Central Cass Squirrels: Preview

The Squirrels started their season today, practice number 1 is in the books. Last year, Central Cass went 23-0 and they won the State Championship in Class B! This season, the Squirrels are in Class A and they are ready for another memorable year of basketball. CC graduated 3 players from the Championship team but they bring back multiple talented players. They also have a hardworking and bright young coach. See below for much more info on CC, it is going to be a fun season in Casselton! Make sure you look at the Squirrel schedule, it is loaded with tough games.   PHD asked coach Norman how the first practice of the season went...   "Tonight was very competitive right from the start. We love when players come back to the gym, hungry to make an impact. That type of competition creates an energy that's contagious. We're excited to see who steps up to help fill [player_tooltip player_id='1176211' first='Chase' last='Bachmeier']'s role while he is healing. Additionally, watching our returning guys take the time to teach the younger kids makes me a very proud coach." -Matteson Norman   Team: Central Cass   Mascot:- Squirrel   Head Coach: Matteson Norman   Class: A   Region: 1   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="9">Central Cass  </td></tr><tr><td># </td><td>Athletes </td><td>FG% </td><td>2FG% </td><td>3FG% </td><td>FT% </td><td>PPG </td><td>REB </td><td colspan="2">AST </td></tr><tr><td>10 </td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1176211' first='Chase' last='Bachmeier'] </td><td>37.80% </td><td>41.10% </td><td>27.80% </td><td>62.20% </td><td>3.4 </td><td>1.4 </td><td colspan="2">1.7 </td></tr><tr><td>12 </td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1144577' first='Carter' last='Vrchota'] </td><td>47.70% </td><td>55.30% </td><td>37.00% </td><td>68.90% </td><td>12.2 </td><td>4 </td><td colspan="2">2.2 </td></tr><tr><td>24 </td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1144578' first='Cole' last='Holzer'] </td><td>44.30% </td><td>46.40% </td><td>38.00% </td><td>66.70% </td><td>14.2 </td><td>9.7 </td><td colspan="2">3.2 </td></tr><tr><td>30 </td><td>Jace Narum </td><td>61.90% </td><td>66.70% </td><td>33.30% </td><td>- </td><td>1.9 </td><td>0.9 </td><td colspan="2">0.3 </td></tr><tr><td>32 </td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1273709' first='Carter' last='Maasjo'] </td><td>51.90% </td><td>55.30% </td><td>28.60% </td><td>33.30% </td><td>2.4 </td><td>1.4 </td><td colspan="2">0.2 </td></tr><tr><td>34 </td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1176208' first='Eli' last='Buhr'] </td><td>37.40% </td><td>51.30% </td><td>33.00% </td><td>53.30% </td><td>6.9 </td><td>4.4 </td><td colspan="2">1.3 </td></tr><tr><td>40 </td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1267636' first='Brodie' last='Runck'] </td><td>46.20% </td><td>62.50% </td><td>20.00% </td><td>50.00% </td><td>1.4 </td><td>1 </td><td colspan="2">0.2 </td></tr><tr><td>42 </td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1725208' first='Jake' last='Thompson'] </td><td>35.70% </td><td>61.50% </td><td>13.30% </td><td>66.70% </td><td>1.7 </td><td>1.5 </td><td colspan="2">0.9 </td></tr><tr><td>50 </td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1415637' first='Colton' last='Cruchet'] </td><td>75.00% </td><td>75.00% </td><td>- </td><td>83.30% </td><td>2.8 </td><td>0.5 </td><td colspan="2">0 </td></tr><tr><td>52 </td><td>Jayden Pavilcek </td><td>100.00% </td><td>100.00% </td><td>- </td><td>- </td><td>1 </td><td>0 </td><td colspan="2">0 </td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   Q&A with coach Matteson Norman   PHD: Could you write a couple sentences summing up last season?   "Last year was a great time to be a part of Central Cass basketball! Both our girls' and boys' programs were able to finish a fun year capped off by winning State Titles. We will miss last year's seniors this season, but they left a legacy that we will not soon forget."   PHD: How did the off-season go for your team/program?   "Our summer was very busy with baseball, AAU, and summer golf leagues. As a program, we attended team camps in LaMoure and Concordia and held weekly open gyms for the boys to improve their skills. It was fun to see how competitive kids were and how hungry many are to fill spots left by our three seniors that graduated last year."   PHD: Who are a few of your top players to look out for?   "We return three starters this year in [player_tooltip player_id='1176208' first='Eli' last='Buhr'], [player_tooltip player_id='1144578' first='Cole' last='Holzer'] (All-Region & All-Tournament Team), and [player_tooltip player_id='1144577' first='Carter' last='Vrchota'] (All-Region). Additionally, [player_tooltip player_id='1176211' first='Chase' last='Bachmeier'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1273709' first='Carter' last='Maasjo'] played a lot of minutes for us off the bench, having a huge impact on our successes."   [player_tooltip player_id='1176208' first='Eli' last='Buhr'] - "Very good shooter and did a nice job defensively down the stretch for us."   [player_tooltip player_id='1144578' first='Cole' last='Holzer'] - "Provides us our length inside defensively and to clear the glass for us. Cole also does a very nice job of scoring from all levels."   [player_tooltip player_id='1144577' first='Carter' last='Vrchota'] - "Has great instincts defensively and uses those instincts to create extra possessions. Good body control and finishes well with contact."   PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for in the near future?   [player_tooltip player_id='1267636' first='Brodie' last='Runck'] - "Has made great strides this summer. As a junior with good length and ball skills, we expect him to play valuable minutes this year."   "Our younger players have also done a nice job improving their game this offseason. We have been impressed by both sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='1415637' first='Colton' last='Cruchet'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1632691' first='Keagan' last='Peterson'] and their efforts to earn playing time. Additionally, freshmen [player_tooltip player_id='1651916' first='Lucas' last='Christiansen'], [player_tooltip player_id='1651914' first='Easton' last='Holland'], [player_tooltip player_id='1651915' first='Brody' last='Kegley'], & [player_tooltip player_id='1925132' first='Kash' last='Lorenz'] have done a nice job competing with our returning players."   PHD: What style of basketball will your team play?   "We will look to play an up-tempo style of ball again this year. Using our full-court defensive pressure to create more possessions offensively. We will need to do a good job of sharing the basketball this year to make sure that we are efficient and taking clean looks at the rim on offense."   PHD: What are a couple of your team goals this year?   "We would like to be among the top-seeded teams heading into our Region Tournament with an opportunity to make it back to the State Tournament."   PHD: Who are some of the top teams in your Region?   "The top team in our Region heading into this season is the Kindred Vikings. They're well coached and bring a lot of length and athleticism to the floor."   Squirrel Schedule   12/9 - Hillsboro-CV (HOME)   12/12 - Valley City (AWAY)   12/14 - Oak Grove (AWAY)   12/16 - Concordia Shootout vs. Perham   12/18 - LLM (AWAY)   12/23 - Four Winds-Minnewaukan (AWAY)   1/2 - Wahpeton (HOME)   1/9 - Thompson (HOME)   1/16 - Lisbon (HOME)   1/18 - Kindred (HOME)   1/19 - DL Shootout vs. Beulah   1/20 - DL Shootout vs. Rugby   2/1 - Wahpeton (AWAY)   2/3 - Shiloh Christian (HOME)   2/6 - Valley City (HOME)   2/9 - Devils Lake (HOME)   2/10 - Moorhead Shootout vs. Hawley   2/13 - Lisbon (AWAY)   2/16 - Grafton (AWAY)   2/23 - Kindred (AWAY)   2/26 - Northern Cass (HOME)   March 4/5/7 - Regionals (SHAC)   March 9 - State Qualifier (SHAC)   March 14/15/16 - State Tournament (Fargodome)   Best of luck to the Squirrels this season!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/cCs.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/cCs.jpg?w=686" alt="" class="wp-image-2283629" /></a></figure>

The Squirrels started their season today, practice number 1 is in the books. Last year, Central Cass went 23-0 and they won the State Championship in Class B! This season, the Squirrels are in Class A and they are ready for another memorable year of basketball. CC graduated 3 players from the Championship team but they bring back multiple talented players. They also have a hardworking and bright young coach. See below for much more info on CC, it is going to be a fun season in Casselton! Make sure you look at the Squirrel schedule, it is loaded with tough games.