Conference Preview: Lakes

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cherokee (15-8 last season, 66.6% of scoring returning): </strong>The Braves bring back a pair of big-time scorers in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2731759' first='Coy' last='Lewis'] (16.3, 8.6 rebounds) and [player_tooltip player_id='1978145' first='Jaxon' last='Paulsrud'] (13.4, 4.2 assists), giving them the best one-two punch in the league that doesn't hail from Storm Lake. Their skill sets complement each other well, with Lewis being a big man who scores efficiently around the rim, and Paulsrud being the type of player who can break down a defense and get his teammates involved. Quite a bit will be asked of players like Landen Stowater (5.8), Blake Lovell (3.8), and Cameron Kohn (2.1) to step up as complementary pieces alongside Lewis and Paulsrud, as scorers three through five from last year's team graduated, but that tandem will carry them to plenty of wins.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Estherville Lincoln Central (2-19, 53.1%): </strong>Life was expectedly rough in a post-Owen Larson world for the Mdigets last season, winning just two games, but they bring back a pretty good 2027 class that will be looking to rejuvenate the program again. They lost leading scorer Sincere McMurran, who was the lone player to average in double-figures last year at 19.3 a game, but bring back the next three, and five of the next six. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2824178' first='Amari' last='Armstrong'] (7.6) headlines that 2027 class, joined by Kaden Fechter (5.7), Cayson Yager (2.4), and Blake Arends (1.8). Senior Gavin Heifner (6.5, 5.0 rebounds) figures to man the paint and control the glass for this group. They may not win many more games, but this year can be used as a building block for 2026-27, when a majority of this year's roster will return.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Spencer (11-11, 16.7%): </strong>The Tigers lost their top three, and six of their top seven, scorers from last year's team, leaving senior Foster Roos (7.1, 38.3 3P%) as the lone returnee with much experience. Roos is a nice piece to build around, a good shooter who doesn't need to have the ball in his hands, but the rest of the roster around him is a work in progress. As one of the bigger schools in the league, Spencer will surely find some pieces to fill in the gaps, but they probably aren't pushing Cherokee or Storm Lake.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Spirit Lake (19-5, 26.7%): </strong>The Indians were hit hard by graduation, losing their leading scorer and six of their top seven. That's the bad news. The good news is that they do bring back one of the best players in the league in senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1765548' first='Wesley' last='Walz'] (14.4, 3.1 assists), a skilled combo guard who can impact the game in a major way as both a scorer and facilitator. He'll be the focal point of the attack as a senior and will carry a heavy load on both ends of the floor. Look for junior wing Bennett Stecker (2.3) to emerge as a reliable player alongside Walz, but the rest of the rotation is a bit of a mystery at this point. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Storm Lake (22-2, 91.0%): </strong>The Tornadoes breezed through this league last season, winning conference games by an average of 26.8 points per game, right near their season-long average margin of 24.5. They reached the state tournament for the first time since 1994, and gave ADM a great game in the quarterfinals before ultimately falling to the Tigers, 59-53. All but one player returns from that roster, so expect even bigger things from Storm Lake this season. They are, of course, led by Creighton commit [player_tooltip player_id='1765515' first='Jaidyn' last='Coon'] (23.9, 9.3 rebounds), an elite athlete blessed with size, length, and plus-athleticism that he uses to dominate games on both ends of the floor. He's far from alone, however, with classmate [player_tooltip player_id='1765508' first='Cameron' last='Boyd'] (14.5, 4.3 assists, 46.0 3P%) returning as one of the best pure shooters in the state. His skill set complements Coon's well, and that one-two punch would've been enough to make Storm Lake a clear favorite here. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2420801' first='Trey' last='Boettcher'] (7.8), [player_tooltip player_id='2420795' first='Timothy' last='Yanga'] (7.0, 55.1 FG%), and [player_tooltip player_id='2419850' first='David' last='William'] (6.3, 4.5 rebounds), senior [player_tooltip player_id='2833525' first='Garbieno' last='Weno'] (7.0, 5.2 rebounds), and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2917310' first='Xander' last='Gurash'] (3.3) round out a deep, talented, and hyper athletic rotation that makes this the most versatile team in the league, and one of the favorites to win it all in Class 3A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Projected Order of Finish</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. Storm Lake<br>2. Cherokee<br>3. Spirit Lake<br>4. Spencer<br>5. Estherville Lincoln Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis:</strong> No need to overthink this one, Storm Lake ran through the league last year and brings back nearly everyone. Cherokee could be a potential sleeper in 2A if the role players alongside Lewis and Paulsrud step up, and Spirit Lake is always going to have some athletes to fill in with Walz. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Preseason Player of the Year</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765515' first='Jaidyn' last='Coon'] (Storm Lake): </strong>One of the easiest selections in any conference around the state, Coon, headed to play at Creighton is the headliner for the team that should blow through this league again this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765515' first='Jaidyn' last='Coon'] (Storm Lake)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765508' first='Cameron' last='Boyd'] (Storm Lake)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2420801' first='Trey' last='Boettcher'] (Storm Lake)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2833525' first='Garbieno' last='Weno'] (Storm Lake)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2420795' first='Timothy' last='Yanga'] (Storm Lake)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2419850' first='David' last='William'] (Storm Lake)<br>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2917310' first='Xander' last='Gurash'] (Storm Lake)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731759' first='Coy' last='Lewis'] (Cherokee)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1978145' first='Jaxon' last='Paulsrud'] (Cherokee)<br>2026 Landen Stowater (Cherokee)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765548' first='Wesley' last='Walz'] (Spirit Lake)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2824178' first='Amari' last='Armstrong'] (Estherville Lincoln Central)<br>2026 Gavin Heifner (Estherville Lincoln Central)<br>2027 Kaden Fechter (Estherville Lincoln Central)<br>2026 Foster Roos (Spencer)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->