2020-21 Preview: Big Rivers

<p>Looking ahead to the 2020-21 season, Prep Hoops Wisconsin breaks down the race in the Big Rivers Conference...</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH</strong></p> <p>1.  River Falls</p> <p>2. Chippewa Falls</p> <p>3.  Hudson</p> <p>4. Eau Claire Memorial</p> <p>5. Eau Claire North</p> <p>6. Menomonie</p> <p>7. Rice Lake</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>FAVORITE - RIVER FALLS</strong></p> <p>The Wildcats return three of their top five scorers, including a pair of reigning all-conference players --  Augustana commit [player_tooltip player_id="804899" first="Zac" last="Johnson"] and Army commit [player_tooltip player_id="879999" first="Jameson" last="Dougherty"]. River Falls finished one game out of first place last season in a loaded league.</p> <p><strong>TOP CONTENDER - CHIPPEWA FALLS</strong></p> <p>Last season’s league champ, Falls is a little depleted, but returns two of their top three leading scorers --  [player_tooltip player_id="880014" first="Joe" last="Reuter"] and [player_tooltip player_id="994424" first="Jacob" last="Walczak"].</p> <p><strong>DARK HORSE -   HUDSON</strong></p> <p>Hudson won 17 games last season and returns leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="880011" first="Luke" last="Healy"].</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PRESEASON FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE</strong></p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="865850" first="Mekhi" last="Shaw"] - Jr. - Eau Claire Memorial</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="880011" first="Luke" last="Healy"] - Sr. - Hudson</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="880014" first="Joe" last="Reuter"] - Sr. - Chippewa Falls</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="804899" first="Zac" last="Johnson"] - Sr. - River Falls</p> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id="879999" first="Jameson" last="Dougherty"] - Sr. - River Falls</p> <p><strong>SECOND TEAM</strong></p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="880022" first="Chad" last="Kron"] - Sr. - Eau Claire North</p> <p><strong>G Nolan Rowe - Sr. - Rice Lake</strong></p> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id="994424" first="Jacob" last="Walczak"] - Sr. - Chippewa Falls</p> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id="988983" first="Noah" last="Feddersen"] - Jr. - Menomonie</p> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id="880013" first="Liam" last="Dougherty"] - Sr. - River Falls</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PLAYER OF THE YEAR - ZAC JOHNSON</strong></p> <p>Johnson averaged 20.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 2019-20. One of the state’s premier sharpshooters, the Augustana commit hit 76 triples as a junior.</p> <p><strong>MOST IMPROVED PLAYER -  MEKHI SHAW</strong></p> <p>Shaw made some big gains over the summer and is ready to take the reigns for Memorial. As a sophomore, Shaw averaged 9.3 points and 3.0 assists per game. With the Old Abes losing [player_tooltip player_id="694796" first="Caden" last="Boser"] and Tanner Linduski, Shaw steps to the forefront in 2020-21. </p> <p><strong>SURPRISE PLAYER -  BRANDON MOERI</strong></p> <p>A strong 3-point shooter with all-around ability, Moeri averaged 8.0 points,  5.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game last season. Moeri had some breakout performances as a junior -- scoring 19 against Memorial and 21 at New Richmond. The 6-foot-3 wing also hit  six 3-pointers in eight attempts during his 19-point effort versus the Old Abes.</p>