Class A ND Power Rankings: Update

<p>We are only a few weeks away from the EDC and WDA Region Tournaments kicking off. It is about time to update the Class A Rankings. It has been a wonderful year of hoops so far and I would only expect it to get better from here on out. The Region Tourneys are going to be wild, entertaining, and we could easily see some upsets. Read below for information on our Top 5 teams...</p> <h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Class A Power Rankings</strong></span></h3> <h4><strong>#1 Minot (14-1)</strong></h4> <p>The Magicians have the best record and one of the top players in all of the Dakotas with junior [player_tooltip player_id="1050246" first="Darik" last="Dissette"]. The past week, Minot had a scary game at Turtle Mountain. They won 74-70 in overtime. It is good to play in those types of games this time of year to get your squad ready for the playoffs. Last night, the Magi beat Legacy by a score of 64-58. This week Minot plays at Jamestown on Thursday and at home vs. Jamestown on Saturday. They are playing back-to-back because of weather issues. The two lead dogs for Minot are [player_tooltip player_id="1050246" first="Darik" last="Dissette"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1111173" first="Eric" last="Wentz"]. Dissette is averaging 20.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.5 apg, and 2.3 spg. Wentz is averaging 16.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, and 1.1 spg. Look for the Magi to make another deep run in the playoffs this March. </p> <h4><strong>#2 Bismarck Century (13-2)</strong></h4> <p>In my opinion, the Patriots have the best starting 5 in North Dakota and more firepower than most teams can handle. Century’s most recent game was on January 4th and they beat Turtle Mountain 75-57. Tonight the Patriots play at Jamestown and on Friday they host Legacy. [player_tooltip player_id="1111175" first="Isaiah" last="Schafer"] has emerged as the biggest scoring threat for Century and he is scoring 19.4 ppg. He is also lighting the nets on fire from beyond the arc. Recently, Schafer hit a ridiculous 12 three-pointers in one game! [player_tooltip player_id="1050245" first="Ryan" last="Erikson"] is Century’s center and the best BIG in Class A. [player_tooltip player_id="1048689" first="Anthony" last="Doppler"], [player_tooltip player_id="1050255" first="William" last="Ware"], and [player_tooltip player_id="812232" first="Connor" last="Trahan"] are the other big names for Century. The Patriots are one of the most entertaining teams in ND, make sure you are keep track of them for the rest of the season.</p> <h4><strong>#3 Bismarck (13-3)</strong></h4> <p>The Demons have 1 more loss than Davies and Sheyenne but PHD is giving the edge to [player_tooltip player_id="1046352" first="Treysen" last="Eaglestaff"] as he is the best player in Class A this season. The Demons are currently on a 4-game win streak. Last weak they beat Jamestown 75-62 and last night they beat Dickinson 95-82. This week Bismarck plays at St. Mary’s on Thursday. On Saturday, an athletic Pierre (SD) team comes to Bismarck for a fun border battle game. Eaglestaff will be up for Mr. Basketball later this year, I watched him drop 52 earlier this season in a game for the ages! On the Season, Treysen is averaging 29.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 5 apg, and 2.5 spg. The Demons play an up-tempo style with defensive pressure/traps and many, many possessions on offense. Bismarck will be a "must-watch" team this postseason.  </p> <h4><strong>#4 Fargo Davies (14-2)</strong></h4> <p>Last Friday, the Eagles took a loss to West Fargo by a score of 86-83. They had a great bounce-back win on Saturday over Sheyenne 70-64. Last night Davies beat Grand Forks Central by 36 points. Davies and Sheyenne have split this season, but Davies has won the most recent game. We gave the edge to the Eagles in the rankings because of the last Saturday’s victory. Davies has only one game left this week and they host Devils Lake on Friday. The Eagles have a dangerous and productive 2-headed monster with [player_tooltip player_id="1169136" first="Mason" last="Klabo"] and [player_tooltip player_id="812229" first="Ian" last="Motschenbacher"]. Klabo has been a top player in the State despite him being only a freshman. Mason is averaging 24.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.3 apg, and 3.3 spg. Motschenbacher, the Northern State commit is averaging 19.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.8 apg, and 2.2 spg. I hope to see Davies and Sheyenne meet in the Region Champion and battle for the #1 seed out of the East.</p> <h4><strong>#5 West Fargo Sheyenne (13-2)</strong></h4> <p>The Mustangs played two games last week and they split. On Friday, Sheyenne beat Devils Lake by 13 points. On Saturday, they lost to rival Davies 70-64. Earlier in the year, Sheyenne took down Davies 74-67. This week the Mustangs have two home games. They host South tonight and North on Friday. The Mustangs have been led by senior [player_tooltip player_id="1046354" first="Michael" last="Nhial"]. He has been a standout all year and could potentially be up for Mr. Basketball at the end of the season. Nhial is averaging 19.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, and 2 spg. Mike has been one of the best offensive rebounders that I have watched in the Dakotas this winter. The Mustangs are also getting a nice year out of senior [player_tooltip player_id="1133064" first="Kaleb" last="Larson"] who is averaging 15.6 ppg, 6.1 rpb, 2 apg, and 2.3 spg. Sheyenne is very long and deep and they have been one of the top defensive teams in the EDC this year. I would not be surprised to see them playing in the Region Championship game later this season.</p>