marks regarding the rest of the roster, expect to see PoP fall down the division standings in a big way.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Easton Valley
2. Bellevue Marquette
3. Calamus-Wheatland
4. Prince of Peace Prep
5. Midland, Wyoming
6. Cedar Valley Christian
Analysis: We project Easton Valley to return to the top of the league behind the strength of preseason POY Logan Miller. That said, it certainly wouldn’t surprise us to see any of the top three teams in the league rise to the top, while the bottom three teams will get beat up on all year.
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
2018 Logan Miller, Easton Valley: 17.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.7 blocks, 49.2 FG%
A versatile threat capable of scoring inside and out, Miller is the division’s leading returning scorer and rebounder. He’s capable of stuffing the stat sheet on any given night, and makes a major impact on both ends of the floor. The leader of an Easton Valley team that is routinely at the top of the division, he’ll be looking to lead them there again this winter.
BIGGEST SLEEPER
2019 Hunter Rickels, Calamus-Wheatland: Maybe he’s not too much of a sleeper after being named to our preseason all-conference team, but with Brett Kelting and older brother Garrett gone, the Warriors are now Hunter’s team. He dished out a ton of assists last year, and this year we’ll see more of his scoring prowess, while still being one of the state’s better distributors.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
2018 Logan Miller, Easton Valley
2018 Keegan Blake, Easton Valley
2018 Nate Brinker, Bellevue Marquette
2018 Blayne Banowetz, Bellevue Marquette
2018 Justin Herrig, Bellevue Marquette
2018 Hunter Michels, Bellevue Marquette
2019 Ethan Pfiffner, Bellevue Marquette
2018 Will Draus, Bellevue Marquette
2019 Brant Boeckmann, Calamus-Wheatland
2019 Hunter Rickels, Calamus-Wheatland
2018 Jacob Looney, Calamus-Wheatland
2018 Fisher Bisinger, Midland, Wyoming
2018 Kyle Gustafson, Cedar Valley Christian
2018 Cole Telecky, Cedar Valley Christian
2019 Patrick Mulholland, Prince of Peace Prep