The Northwest Conference Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>East Grand Forks won the state's smallest conference with a perfect record a season ago. We check back in with the Northwest Conference today!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Conference Commentary</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Contenders</strong>: East Grand Forks</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>East Grand Forks won 16 games a season ago and they return their three best players so expectations are higher. East Grand Forks really wants to make that run to state which is a goal that will be tough, but not out of the question. They did have a total of five losses to the top contenders (Park Rapids, Pelican Rapids, Roseau, Barnesville) but late in the year they beat Barnesville in the playoffs and then pushed Pelican Rapids in their third section game before losing. Should be better this year! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Compete with Most</strong>: Warroad, Thief River Falls, Crookston</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Warroad was a .500 team a season ago but they return their best two players and three starters all together. Six-foot-4 Liam Grover averaged a double-double last year and is now a senior. Thief River Falls like Warroad was 3-3 in league play and these teams split games. TRF had the later win, Warroad had the wider margin win. Both teams return a pair of all league players, both should be right there with one another battling for second in the league, and maybe first?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With their two best players back Crookston should be an improved team. How much? Tough to know, they were 5-22 a season ago, but there were a couple good wins a season ago and they gave Thief River Falls and Warroad a run in a close game once each. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>24-25 Conference Prediction</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(1) East Grand Forks</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(2) Warroad </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(3) Thief River Falls</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(4) Crookston</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preseason Northwest</strong> <strong>Conference</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>First Team</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liam Grover of Warroad (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2420039' first='Chase' last='Lindgren'] of East Grand Forks (Jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2420045' first='Carson' last='McDonald'] of East Grand Forks (Jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2420092' first='Austin' last='Rusling'] of East Grand Forks (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2121389' first='Bridger' last='Wilcox'] of Thief River Falls (Jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Second Team</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kason Pietruszewski of Warroad (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gannon Zutz of Thief River Falls (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hunter Nicholas of Crookston (Sr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reggin Winjum of Crookston (Jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jezrael Jones of East Grand Forks (Jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brody Knutson of East Grand Forks (Jr)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->