Previewing the Independents

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Waverly-Shell Rock (17-6 last season, 21.8% of scoring returning): </strong>The Go-Hawks have to replace a ton of production off of last year's team, with a majority coming in the form of Luke Frazell, who averaged 28 points on 57-46-84 shooting splits last season. The top three scorers graduated, and six of the top nine have moved on, leaving senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2886796' first='Preston' last='Baumhover'] (6.7) and sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='2523910' first='Jayden' last='Stephens'] (6.0, 2.6 assists) as the top returnees. Baumhover was solid as a role player last season, shooting it at a high clip from the 3-point line, and Stephens was impressive as a freshman. He'll have the ball in his hands a ton this winter, provided he's able to return from his broken collarbone from the football season. [player_tooltip player_id='2886803' first='Brady' last='Bodensteiner'] (3.9, 3.7 assists) will serve as the team's point guard after doing a nice job setting the table in his minutes last season. They'll receive a boost with the addition of Charles City transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2906399' first='Henry' last='Ruzicka'], who averaged 13.2 points per game as a sophomore for the Comets. He's a long, athletic wing scorer who should benefit from playing alongside Stephens and Bodensteiner. Nate Steege has built one of the most consistent programs in the state, and despite losing a ton of talent, they should win plenty of games again this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Western Christian (2A State Champion, 25-3 last season, 28.6% of scoring returning):</strong> The Wolfpack added to their record haul of state titles last season, taking home a 12th state title. They lost the top two, and seven of the top nine, scorers from that group, leaving senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2413626' first='Landon' last='De Stigter'] (11.8) and sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2772345' first='Tayden' last='Moret'] (7.0) as the lone returnees with notable experience. That's a really, really good place to start, though. De Stigter was excellent throughout the state tournament week in March, using his long frame to defend multiple positions as well as knock down contested shots routinely. And Moret has star written all over him. A tough, athletic guard who impacts the game in a major way on both ends of the floor, he could be one of the state's breakout players this year. While only two players with significant experience return for the Wolfpack, the results speak for themselves. This is a program that just wins, wins, and wins some more. They're going to really test themselves once again, going out-of-state many times to compete against high-level teams from other states. This will be their last year as an independent, joining an expanded Siouxland superconference next year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Whiting (1-20 last season, 50.1% of scoring returning):</strong> The Warriors play a mixture of teams from Nebraska and Iowa. They lost their leading scorer and rebounder but bring back Caleb Glynn (9.8), who was solid as a secondary scorer last season. He'll be the focal point of the group this year, and will be joined by a group of 2028 players who saw plenty of time last season - Zane Keller, Colten Rich, and Daniel Gonzalez. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->