Conference Preview: Tri-Rivers East

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Calamus-Wheatland (8-14 last season, 97.3% of scoring returning): </strong>The Warriors lost eight games by single digits last season, which helped them to post a positive point differential of 2.3 despite being six games under .500. They bring back all but 35 points from last year's roster, so if a team is going to jump up the league standings this year, it's probably Calamus-Wheatland. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2887794' first='Chase' last='Klatt'] (14.6) led the team in scoring and rebounding last season and will be the focal point of the attack again this winter. Guards Dain Sprague (9.7, 3.3 assists) and True Grell (6.2, 3.6 assists) give them a pair of reliable playmakers in the backcourt, and in total, seven players who averaged at least 3.0 points per game last season are back, giving them plenty of depth. With all the continuity, they should turn several of those narrow losses into wins this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Easton Valley (6-16, 50.2%): </strong>Senior forward Easton Rathje (11.4, 7.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks) should be one of the best players in the division this season. He's an athletic forward who finishes efficiently around the rim, can protect the paint, and is really good on the glass on both ends of the floor. He led the River Hawks in scoring and rebounding last season, giving them a nice piece to build around. Senior guard Callan Messerich (6.4) is a pest on the defensive end, averaging 3.2 steals per game and figures to have the ball in his hands a ton on the offensive end. Look for senior wing Keagan Lee (5.5) and sophomore Blake Bowling (4.1) to step into more significant roles this winter alongside Rathje to give them some more scoring punch. This group needs to find some shooting after making just 25.8% of their 3s last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lisbon (16-7, 15.3%): </strong>The Lions were hit hard by graduation, losing their top four, and six of their top seven, scorers. Senior forward Ian Whittenbaugh (5.1, 55.3 FG%) is the lone returnee who averaged more than 1.8 points per game last season, and he'll be asked to carry the load, especially early in the year as newbies get acclimated to major minutes. Lisbon has won at least 10 games in every season since 2013-14, being situated in a hot-bed area of basketball talent. The bottom isn't going to fall out here, but with so many new faces taking the floor this year, it's hard to project how good they'll be heading into the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marquette Catholic (27-2, 25.0%):</strong> Coming off back-to-back 1A runner-up finishes, the Defenders have a lot of production to replace. They lost their top four scorers, a quartet that won a ton of games, and a group that is obviously going to be impossible to replace. The good news for Marquette is that with so many blowouts over the last few years, their players have gotten a lot of playing time, and had the opportunity to practice against really, really good players. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2906540' first='Louis' last='Gonner'] (5.3) was a starter on last year's team and will be the leader of this group. Senior Koen Roeder (4.7) and juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2828832' first='Taegin' last='Smith'] (4.0) and Canden Weber (3.6) each saw a good amount of time last season as well and will step into bigger roles. Look for sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2523923' first='Tate' last='Kueter'] (0.7) to become a reliable threat from the perimeter. Marquette may have lost a ton of talent, but there is still a lot of talent in this program, and they should once again be considered the team to beat in the division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Midland (1-21, 100%): </strong>Midland won just one game last season, against fellow 1-win team North Cedar. The good news, however, is that everyone returns from that team, so they should be a bit more competitive this winter. Senior guard Xander Eldred (10.5) is the team's leader, a three-level scorer who likes to attack the rim. Turnovers need to be addressed (25.5) this season if they want to beat any team other than North Cedar. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>North Cedar (1-21, 83.6%): </strong>The Knights won just one game last season, against fellow 1-win team Midland, so there's nowhere to go but up this winter. The top four scorers return in James Troughton (8.8), Connor Dohmen (7.3), Kaden Koth (7.1), and Noah Schroeder (6.5). Look for Koth, coming off a solid freshman year, to emerge as the team's top player this winter. Turnovers were a massive issue last season, giving it away 24.5 times per game. That number obviously needs to improve if they're going to win a few more games this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prince of Peace (14-9, 22.9%): </strong>All the Irish have to do is find a way to replace the state's leading scorer in Hakeal Powell, who averaged 33 points per game last season. No big deal, right? Oh, and the only other double-figure scorer also graduated, taking an additional 13.7 points per game with him. That leaves junior wing Carson Newcomb (9.8) and senior forward Gregory Thill (3.5) as the top returnees. Newcomb looks like the type of wing scorer who could take on a heavier scoring load this winter, and Thill was a nice complementary piece for the Irish last season. This is a program that usually wins quite a few games, with only one season in the last 10 in which they've won fewer than 10 games, so they should remain competitive.</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. Marquette Catholic<br>2. Calamus-Wheatland<br>3. Prince of Peace<br>4. Lisbon<br>5. Easton Valley<br>6. Midland<br>7. North Cedar</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>Marquette has become a program that, until they show otherwise, is going to be one that reloads rather than rebuilds. The Defenders are the team to beat here. Calamus-Wheatland brings back a lot of production to a team that was really close to being pretty good last season and could be a contender. </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='2887794' first='Chase' last='Klatt'] (Calamus-Wheatland): </strong>Klatt is the leading returning scorer in the division and is the focal point for a Warriors team that will be looking to make a leap up the conference standings this winter.</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='2887794' first='Chase' last='Klatt'] (Calamus-Wheatland)<br>2026 Dain Sprague (Calamus-Wheatland)<br>2026 Brody Koch (Calamus-Wheatland)<br>2026 True Grell (Calamus-Wheatland)<br>2027 Cole Green (Calamus-Wheatland)<br>2026 Aidan Yaddof (Calamus-Wheatland)<br>2026 Easton Rathje (Easton Valley)<br>2026 Keagan Lee (Easton Valley)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2906540' first='Louis' last='Gonner'] (Marquette Catholic)<br>2026 Koen Roeder (Marquette Catholic)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2828832' first='Taegin' last='Smith'] (Marquette Catholic)<br>2027 Canden Weber (Marquette Catholic)<br>2026 Gage Thompson (Cedar Valley Christian)<br>2026 Josh Skinner (Cedar Valley Christian)<br>2027 Max McDill (Cedar Valley Christian)<br>2026 Xander Eldred (Midland)<br>2027 Carson Newcomb (Prince of Peace)<br>2026 James Troughton (North Cedar)<br>2026 Connor Dohmen (North Cedar)<br>2028 Kaden Koth (North Cedar)<br>2026 Noah Schroeder (North Cedar)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->