The Class A All State Team
Bismarck Century finished their year as the Class A State champions winning their final 21 games of the season. Today the Patriots lead off our Class A All State team honoring the best players in North Dakota’s bigger school division. (Sipes cover photo from the state twitter account of the North Dakota High School Athletic Association).
Class A All State First Team
Josh Sipes, Century (12), PHD Class A Player of the Year. Sipes brought home the trophy that he cared most about, the state title plus the State Tournament MVP. For that he’s our MVP. Century won 21 straight games to finish the season and Josh led in scoring 15 points per contest plus grabbed 6.5 rebounds a night. But more importantly Sipes was the leader of the team basketball that Century played night after night.
Joe Pistorius, West Fargo (12). Joe was named the EDC Player of the Year after leading his team to the final four and a 22-5 record. Joe led the EDC in scoring at 22.5 points per game and he led the league in steals as well as assists.
Trae Steckler, Mandan (12). The WDA Player of the year scored just under 20 points a contest while leading his team to a 22-5 record and a third place finish at state. Trae also grabbed over eight rebounds a contest which was good for top four in the WDA.
Zach Westphal, WF Sheyenne (12). At 22 points per game Zach was the Sheyenne leading scorer and he helped take his team to the state final. Zach was an 80 percent foul shooter, a 37 percent three-point shooter, and was one of the best players in Class A.
Jake Kava, Fargo Shanley (12). Kava scored 20.7 points per contest while dishing out 3-4 assists and being one of the best free throw and three-point shooters in the class. Kava was also top three in steals in Class A an led his team to state where they won 2 of 3 games.
Class A All State Second Team
Luke Lennon, West Fargo (11). At 14.5 points and 11.6 rebounds a game Luke may be one of the more under appreciated players in North Dakota. Those numbers are rare and among the leaders of the EDC. His energy on defense led to steals and blocks, he was a top offensive rebounder, and he also made a high percentage of field goals and foul shots.
Christian Kuntz, WF Sheyenne (11). Once he was healthy and playing Kuntz scored 18.1 points per game pairing with Westphal to form a lethal backcourt pair that led the team to state. Kuntz had the highest assist per game average in the EDC plus made 40 percent of his threes and over half his field goals as a guard.
Cole Gendreau, St Mary’s (12). Cole was top four in scoring in the WDA, top three in assists, and number one in steals in the WDA. He led his team to more wins than many expected (10) and he brought his team to the state tournament with a strong post-season of play.
Braeton Motschenbacher, Fargo Davies (11). Davies was one of the more balanced teams but Braeton stood out scoring nearly 17 a game shooting 44 percent from the arc and making 80 plus percent of his foul shots. He was also an excellent creator for others.
Kade Amundson, Bismarck Century (12). Kade gave his team a dozen points, seven boards a game, and led the WDA in blocked shots. Amundson was efficient and went home this weekend with a state title medal and trophy. Sounds high level as it can be for the future U of Mary player.
Class A All State Third Team
Cam Saville, Fargo Shanley (12). Saville formed a fantastic 1-2 punch with Kava helping Shanley to state. Saville scored 17 points a contest as his skill and size were a big advantage against most guards/wings he faced.
Elijah Klein, Mandan (10). Klein scored 14.6 a game, led the WDA in rebounding at nearly nine a contest, helped his team to a third place in state finishing, and will now have the future of the team in his hands. Things are looking good for the Mandan future.
Cameren Steckler, Mandan (12). Camren was the third piece of the Mandan group that helped them earn third in state. Steckler put up 14 points a game with seven rebounds each night.
Mason Walters, Jamestown (11). A top four scorer in the WDA at 16.3 points per game, a top three rebounder grabbing over eight a contest and one of the top two shot blockers on his side of the state. Not to mention Walters played a key role in the Jays making state.
Ian Schafer, Bismarck (12). The Class A leader in assists per game also scored 12-13 points per contest and had Bismarck playing really well before a late season slide. The team did win 16 games.
Class All State Fourth Team
Trey Mattern, Bismarck Century (11). Mattern scored a dozen a game for the state champs, was a top ten assist guy in Class A, and handled a lot of the ball pressure and handling duties.
Chandler Albertson, Minot (12). Albertson scored 15 plus points per game, dished out three plus assists, and led Minot to 18 wins.
Kemal Hajric, WF Sheyenne (12). A monster rebounder that collected nearly a dozen a game and at times scored physically when his team needed to suck in the defense.
Abdi Sufi, West Fargo (12). A top ten scorer, third in the EDC in boards, top five in his league in steals, and a top three point shooter in the conference. Excellent year.
Cole Hage, Fargo Davies (10). The lone upperclassmen listed was the best foul shooter in the EDC, a solid rebounder, and an efficient double figure scorer.