Top Players: Westhope/Newburg vs. Benson County
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Minot, ND – The Hoopster Classic is taking place today at the Minot State Dome. This was the first matchup of the day and it was all Westhope/Newburg. The first couple of minutes it was close, but the Sioux dominated for…
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Continue ReadingMinot, ND – The Hoopster Classic is taking place today at the Minot State Dome. This was the first matchup of the day and it was all Westhope/Newburg. The first couple of minutes it was close, but the Sioux dominated for the vast majority of the game. They forced many turnovers, scored in transition, slashed into the lane all day long, and they nailed double-digits 3-pointers. It was a great showing for the Sioux. Read below for information on the best players of the game.
Scores
1st – Westhope/Newburg 18 Benson County 7
2nd – Westhope/Newburg 44 Benson County 22
3rd – Westhope/Newburg 72 Benson County 33
4th – Westhope/Newburg 80 Benson County 43
Top Sioux
Walker Braaten Walker Braaten 6'3" | CG Westhope/Newburg | 2025 State #278 Nation ND (2025) |6-1 G|
33 points, eight 3-pointers, and five of those came in the 3rd quarter. Walker did all of this in three quarters, he sat out in the fourth quarter because of the big lead. Braaten has a deep extended shooting range, he hit multiple 3-pointers from NBA range. Walker also has a great pull-up game. He is not just a shooter, Walker is an opportunistic scorer. He put up points from shot-faking, slashing, and finishing at the iron. He also scored off a BLOB. Walker did work in the screen-and-roll game. He was the screener, and he popped and nailed a 3-pointer. Walker also showed his athleticism with an alley-oop finish in transition. The young freshman also scored with an O-board putback. He forced many turnovers by picking off passes and tipping the ball with quick hands. Braaten has excellent ball-handling skills with multiple moves. He also shared the basketball. When Braaten is attacking the paint, he is not doing it to just score. He is looking to create and find open teammates. I also liked how he passed the ball ahead in transition situations. Wow, it was a great performance by Braaten and the Sioux!
Braden Bailey Braden Bailey 5'7" | PG Westhope/Newburg | 2025 State ND (2025) |5-4 PG|
20 points, 8-9 ft’s. This quick point guard was impressive all game long. I really liked how he drove, attacked, and found the open man. Braden has good eyes and he sees the court well for such a young PG. Bailey looked great dropping dimes. He forced many turnovers which led to easy points for the Sioux. After he got possession of the ball, he immediately looked for teammates up the floor. Braden’s hands are lightning quick and he swiped the ball in the blink of an eye. He threw a nice lob alley-oop pass to Braaten in transition. I liked the looks of Bailey in the pick-and-roll game. Braatan screens, Braden attacked, and he found Braaten for a wide-open triple. Bailey and Bratten look to be a dynamic freshman duo!
Dalton Hawkins (2024) |5-8 G|
13 points. He is another player that can stretch the floor and hit 3-pointers. Hawkins had an impressive baseline drive that he finished with a soft floater. Dalton also had a spectacular 3-point buzzer-beater to end the first half.
Ethan Cartwright (2022) |5-8 G|
The first thing that stood out for Ethan was his hustle and how hard he worked. He is a physical player. Cartwright had multiple offensive rebounds and he stuck one of those back in for a bucket.
Morgan Lemay (2024) |6-1 F|
I liked they way he set screens, Morgan was body on body and he set them hard. He stuck out to me as a rebounder. Lemay is a physical and strong player. I liked how he passed out of the post. Even when he grabbed an offensive rebound, Morgan was looking for teammates instead of his own shot. It is rare to see a past-first post player.
Maddox Juntunen (2024) |5-10 F|
I liked his hustle and how hard he ran the court. Maddox was effective at finishing in transition.
Top Wildcats
Gunnar Larson (2023) |6-1 F|
He is a physical player. Gunnar was always battling for rebounds. He seemed to read the ball off the basket well. Larson shot it nicely in the second half and he cashed in a couple of 3-pointers. Gunnar showed off a nice 15-foot jumper. He also showed off hustle in the second half by sprinting back on defense and blocking a shot from behind.
Logan Fossen (2024) |5-9 G|
He shot it well from deep and hit four 3-pointers. I liked the looks of his stroke and how he elevated on his jumper. Logan also showed a soft touch on a floater in the lane. Fossen is a good young shooter.
Lane Benson (2023) |6-1 G|
Lane was not afraid of contact around the basket. He bodied up the defender, moved the D out of the way and finished with a easy 2-foot shot. Lane looks to have nice shooting form and he hit a baseline triple and a smooth 15 foot jumper. He shined on the O-boards. Benson never quit, he fought until the end. He had a clever steal towards the end that led to another bucket for the Wildcats.
Logan Maddock (2024) |5-10 G|
He looks to be a nice athlete and he runs the court hard. Maddock had a nice running jumper in the lane during an up-tempo transition play. Logan also had a smooth floater finish in transition after contact from the defense.