We had a slow start to the season, thanks to Mother Nature. Christmas is in the books and now things will really heat up. Well..maybe not the temperature but we will have games going on non-stop in the coming days.…
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Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inWe had a slow start to the season, thanks to Mother Nature. Christmas is in the books and now things will really heat up. Well..maybe not the temperature but we will have games going on non-stop in the coming days.
On Tuesday, The Dale Brown Classic is happening in Minot, and on Wednesday the Hoopster Classic is going down in Minot as well. Also on Wednesday, the Mandan Holiday Tournament tips off. The Mandan tourney will continue on Thursday and Friday.
There was a bit of a shake up in this week’s Power Rankings. We had a team drop out, a new team jump in, and quite a bit of movement.

Double check upcoming game info, there have been a ton of changes/rescheduling in the past couple of weeks
#1 Four Winds-Minnewaukan (1-0)
DNP this past week
Next Game: 12/27 @ Minot State Dome vs. Dickinson Trinity
Comments: Will 4Winds look rusty after having an extended break with the bad weather and the Christmas break? Only time will tell and I can’t wait to watch them play on Tuesday.
Deng Deng
Deng
Deng
6'5" | SF
Four Winds/Minnewaukan | 2024
State
ND
and
Dalen Leftbear
Dalen
Leftbear
6'3" | SF
FourWinds/Minnewaukan | 2024
State
ND
are the two big names for the Indians. Deng and Leftbear are special athletes that are constantly making splashy plays on the hardwood. I am interested to see how deep coach Rick Smith goes into his bench and how the Indians look shooting from beyond the arc.
#2 Central Cass (3-0)
Games This Past Week: WIN vs. Maple River 74-39 & WIN @ Thompson 48-34
Next Game: 12/27 @ New Rockford-Sheyenne
Comments: CC picked up their first Region 1 win on the year and they took down a Top 10 team on their home court. The Squirrels must have had a sweet Xmas after those two wins over the Raiders and Tommies. They will be back to work today as they have a busy week ahead. Tuesday they play at New Rockford, Thursday they are at Lisbon, and on Saturday they host LLM. Scoring leaders from the Thompson W:
Carter Vrchota
Carter
Vrchota
6'0" | SG
Central Cass | 2024
State
ND
18,
Sam Kobbervig
Sam
Kobbervig
6'2" | SG
Central Cass | 2023
State
ND
12,
Cole Holzer
Cole
Holzer
6'6"
Central Cass | 2024
ND
8.
#3 Bishop Ryan (1-0)
DNP this past week
Next Game: 12/28 @ Minot State Dome vs. Thompson
Comments: I am interested in watching the Lions on Wednesday. Will they look rusty after all the time off? Thompson should not be rusty after having 2 games last week and they also play in the Dale Brown Classic on Tuesday. The Lions will be rested, maybe they will run the Tommies off the court? The Tommies typically play solid defense, I am interested to see how they handle high-scoring
Brady Feller
Brady
Feller
6'2" | SG
Bishop Ryan | 2023
State
ND
. Keep eyes on
Ramsey Walz
Ramsey
Walz
6'7" | PF
Minot Bishop Ryan | 2025
State
ND
, he is likely one of the best BIGs in Class B.
Ian Johnson
Ian
Johnson
6'4"
Bishop Ryan | 2023
ND
is the athletic/utility man that can get it done on both ends and score from every level.
Connor Thompson
Connor
Thompson
6'2" | SG
Bishop Ryan | 2023
State
ND
is back after missing last season, I am interested to see how he looks.
Jett Lundeen
Jett
Lundeen
6'0" | SG
Bishop Ryan | 2025
State
ND
is a youngster to be keep track of. Look out for the Lions!
#4 Shiloh Christian (1-0)
DNP this past week
Next Game: 12/27 @ Minot State Dome vs. Thompson
Comments: Tomorrow’s game with the Tommies is looking like a very intriguing matchup.
Karter Peterson
Karter
Peterson
6'6" | PF
Thompson | 2025
State
ND
vs.
Atticus Wilkinson
Atticus
Wilkinson
6'6" | PF
Shiloh Christian | 2024
State
ND
and
Jay Wanzek
Jay
Wanzek
6'7" | PF
Shiloh Christian | 2023
State
ND
will be a fun mathcup.
Drew Overby
Drew
Overby
6'1" | CG
Thompson | 2024
State
ND
vs.
Wyatt Westin
Wyatt
Westin
6'1" | SG
Shiloh Christian | 2025
State
ND
is another matchup to look out for. Overby and Westin are both excellent shooters. On Wednesday, the Skyhawks play Westhope-Newburg. I want to see
Caden Englund
Caden
Englund
6'1" | CG
Shiloh Christian | 2025
State
ND
vs.
Walker Braaten
Walker
Braaten
6'3" | CG
Westhope/Newburg | 2025
State
ND
matchup in that game. Those two players know each other well as they are teammates in the AAU season with ND Phenom.
#5 North Star (3-0)
Game This Past Week: WIN vs. Des Lacs-Burlington 59-47
Next Game: 12/27 @ Minot State Dome vs. Our Redeemer’s
Comments: The Bearcats had a great win over DLB on their home court this past week. Scoring for North Star in the W:
Dane Hagler
Dane
Hagler
6'4" | SG
North Star | 2024
State
ND
– 30,
Parker Simon
Parker
Simon
6'4" | SF
North Star | 2024
State
ND
– 11,
Karsen Simon
Karsen
Simon
6'4" | SF
North Star | 2024
State
ND
– 6,
Hunter Hagler
Hunter
Hagler
6'3" | SF
North Star | 2026
State
ND
– 6, Brett Dilley – 4, Owen Kurtti – 2.
Dane Hagler
Dane
Hagler
6'4" | SG
North Star | 2024
State
ND
has been an absolute STUD so far this season and is easily looking like a 1st Team All-State Player. He has been hitting 3’s and has been unstoppable off the bounce. Dane has also been finishing above the rim with MONSTER SLAMs. Tune in on Tuesday evening to watch Mr. Hagler and the Bearcats! College coaches need to start taking some serious looks at
Dane Hagler
Dane
Hagler
6'4" | SG
North Star | 2024
State
ND
.
#6 Bowman County (2-0)
Game This Past Week: WIN vs. Richardton-Taylor 78-24 & WIN vs. Beach 58-52
Next Game: 12/27 @ LLM
Comments: They are playing in the Roughrider Tournament and they will face the host of the tournament, the Trinity Titans. This is the 5th straight time that BC and DT have met in the Championship. The Bulldogs won the Roughrider Tourney last year. This will be a fun game as the teams know each other well and they are both from Region 7. Could this be a preview of the Region 7 Championship game?
#7 Des Lacs-Burlington (2-1)
Game This Past Week: LOST @ North Star 59-47
Next Game: 12/28 @ Minot State Dome vs. Dickinson Trinity
Comments: The Lakers had a tough one against the Bearcats. The game was much closer than what the final score indicated. The Lakers did not convert from the FT-line and the Bearcats did.
Carson Yale
Carson
Yale
6'9" | PF
Des Lacs Burlington | 2023
State
ND
was the best Laker in that game. Coming up, DLB will have its work cut out for them. The next 3-games they have Trinity, Beulah, and Rugby. If the Lakers go 3-0, they will have proven that they are the real deal.
#8 Thompson (2-1)
Games This Past Week: WIN vs. North Broder 71-57 & LOST vs. Central Cass 48-34
Next Game: 12/27 Minot State Dome vs. Shiloh Christian
Comments: The Tommies picked up a huge Region win over North Border on Monday.
Drew Overby
Drew
Overby
6'1" | CG
Thompson | 2024
State
ND
scored 26 points and knocked down 6 3-pointers in that win. Later in the week, the Tommies lost to the mighty Squirrels by 14 points. Against CC,
Jake Starcevic
Jake
Starcevic
6'2" | SG
Thompson | 2025
State
ND
scored 13,
Drew Overby
Drew
Overby
6'1" | CG
Thompson | 2024
State
ND
and
Karter Peterson
Karter
Peterson
6'6" | PF
Thompson | 2025
State
ND
each scored 10. The Tommies have a tough week coming up. They are playing Shiloh Christian on Tuesday in the Dale Brown Classic and Bishop Ryan on Wednesday in the Hoopster Classic. If the Tommies win both of those games, they will be shooting way up the rankings!
#9 Linton-HMB (3-0)
Games This Past Week: WIN vs. Beach 47-44
Next Game: 12/28 Mandan High School vs. Bottineau
Comments: The Buccaneers kept it close vs. the Lions but this is not surprising as Beach will typically keep games low scoring and they are always physical contests.
Trace King
Trace
King
5'11" | SG
Linton/HMB | 2023
State
ND
led Linton with 13 points and
Jace Jochim
Jace
Jochim
6'1" | SG
Linton/HMB | 2024
State
ND
went for 9 points. The Lions have the Mandan Holiday Tournament coming up. They will play games Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Jace Jochim
Jace
Jochim
6'1" | SG
Linton/HMB | 2024
State
ND
vs.
Carson Haerer
Carson
Haerer
6'0" | PG
Bottineau | 2024
State
ND
is a matchup to watch in Wednesday’s game. Both players are great shooters with a ton of talent on the offensive end. If Linton could go 3-0 and win the Mandan Tournament, that would solidify the Lions as one of the top teams in Class B.
#10 Grafton (4-0)
Games This Past Week: WIN @ Langdon-Edmore-Munich 63-41
Next Game: 1/3 @ Northern Cass
Comments: The Spoilers have wins over Oakes, Cavalier, Drayton/Valley-Edinburg, and Langdon/Edmore/Munich. The Spoilers have three talented juniors with
Juan Villarreal
Juan
Villarreal
6'0" | SG
Grafton | 2024
State
ND
,
Braylon Baldwin
Braylon
Baldwin
5'11" | CG
Grafton | 2024
State
ND
and
Ryan Hanson
Ryan
Hanson
5'11" | SG
Grafton | 2024
ND
. Baldwin is a stud that handles the rock with skill and he facilitates the offense. He is a tough matchup as he can slash to the rim, hit mid-range J’s, and knock them down from deep. He has a fantastic pull-up jumper. The Spoilers are looking like a tough team once again.
