Wahpeton Huskies: Season Recap

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Huskies had a nice season in the new 3-class system in North Dakota High School Basketball. Coach <em>Ralph's</em> team graduated a large amount of talent last year. Despite the loss in talent, the Huskies were 1 game away from making State this spring. [player_tooltip player_id='1184547' first='Jayden' last='King'] is one player who really impressed me and he was one of the top breakout players in Class A. The Huskies lose their senior size to graduation but bring back a talented backcourt. Look out for the Huskies next season, they will surely be one of the top squads in Region 1!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontStyle":"normal","fontWeight":"200"}}} --> <p style="font-style:normal;font-weight:200"><span style="text-decoration: underline">See below for player comments, a Q&amp;A session, and team/player stats</span>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Congrats to [player_tooltip player_id='1184547' first='Jayden' last='King'], [player_tooltip player_id='1184569' first='Treyton' last='Mauch'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1798696' first='Brayden' last='Steffens'] on being named <span style="text-decoration: underline">All-Region 1 Players</span>. PHD also wants to give a big shoutout to <em>Jeff Ralph</em> for being selected <span style="text-decoration: underline">Region 1 Coach of the Year</span>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1842251,"width":"300px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/SeaonReview-.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/SeaonReview-.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1842251" style="width:300px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><strong>Team:</strong> Wahpeton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><strong>Mascot: </strong>Huskies</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><strong>Head Coach:</strong> <em>Jeff Ralph</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><strong>Class:</strong> A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><strong>Region:</strong> 1</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><strong>Record:</strong> 16-9</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><strong>Finish: </strong>Lost in State Qualifier at the SHAC</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"25px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:25px"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Player Comments from coach <em>Jeff Ralph</em></span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1798696' first='Brayden' last='Steffens'] (2026) |5'10 G|</strong> - "<em>Played like a veteran in his first full year of varsity basketball. His ability to get to the rim and finish along with his pull-up jumper made him a tough matchup for teams all year. He'll need to work to raise his 3-point shooting percentage before next season.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1184547' first='Jayden' last='King'] (2024) |6'4 PF|</strong> - "<em>Provided a scoring presence for us in the post this season. Our offense went through Jayden and he came out and produced for us nightly. He led us in scoring 10 times this season and led us in rebounding 13 times. Jayden's ability to score with his back to the basket will be tough to replace.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2246132' first='Cooper' last='Klosterman'] (2024) |6'4 PF|</strong> - "<em>He was the “glue guy” for this team. His leadership combined with the ability to knock down the timely 3 point shots were crucial to our success. Cooper was a little undersized in the post, but he still did a great job scoring the basketball and rebounding.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1184569' first='Treyton' last='Mauch'] (2025) |5'11 G| </strong>- "<em>He was our lockdown defender and he also led us in scoring 3 times this season with a huge night at Northern Cass with 26 points while doing a great job defensively. He also led us in rebounding 8 times this season and amazed us nightly with his rebounding and jumping ability. Treyton's ability to hit the 3 and get to the rim makes him very difficult to guard. We will need him to become a more consistent threat from the 3-point line and we will need more consistent scoring each night next year from Treyton.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1531966' first='Bjorn' last='Kubela'] (2025) |6'0 G|</strong> - "<em>He had a big night at Valley City knocking down six 3's and scoring 22 points. He finished second on our team in made 3's but he's going to need to be more of a threat as a 3-point shooter next season. We saw glimpses of his ability to get to the rim and we'll need to see that more consistently next year. His ability to guard on the perimeter helped us defend some of the better 3-point shooters. Bjorn does a nice job finding the open man and he had several nights with 5 assists.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>We're excited to see how our “bench” players improve and step into their roles next year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2335331' first='Carter' last='Hockert']</strong> had a nice game for us in Lisbon, hitting a 3 and scoring 7 points in the win. <strong>Jackson DeVries</strong> also had a season-high 7 points on the road at Valley City. Both players will be looked at next year to have a larger impact on the game. 8th grader <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2339217' first='Jack' last='Gilbertson']</strong> and 10th grader <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1798698' first='Landon' last='Ralph']</strong> played a lot for us off the bench in the final games and both have the ability to score the basketball. Jack is a slasher who can finish at the rim or hit the pull-up jumper. He's also a very good passer. Landon can stretch defenses with his 3-point shooting and he also defended and rebounded well for us this year. Both players will be pushing for a starting spot next season.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"25px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:25px"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Q&amp;A with coach <em>Ralph</em></span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: What can you tell us about the season?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I<em> think the biggest takeaway for us this past season is our ability to compete and win every game. We finished the season at 16-9 but it's interesting to note that our points scored per game was 59.6 and we gave up 58 points per game. We had an opportunity to win many nights and will need to improve to be able to catch teams like Kindred, Devils Lake and Grafton. This team had 2 overnight trips and I think those team-building opportunities helped mold them into a cohesive unit. We also had 4 overtime games and those games really showed the resolve of this team. To be able to win all 4 overtime games showed how tough these kids were when games were tight. It was disappointing to miss out on the State Tournament but when we look back, it was a tough road. We played #1 ranked and undefeated Kindred tough in the Region Championship but eventually lost, then we had to play #2 ranked Grafton to go to state. Both of those teams finished 2-1 at state taking 2nd and 3rd.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: Can you talk about what you bring back next season?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>We feel like we have a good crew of kids returning, we had 16 on the roster at the end of the season with 5 seniors. That leaves 11 kids returning and 2 of those were 8th graders who got to see first-hand what varsity basketball is like the last few weeks of the season.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: Can you talk a bit about your seniors?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<em>Our two starting seniors, [player_tooltip player_id='1184547' first='Jayden' last='King'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2246132' first='Cooper' last='Klosterman'] will be missed for their scoring, rebounding and leadership. <strong>Noah Berge</strong>, <strong>Nick Langenwalter</strong>, and <strong>Matt Comings</strong> were guys who came to practice every day and worked to make the starters better. They didn't see many minutes, but their contributions to this team will definitely be missed.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"25px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:25px"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Team Stats</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2386091,"width":"679px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/IMG_8850.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/IMG_8850.jpeg?w=596" alt="" class="wp-image-2386091" style="width:679px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"25px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:25px"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Player Stats</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2386095,"width":"866px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/IMG_8851.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/IMG_8851.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2386095" style="width:866px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"25px","fontStyle":"italic","fontWeight":"800"}}} --> <p style="font-size:25px;font-style:italic;font-weight:800">Best of luck in the offseason to the Huskies!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1842251,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/SeaonReview-.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/SeaonReview-.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1842251" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->