Conference Preview: Western Valley

<h4>The Teams</h4> Kingsley-Pierson (9-13): If you’re looking for a team that could potentially shoot up the conference standings this season, look at the Panthers, who return everyone from last year’s team. They’re led by senior guard Jackson Howe (14.1), who led the team in scoring, assists, and steals last season. He’s a versatile three-level scorer who can also control games when he’s not scoring. Fellow senior forward Malakie Christopherson (7.8) led the team in rebounding last season. The junior tandem of [player_tooltip player_id="1240096" first="Conner" last="Beelner"] (7.3) and Emerson Pratt (5.1) give them lots of shooting on the perimeter, and expect to see more from sophomore guard Beau Goodwin (2.3) this year. With everyone returning from a team that was fairly competitive, look for them to turn several of those losses into wins this year. Lawton-Bronson (7-15): The Eagles had a few strong wins last year, beating River Valley, and pounding Woodbury Central in the conference tournament by 18 points. But they lacked consistency, which is why they finished just 7-15. Leading scorer Isaac Stadsvold (10.0, 65.9 FG%), a remarkably efficient forward, returns to lead the charge. Joey Thelander (7.4) and Aziah Ashley (4.9) are the other key returnees for this team. With Stadsvold back and controlling the paint on both ends of the floor, Lawton-Bronson will likely find their way to a few more upset wins this season, but if they can’t become more consistent on both ends of the floor, they’ll also have a few more perplexing losses. MVAOCOU (6-16): The Rams really struggled to score last season, averaging just 31.7 points a game, and they lost four of the top five scorers from that team. The good news is that sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id="1172816" first="Anthony" last="Newquist"] (7.4) returns and should be ready to step into a primary scoring role for this team. He’ll be the focal point of the program for the next several years, and he’ll have plenty of opportunity to gain experience and improve this year. With a bunch of new faces taking the floor for the Rams this season, they’ll treat this as a building year for the program, with hopes of becoming more competitive in the next few years. OABCIG (21-2): The Falcons spent a decent chunk of last season ranked in the top two in 2A in the AP Poll, putting together their best basketball season in school history. They lose do-everything guard Cooper DeJean, but bring back his younger brother, [player_tooltip player_id="1167707" first="Beckett" last="DeJean"] (13.4) and wing Easton Harms (7.6, 46.3 3P%), giving them a solid tandem to begin re-building around. DeJean, like big brother Cooper, is the type of athletic guard who can do a little bit of everything on the floor. He’s at his best when he’s attacking the rim and getting to the line, and he can make an impact on the defensive end with his athleticism and quickness. Harms showed that he can really shoot it from deep, albeit on limited attempts, and should step into a secondary scoring role. There will be a number of new pieces stepping into big roles this year for the Falcons. They clearly won’t be the dominant team in the conference again, but they should still be among the top contenders. Ridge View (16-7): The Raptors lose five of their top six scorers from last year’s team, but will have one of the league’s best players in senior [player_tooltip player_id="1156190" first="Cade" last="Harriman"] (14.3). Harriman is a versatile three-level scorer who can also get others involved at a high level. Junior forward Kyler Wunschel (1.1) is the only other returnee who saw any legitimate playing time last season, so Harriman will have a whole new cast of characters around him this year. River Valley (12-9): The Wolverines lose a ton of scoring punch off of last year’s team following the graduations of their top three scorers, who combined to average more than 44 points a game last season. Senior forward Trevor Towne (5.0) and junior guard Caleb Burns (4.9) are the only returnees who scored last year, so there will be a ton of new faces taking the court for the Wolverines this season. Expect them to take a step back. Siouxland Christian (10-11): The Eagles lost a lot of production off of last year’s team, losing their top two scorers who combined to average 32.5 points a game. Junior Elijah Claeys (7.8) is the top returning scorer, while AJ Goetsch (5.9) will provide some rebounding in the paint. They’ll need to find some more perimeter scoring threats, and find a bit more size, if they want to remain competitive within the league. They did not shoot it well from the arc last year (25.1%), and that will need to improve. West Monona (5-18): The Spartans won just five games last season, but bring back their leading scorer and seven of their top eight, so expect to see some improvement. Senior wing Owen Collison (12.5) pairs with senior guard JJ Lander (4.8) to give them an experienced backcourt that can get others involved, while junior forward Landon Blatchford (9.2, 7.2 rebounds) and senior Kodiak Nelson (7.8) provide some physicality and rebounding in the paint. Westwood (4-17): The Rebels won just four games last year, and lose the top five scorers from that team, so it may be a long winter in Westwood. Junior wings Lawson Haveman (2.3) and Breyden Johnson (2.3) are the top returning scorers. Westwood struggled with turnovers last year, giving the ball away nearly 21 times a game, and with a lot of experienced pieces moving on, that number probably won’t improve very much. Woodbury Central (14-10): Do-it-all forward [player_tooltip player_id="1158450" first="Dallas" last="Kluender"] (20.5, 10.3 rebounds) returns to lead the Wildcats. He led the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals last season, and is an efficient force on both ends of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id="1163642" first="Aidan" last="O’Mara"] (8.3, 39.8 3P%) is a good shooter, and Kaleb Bleil (4.8) gives them another solid ball-handling option on the perimeter. Expect to see sophomore guard Drew Kluender (1.4) play a larger role this year as well for the ’Cats. With Kluender leading the way, Woodbury Central should be considered among the serious threats to win the conference this season.   <h4>Projected Order of Finish</h4> 1. OABCIG 2. Woodbury Central 3. Ridge View 4. Kingsley-Pierson 5. Lawton-Bronson 6. West Monona 7. River Valley 8. Siouxland Christian 9. MVAOCOU 10. Westwood Analysis: This league was hit pretty hard by graduation, so it is a bit difficult to project. OABCIG has a pair of key pieces coming back from the league's best team, and they probably have the best athletics program in the conference, so we think they'll be able to find enough pieces to fit in alongside the returnees. Woodbury Central has the league's best player and should be a threat as well.   <h4>Preseason Player of the Year</h4> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158450" first="Dallas" last="Kluender"], Woodbury Central: The best player on the league’s best team, Kluender is the conference’s top returning scorer and rebounder. He can stuff the stat sheet for the Wildcats and does so at an efficient clip.   <h4>Players to Watch</h4> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158450" first="Dallas" last="Kluender"], Woodbury Central 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1163642" first="Aidan" last="O’Mara"], Woodbury Central 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1156190" first="Cade" last="Harriman"], Ridge View 2022 Jackson Howe, Kingsley-Pierson 2022 Malakie Christopherson, Kingsley-Pierson 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1240096" first="Conner" last="Beelner"], Kingsley-Pierson 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167707" first="Beckett" last="DeJean"], OABCIG 2022 Easton Harms, OABCIG 2022 Owen Collison, West Monona 2023 Landon Blatchford, West Monona 2022 Kodaik Nelson, West Monona 2023 Isaac Stadsvold, Lawton-Bronson 2022 Joey Thelander, Lawton-Bronson 2023 Elijah Claeys, Siouxland Christian 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1172816" first="Anthony" last="Newquist"], MVAOCOU