Class B State Tournament Preview

<p>We made it to the big dance, the Class B State Tournament! We are down to only 8 teams left. All the teams are talented and athletic. They have each made a great run to win their Region Championship. The tournament will be played at the Minot State Dome March 18^th-20^th. It is the best time of the year and we finally made it to the pinnacle of North Dakota Hoops.</p> <p>Let us take a look at each matchup in the tournament…</p> <p><strong>State Tournament opening day:</strong></p> <p><u>Thursday, March 18th, 2021</u></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/noahF-1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1134891" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/noahF-1-219x300.jpg" alt="" width="219" height="300" /></a></p> <p>[12:00 start]<strong> #2 Grafton/St. Thomas (17-2) vs. Powers Lake (22-2)</strong></p> <p>The Spoilers beat North Border in the Region-2 Championship by a score of 46-40. The Ranchers beat White Shield 48-34 in the Region-8 Championship. Grafton puts up 64.7 ppg and they allow 43.8 ppg. Powers Lake scores 66.7 ppg and teams score 46 ppg against them. Each team has a stellar senior guard with [player_tooltip player_id="731907" first="Stevan" last="Garza"] from Grafton and [player_tooltip player_id="731893" first="Noah" last="Fredrickson"] from Powers Lake. Stevan is more of an all-around scorer and a slasher. Noah is a sniper from 3-point range and one of the best shooters in North Dakota. It will make for a fun game if they get matched up on each other. I hope this game is played at a fast pace and both push the tempo. This is a great match-up to start the tournament. Do not miss the Spoilers vs. the Ranchers in game #1.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/alexhuber-crop-687x451-1613779304.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1135313" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/alexhuber-crop-687x451-1613779304-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> </p> <p>[2:30 start] <strong>#3 Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier (22-2) vs. Rugby (18-7)</strong></p> <p>The Rebels beat Linton/HMB in the Region-3 Championship by a score of 46-28. The Panthers beat Bottineau in the Region-6 Championship by a score of 58-45. Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier averages 59.3 ppg and they give up 43.8 ppg. Rugby scores 62.7 ppg and they allow 55.6 ppg. These teams match up well with each other. They both have size, athletic guards, and a strong post presence. The Rebels are more conservative on defense and offensive compared to the Panthers. EKM has three main guys with [player_tooltip player_id="750172" first="Alex" last="Huber"], Chayse Entzi, and Adam Nitschke. Huber is the go-to player for the Rebels. Rugby has four studs offensively. [player_tooltip player_id="1124138" first="Warren" last="Walker"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1124135" first="Trey" last="Welstad"] are the lead guards who shoot it well.  [player_tooltip player_id="750171" first="Isaiah" last="Bundy-Smith"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1124139" first="Cole" last="Slaubaugh"] are the athletic frontcourt players for Rugby who can go off at any point. This is an intriguing matchup with stud players. Which style of play with come out on top?</p> [caption id="attachment_1104755" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/2020-21-Boys-BB4winds.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1104755" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/2020-21-Boys-BB4winds-300x198.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="198" /></a> Photo: Four Winds/Minnewaukan Indians[/caption] <p>[6:30 start]<strong> #1 Four Winds/Minnewaukan (23-1) vs. Shiloh Christian (15-9)</strong></p> <p>The Indians beat Langdon/Edmore/Munich 57-39 in the Region-4 Championship game. The Skyhawks beat Flasher 66-56 in the Region 5 Championship. Four Winds scores up 76.8 ppg and they give up 44.8 ppg. Shiloh averages 66.1 ppg and teams score 56.3 ppg on them. These two played each other back on February 20^th and Four Winds won 61-45. The Indians and Skyhawks both have deep benches and many skilled players. The top players for Four Winds are [player_tooltip player_id="750159" first="Bronson" last="Walter"], [player_tooltip player_id="750170" first="Jaeshaun" last="Shaw"], [player_tooltip player_id="1046356" first="Jayden" last="Yankton"], [player_tooltip player_id="1115603" first="Keldon" last="Keja"], [player_tooltip player_id="1115651" first="Caelen" last="Lohnes"], [player_tooltip player_id="1115652" first="Jonah" last="Jackson"], and Jacob LaRock. The top players for Shiloh Christian are [player_tooltip player_id="1046366" first="Carter" last="Englund"], [player_tooltip player_id="1138746" first="Jay" last="Wanzek"], Khael DeCoteau, [player_tooltip player_id="1124141" first="Luke" last="Wanzek"], and Patrick Wrigley. I expect this one to be a bit closer compared to the last time they played. Shiloh will most likely look to keep this game low scoring if possible. Who will control the tempo of this game? Whoever wins will control the tempo and win the turnover battle.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2018/10/Gavin-Keller-2021-Kindred-High-school1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-591284" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2018/10/Gavin-Keller-2021-Kindred-High-school1-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>[9:00 start]<strong> #4 Dickinson Trinity (21-3) vs. #5 Kindred (18-4)</strong></p> <p>The Titans beat Beulah in the Region-7 Championship by a score of 61-53. The Vikings beat Oak Grove in the Region-1 Championship by a score of 65-51. Dickinson Trinity scores 63.1 ppg and gives up 43.5 ppg. Kindred puts up 60.7 ppg, and they allow 42.3 ppg. The Titans have superior guard play, and they are better outside shooters. However, Kindred has the size advantage, and they should win the rebounding battle. These two teams like to control the pace and they are both excellent defensively.  For the Titans [player_tooltip player_id="1126987" first="Cole" last="Fitterer"], [player_tooltip player_id="1126985" first="Tanner" last="Soehren"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1126984" first="Jacob" last="Daniel"] are the best players and stat fillers. The Vikings are led by [player_tooltip player_id="731867" first="Gavin" last="Keller"] who is the big man and rim protector for this stingy defense. He is surrounded by long athletes who dunk as often as they shoot a layup. These stud athletes are [player_tooltip player_id="1123710" first="Jaiden" last="Peraza"], [player_tooltip player_id="812227" first="Paul" last="Olson"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1123711" first="Max" last="McQuillan"]. I predict this game to be in the 50’s. If Kindred wins it is because of their tough defense and their scoring in the paint. If Trinity wins it is because of their discipline and they shot well from outside. The winner of this game will play the winner of Four Winds/Minnewaukan vs. Shiloh Christian on Friday at 9:00.</p>