Standouts: Central McLean vs. Garrison

The Troopers were coming off 2 losses and they were looking for a bounce-back win on Thursday night. That is exactly what Garrison did. The Troopers flexed their muscle in this Region 5 matchup. They were the more aggressive team and much more athletic than the Cougar squad. Garrison started out in zone D and the Cougars hit a few shots but the Troopers were also putting up points. The first quarter was a bit of a back-and-forth battle but Garrison held a 4-point lead after the first. Coach Folk switched to man D, the momentum quickly switched to the Troopers and the rout was on. I have to give the Cougars credit, they played hard and never gave up. The Troopers were missing their BIG man [player_tooltip player_id='1184662' first='Brady' last='Norenberg'], but Garrison was still able to dominate on the glass. After last night, Garrison has a 6-2 record and Central McLean is sitting with an 0-6 record. Good luck the rest of the way to the Troopers and Cougars!   See below for numbers, stats, quotes from coach Justin Folk, and impressive player comments.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ConnorKerzmann/status/1613737609091551233 </div></figure>   SCORES   1Q: Garrison 16  Central McLean 12   2Q: Garrison 37 Central McLean 14   3Q: Garrison 50 Central McLean 29   4Q: Garrison 68 Central McLean 41   NUMBERS   3's Made: Garrison 8 Central McLean 2   FT's: Garrison 6/7 Central McLean 3/6   PHD chatted with coach Justin Folk about the game...   PHD: What are your thoughts on your team's performance last night?   Coach Folk: "Last night's game, we got back to being what we are as a team, minus having our 6'8 boy. We got back to defending and getting out and running. We passed to the open guy and executed our sets when we called them. After 2 losses and 3 games where we looked like a different team from the rest of the year, it was nice to get back to playing how we expect and want to play."     PHD: What did you think of Connor Kerzman in last night's game?   Coach Folk: "Kerzmann was extremely aggressive. He was in attack mode from the beginning tip. He also played well defensively and got his hands on a lot of balls. It's pretty amazing what he is doing on that leg that had a double surgery just 6 months ago and got his first dunk out of the way."   PHD: Any unsung heroes from the game that you want to praise?   Coach Folk: "Unsung hero - [player_tooltip player_id='1144980' first='Braxton' last='Iglehart']. He quietly had a great game. He just goes about his business and is solid. He had 19 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 7 deflections on 7/10 shooting."    "[player_tooltip player_id='1240554' first='TJ' last='Syvertson'] is our vocal leader. He didn't have a great game stats-wise but is constantly talking on the floor and getting people in the right spots."    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/NDSDStandouts-crop-752x494-1656375136.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/NDSDStandouts-crop-752x494-1656375136.jpg?w=751" alt="" class="wp-image-1496316" /></a></figure>   Central McLean Cougars   [player_tooltip player_id='1746021' first='Aiden' last='Hanson'] (2026) |6'0 SG|   12 points, 1 triple, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal. He is a long guard for a frosh. Hanson started the Cougar scoring with an interior score. He looked good catching and shooting the ball. Hanson has a fluid and clean jumper. Aiden also scored on an O-board putback and was fouled. He doesn't look super strong because he is a 9th grader, but Hanson can finish through contact. I like his instincts and demeanor on the court. Hanson is certainly a player to keep tabs on.   Cole Makeef (2025) |6'0 G/F|   11 points, 1 triple, 4 rebounds. He scored early with a floater vs. the zone defense. Cole hit a 3, scored on a put-back, and got a couple late vs. the subs.   Cade Kjelstrup (2023) |6'0 G|   6 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal. He showed sneaky hands when picking the pocket of a Trooper. Kjelstrup looked good with a smooth baseline jumper. Cade has had some nice games shooting the ball this season. The Troopers did good work defensively on him last night.   Garrison Troopers   [player_tooltip player_id='1144980' first='Braxton' last='Iglehart'] (2024) |6'1 G|   19 points, 4 triples, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals. Like coach said above, Braxton had a great game. He is a gifted athlete and is very fast. Iglehart creates for others and is generous passing to teammates. He is a better shooter than I thought and is converting at a high rate from beyond the arc. Braxton impressed with an athletic AND1 score and he picked up the old school 3pt play by hitting the free throw. His quick hands resulted in steals and breakaway scores. He showed perfect rhythm when stepping into the pass for his 3-point shot. Braxton looks to be a stock riser and an All-Region player.   [player_tooltip player_id='1746086' first='Treyson' last='Iglehart'] (2025) |6'1 G|   4 points, 1 triple, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals. He is an excellent rebounder, especially for his size. Iglehart is leading the Troopers in rebounding this season. He has a nose for the ball, reads it perfectly, and attacks the rock. Treysson is a nice athlete that moves efficiently. I liked his unselfishness, after he stole a pass, Iglehart immediately looked up the court and found Kerzmann for a layup. Keep eyes on this Trooper, he is one of the best rebounders in ND for his size.   [player_tooltip player_id='1350687' first='Little' last='Hail Perkins'] (2025) |6'3 F|   9 points, 1 triple, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals. He really stood out with his rebounding. Perkins was attacking the ball and grabbing it with authority. He was a monster on the glass. I was also impressed with his outlet passes. He got the ball out quickly and they were crisp passes. Perkins hit a smooth baseline jumper to get the scoring started. He was effective scoring in transition. Perkins was also a rim protector as he blocked multiple shots. He did not have the hottest shooting night but Perkins was an impact player by doing the little things and stuffing the stat sheet.   [player_tooltip player_id='1125690' first='Connor' last='Kerzmann'] (2023) |6'1 G|   28 points, 2 triples, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal. See above for his first in-game dunk and coach Folk's comments. Kerzmann is the best-returning 3-shooter in Class B. Connor was attacking so hard last night, that the looked more like a slasher than a shooter. His aggressiveness was beyond impressive. I liked his Euro-step, lefty SLAM, sprinter speed, hesitation move, blow-by drives, catch-n-shoot triples, mid-range pull-up, inside-hand finishes, dimes, vision, and explosiveness to the rim. As a top shooter in ND, Kerzmann is an exceptional athlete. He should have been an All-State Player last year. If things keep going as they are, Kerzmann will be the first-ever Trooper to get that honor.   [player_tooltip player_id='1240554' first='TJ' last='Syvertson'] (2023) |6'1 F|   6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals. He first impressed me with a post-up, spin middle, and a fall-away jumper. That is a tough move to defend. TJ moves well without the ball and he was effective at cutting and scoring. He showed off his athleticism with a transition score that he finished with a finger roll.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/NorthDakota.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/NorthDakota.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1606306" /></a></figure>

The Troopers were coming off 2 losses and they were looking for a bounce-back win on Thursday night. That is exactly what Garrison did. The Troopers flexed their muscle in this Region 5 matchup. They were the more aggressive team and much more athletic than the Cougar squad. Garrison started out in zone D and the Cougars hit a few shots but the Troopers were also putting up points. The first quarter was a bit of a back-and-forth battle but Garrison held a 4-point lead after the first. Coach Folk switched to man D, the momentum quickly switched to the Troopers and the rout was on. I have to give the Cougars credit, they played hard and never gave up. The Troopers were missing their BIG man Brady Norenberg Brady Norenberg 6'9" | C Garrison | 2023 State ND , but Garrison was still able to dominate on the glass. After last night, Garrison has a 6-2 record and Central McLean is sitting with an 0-6 record. Good luck the rest of the way to the Troopers and Cougars!