Conference Preview: Twin Lakes

<h4>The Teams</h4> <p><strong>Alta-Aurelia (15-7):</strong> The Warriors bring back a talented piece to build around in senior guard Tanner Randall (12.1, 38.9 3P%), but lost five of their top six scorers from last year’s team, so expect them to take a bit of a step back this season. Randall is a talented shooter but will be asked to do a lot for this team offensively as a senior. Fellow senior guard Preston McCoy (2.7, 2.1 assists) isn’t much of a scorer but should step into a primary ball-handling role after serving as a solid distributor off the bench last season. There will be a lot of new faces taking the floor this year for Alta-Aurelia, and while the bottom won’t fall out for this strong program, they will likely fall back towards the middle of the conference this year. </p> <p><strong>East Sac County (15-5):</strong> Efficient 6-3 forward [player_tooltip player_id="1158443" first="Tyler" last="Schmitt"] (16.4) looks to be the next in line of talented scorers for the Raiders. He’s a highly efficient scoring threat who shot 65% from the floor last year, and he can step out and knock down the occasional jumper, which just makes him more dangerous. Also a strong rebounder, he’ll be asked to take over primary scoring responsibilities this season and will have a lot on his shoulders as they lost the other five of their top six scorers from last year’s team. Look for junior guard Weston Drost (2.7) to step into a bigger role as a ball-handler, and he will be vital for this team if Schmitt is going to remain one of the league’s most efficient scorers. </p> <p><strong>Emmetsburg (9-13):</strong> Both of the E-Hawks’ double-figure scorers from last year’s team graduated, leaving junior Sean Europa (5.7) and seniors Tyler Morton (4.8) and Keegan Joyce (4.0) as the top returnees. This is a team that struggled to score efficiently last season (35.6 FG%), and with the losses that they’ve suffered, that will likely continue this year. Expect to see them near the bottom of the league standings this season.</p> <p><strong>GTRA (8-14):</strong> If you’re looking for a potential surprise team in the Twin Lakes this season, look at the Titans, who return their top seven scorers from last year’s team. The junior trio of Max Hough (14.1), Drew Schnell (12.9), and Kory Hough (10.6) lead the charge. Max Hough led the team in every major category last season and has the ability to control the game even when he’s not scoring. Schnell knocked down 55 3-pointers last season and if he can get his efficiency on those 3s up a little bit, this could be a potent offensive team. Unlike many teams that struggle offensively, the Titans actually did a pretty good job protecting the ball last year, turning it over just 12.5 times a game. If their efficiency can increase across the board, and it should with all the experience returning, they could flip that record this season.</p> <p><strong>Manson-Northwest Webster (2-19):</strong> The Cougars won just two games last season and lose three key contributors from that team. The top two scorers return in junior forward [player_tooltip player_id="1240093" first="Brody" last="Poppen"] (6.4) and senior Sean Peters (5.7), who combined to pull down 9.1 rebounds a game last season. Poppen led the team with 26 made 3-pointers last season and could see his production sky-rocket this year as he’ll need to be the top scoring threat. Ball-handler Reece Olson (3.2) also returns to pace the offense. They may be able to notch a few wins again this year, but don’t expect much more than that. </p> <p><strong>Newell-Fonda (17-6):</strong> The Mustangs bring back 83% of their scoring from last year’s 17-win team that was one of the most potent in 1A, averaging nearly 71 points a game. Seven of the top eight scorers return, led by junior wing [player_tooltip player_id="1167701" first="Carter" last="Sievers"] (17.0) and senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="962677" first="Trey" last="Jungers"] (12.5, 3.9 assists). Sievers is a versatile scoring wing who can fill it up from all three levels are a high clip, while Jungers is a strong lead guard who thrives on getting others involved and letting that open up the rest of his game. He’s also a menace on the defensive end of the floor, flying all over the court and pacing a defense that averaged 13.5 steals a game last season. Mason Dicks (7.9) gives them more perimeter shooting, and this team loves to go deep into their bench. With so much experience returning, they’ll have the depth and experience that they love to have, and that allows them to play at such a fast pace on a nightly basis. This should be considered the team to beat in the conference. </p> <p><strong>Pocahontas Area (6-15):</strong> The Indians had some bad luck last year, losing eight games by single digits. In fact, despite finishing with just a 6-15 record, their point differential was just -.43 per game, so they were extremely competitive on a nightly basis. Unfortunately, they lost their top four scorers from that group, leaving seniors Gavin Ehn (4.0) and Chase Cook (3.9) as the top returnees. With just 20% of their scoring production returning, it’s hard to see the Indians being as competitive as they were last season.</p> <p><strong>Sioux Central (13-11):</strong> In junior wing [player_tooltip player_id="1167698" first="Jacob" last="Hargens"] (19.3), the Rebels have arguably the best player in the league. An efficient 6-3 wing who does a little bit of everything, he posted impressive 57-40-78 shooting splits last year to go with 9.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists a game. That type of all-around productivity makes him an extremely dangerous and valuable piece to build around. They also bring back junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1240102" first="Carter" last="Boettcher"] (10.4, 4.9 assists), the team’s top ball-handler and decision-maker, giving them a dynamic duo of perimeter pieces to get things started. They’ll need to break in a lot of secondary pieces, as eight seniors from last year’s roster graduated, but the Hargens-Boettcher tandem will be one of the best duos in the league.</p> <p><strong>South Central Calhoun (19-6):</strong> The Titans went 10-1 against league competition last season and qualified for their first state tournament. They lose a pair of double-figure scorers from that team but bring back a big-time scorer and a few key role players from that group, so expect them to be competitive again. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="1158481" first="Joshua" last="Dietrich"] (14.1) was second on the team in scoring and led them in rebounding last season. He’s an efficient scorer (56.0 FG%) who can occasionally stretch out to the arc as well. Junior guards Eli Wheelock (6.2, 39.3 3P%) and Joe Clark (4.0, 35.4 3P%) also return, giving them some perimeter shooting. Clark should assume primary ball-handling responsibilities, and Tyler Lightner (2.5, 35.0 3P%) gives them some additional shooting punch. Dietrich will be one of the league’s best players, and they’ll be able to surround him with enough shooting to keep this team near the top of the conference standings.</p> <p><strong>Southeast Valley (13-10):</strong> The Jaguars enter this season fresh off a 2A football championship, so don’t be surprised if they get off to a bit of a slow start following that long season. Seven of their 10 losses came by single digits last year, and their top two scorers return from that team in seniors [player_tooltip player_id="962628" first="Kolson" last="Kruse"] (18.1, 40.5 3P%) and [player_tooltip player_id="682271" first="Aaron" last="Graves"] (13.4), giving the Jags arguably the best one-two punch in the conference. Graves is an athletic and physical forward who has committed to play defensive line at Iowa, and Kruse has established himself as one of the best shooters in this part of the state. In addition to his physicality and rebounding, Graves is also the type of player that the offense can run through, as he’s a good and willing passer. Tre Fisher (3.8) and Kaleb Scott (2.0) are the other notable returnees for Southeast Valley, so they’ll need to find some rotation pieces to fill in alongside Kruse and Graves, but that tandem should make them dangerous.</p> <p><strong>Storm Lake St. Mary’s (1-20):</strong> The Panthers only win last season came against a winless Whiting team, and they weren’t able to compete against anyone in the league. Senior Mason Laven (13.0) led the team in scoring last season and returns, as does leading rebounder Bennett Smith (6.3, 5.3 rebounds). The top five scorers from last year’s team return, so they may be able to scrape together a non-conference win and compete with Manson-Northwest Webster or West Bend to grab another win or two.</p> <p><strong>West Bend-Mallard (6-16):</strong> The top two scorers return for a Wolverines team that improved as the season went on last year. Senior wing Collin Montag (10.3) led the team in scoring, while junior forward Sam Fehr (9.6, 7.9 rebounds) was the team’s top rebounder. They’ll need to find a reliable ball-handler as the top three in assists all graduated, and that will be a major area of concern headed into the season, as they struggled with turnovers last season as it was. They should put together a similar season to last year.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Projected Order of Finish</h4> <p>1. Newell-Fonda<br /> 2. Sioux Central<br /> 3. Southeast Valley<br /> 4. South Central Calhoun<br /> 5. East Sac County<br /> 6. GTRA<br /> 7. Alta-Aurelia<br /> 8. West Bend-Mallard<br /> 9. Emmetsburg<br /> 10. Pocahontas Area<br /> 11. Storm Lake St. Mary's<br /> 12. Manson-Northwest Webster</p> <p><strong>Analysis:</strong> Newell-Fonda has to be considered the favorite in this league, returning a pair of big-time scoring threats. You can toss teams 2 thru 5 in any order, as each will be competitive and can beat anyone in the conference on a given night. GTRA should be much improved as well.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Preseason Player of the Year</h4> <p><strong>2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167698" first="Jacob" last="Hargens"], Sioux Central:</strong> An efficient three-level scorer who stuffs the stat sheet for the Rebels, Hargens has a good feel for the game and makes an impact on both ends of the floor.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Players to Watch</h4> <p>2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167698" first="Jacob" last="Hargens"], Sioux Central<br /> 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1240102" first="Carter" last="Boettcher"], Sioux Central<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962628" first="Kolson" last="Kruse"], Southeast Valley<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="682271" first="Aaron" last="Graves"], Southeast Valley<br /> 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167701" first="Carter" last="Sievers"], Newell-Fonda<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962677" first="Trey" last="Jungers"], Newell-Fonda<br /> 2023 Mason Dicks, Newell-Fonda<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158443" first="Tyler" last="Schmitt"], East Sac County<br /> 2023 Max Hough, GTRA<br /> 2023 Drew Schnell, GTRA<br /> 2023 Kory Hough, GTRA<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158481" first="Joshua" last="Dietrich"], South Central Calhoun<br /> 2023 Eli Wheelock, South Central Calhoun<br /> 2022 Mason Leven, Storm Lake St. Mary’s<br /> 2022 Tanner Randall, Alta-Aurelia<br /> 2022 Collin Montag, West Bend-Mallard</p>