Dark Horses

Who are some of the underrated teams? Which teams are flying under the radar? Who has the potential to get hot and upset a few teams come tournament time? Here are a few Dark Horse teams to keep your eye on: EDC Wahpeton – The Huskies do not have much height. What they lack in size they make up for with grit, toughness, and shooting. It looks like the Huskies will finish around the 4-5 spot in the EDC. So, it will not be a surprise if they make the State Tournament. However, I could see them getting hot and upsetting one of the top teams in the Region semifinals. If they make the State Tournament anything can happen in the first round. Wahpeton is led by senior guards Bridger Hansen, Munezero Desire, and [player_tooltip player_id="750184" first="Tyler" last="Tollefson"]. These three bring a ton of energy every night and they can fill it up from the outside. The Huskies also have sophomore Ethan Manock who is strong and athletic with loads of potential. Wahpeton can be a spooky team to play in the tournament if their shooters are having a hot night. Grand Forks Red River – The Rough Riders are an inexperienced team. But on the flip side, they are full of young talent. Red River will most likely finish around the 7-8 spot. This means they will be in a prime position to upset a few teams. As this young team matures and grows together, they will be a scary group. The question is, will that happen in March or not until next season? [player_tooltip player_id="1115649" first="Zachary" last="Kraft"] and [player_tooltip player_id="812222" first="Paine" last="Parks"] are young rising-stars in the EDC. Kraft is a quick electric guard who has highlight type handles with a sweet 3-point shot. Parks is a strong thick guard who does his damage in the paint. He can pull-up, finish with power, or make multiple fakes and finish with finesse. WDA Dickinson – The Midgets have not had the signature win yet this season. However, they have played right with the big boys for spurts of games. Early in the season they had Minot on the ropes and played right with one of the best teams in North Dakota. Dickinson has the pieces and the potential to be team nobody wants to play in March. They will most likely finish with the 7-8 seed. [player_tooltip player_id="1050249" first="Alex" last="Dvorak"] is one of the best sophomores in North Dakota and is looking like an All-WDA player this season. He has all the skills and can score from every level. He has a great motor and is relentless. The Midgets have Jayden Hocker, Kyle Brilz, and Britton Cranston who can also do their fair share of scoring. Turtle Mountain – The Braves have not had the big win yet this season and they do not have an abundance of height. They do however have an exciting group of basketball players who can battle with the best teams on the offensive side of the ball. Turtle Mountain will most likely finish in the 7-8 spot. I will not be surprised one bit if the Braves win a few games and make some noise in the postseason. They are led by three extremely skilled players with [player_tooltip player_id="750157" first="Wyatt" last="Enno"], [player_tooltip player_id="750177" first="Tristin" last="Davis"], and James Keplin. They guys are a joy to watch. Enno, Davis, and Keplin can all shoot from beyond the arc and they can all score in their own unique way inside the arc. Region 1 Oak Grove – The Grovers are scary for two reasons. They shoot three-pointers like the NDHSAA is going to take away the arc after the game. They also have [player_tooltip player_id="731878" first="Noah" last="Swenson"] who is a true scorer and stud rebounder. He also lives at the free-throw line. Oak Grove knocked down 13 three-pointers in one half earlier this season, that is an insane number! This past Saturday, the Grovers played right with Four Winds/Minnewaukan who might be the best team in Class B, and only lost by 5 points. Besides Swenson being a dude, the Grovers have 3-point assassins with Connor Asche, [player_tooltip player_id="1046336" first="Mason" last="Martinson"], and Trevon Rodriguez. Trust me, no one will want to play this team in March. Region 2 North Border – The Eagles have all the pieces to be a great team. However, they have had a couple of hiccups on the season so far. The Eagles have athletes, size, and shooters. This makes them a scary team. Ayden Stainbrook is a smooth shooting forward who can score inside and out. Jaden Lee is a great slasher who also has a fine 3-point shot. Trenton Cosley has excellent handles and finishing abilities. Kyler Moore is a knockdown shooter who can also score inside. This team has not played very long together and will only improve as they become familiar with each other. Look for the Eagles to be a tough out, come tournament time. Region 3 LaMoure/Litchville-Marion – The Loboes have played some of the better Class B teams in close games. They lost to Ellendale by 1, Enderlin by 7, and Linton by 4. It looks like they will finish as a 3-4 seed in District 5. That can certainly change as more District and Region games are played. The Loboes are a smart team that plays disciplined basketball. They are tough defensively and are great on the boards. They are also a well-coached team. Corban Potts is the go-to-player for LLM. He is the primary ballhandler for the Loboes and the floor general. Corban is a nice shooter. Watch out for LLM! Region 6 Drake/Anamoose – The Raiders play in a historically difficult District and Region. They are looking to change that for their benefit this season. This Raider squad looks like they have the weapons to make a run in the tournament. However, all roads lead through Rugby. If the Raiders want a chance at the Region championship, they will have to upset the Panthers. Drake/Anamoose is led by [player_tooltip player_id="1046342" first="Payton" last="Martin"] who is an excellent passer, ballhandler, and leader. Martin can attack the basket and finish in a variety of crafty ways. [player_tooltip player_id="1046333" first="Hunter" last="Fletschock"] is the 6-5 shooting wing that is oh-so impressive. He shoots it with perfect form, he elevates well, and he never forces his shot. If anything, he should be shooting more. Watch out for the Raiders! Region 7 Bowman County – This Region has historically been owned by Beulah and Dickinson Trinity. If you are a betting man, you would most likely think one of those two would win the Region. However, if anyone in Region 7 is going to make and run and upset a few teams the Bulldogs are the team to do it. They are a high scoring team that averages 69.3 points per game. The leader and stat filler for the Bulldogs is [player_tooltip player_id="750161" first="Caleb" last="Duffield"]. He is an underrated player with one of the best shots in all of North Dakota. Caleb is putting up impressive numbers with 26.7 ppg 5 rpg 5 apg, and 4 spg. Do not sleep on the Bulldogs or Duffield!