Conference Preview: Corner

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bedford (19-5, 57.5% of scoring returning): </strong>The Bulldogs were the top scoring defense in Class 1A last season, allowing just 34.0 points per game. They're well-coached, strong, athletic, and disciplined on that end of the floor and really make life difficult for opposing teams, routinely suffocating them on that end of the floor. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='3343950' first='Quentin' last='Dalton'] (20.9, 53.4 FG%) is the leader on both ends of the floor, a dynamo on the defensive end who averaged 3.5 steals per game, and a tough guard who can play downhill and get to the bucket off the dribble. John Deemer (8.1, 41.4 3P%) gives them another talented guard who can space the floor, and junior Nolan Drake (4.8) saw a lot of time last season. Dalton will be one of the best players in the league again, and they'll always be good defensively. Can they get over the East Mills hump?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East Mills (16-6, 89.1%):</strong> Speaking of East Mills, the Wolverines won two out of three meetings with Bedford last season and bring back their top three scorers, making them a pretty clear favorite in the Corner this winter. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2906418' first='Mason' last='Camden'] (23.8, 4.3 assists) is one of the most explosive scorers in the state, and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='3693058' first='Beau' last='Burdic'] (14.8, 42.3 3P%) is a perfect complement alongside him, an electric shooting threat who can also create off the bounce. Junior Zayne Graybill (6.5) gives them a solid, reliable third option with tons of experience. With Camden and Burdic, East Mills has arguably two of the top three players in the conference and they should win the league fairly comfortably.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Essex (8-14, 15.0%): </strong>Essex was hit really hard by graduation, losing their top four scorers to graduation, taking 85% of last year's output with them. Junior Ben King (2.2) and senior Dominic Kirk (1.7) are the lone returnees with any significant experience. It will probably be a pretty long season in Essex.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fremont-Mills (11-12, 28.9%): </strong>Of the upper-half programs in the league, Fremont-Mills was hit the hardest by graduation. They lost all four double-figure scorers, but do bring back a trio of juniors in Broden Zimmerman (6.7), Chance Ewalt (3.0), and Gavin Crom (2.0), who saw significant playing time last winter. That trio will be asked to become the new leader of the program, and how they perform will determine if the Knights can stay as a top-half team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Griswold (4-19, 40.5%): </strong>The Tigers lost three of their top four scorers from a four-win team that averaged just 30.3 points per game, so it's safe to say that expectations probably aren't too high heading into the 2026-27 campaign. Juniors Dain Laverty (7.0) and Colton Frieze (4.1) are the top returnees, a pair of players who saw a lot of time last season and will be heavily relied upon this year. Matching last year's win total would probably be considered a success for Griswold. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hamburg (6-12, 45.5%): </strong>The Wildcats lost four of their top five scorers, but do bring back one of the best players in the league in senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='3620609' first='Gabe' last='Staley'] (19.0, 13.1 rebounds). Staley is a force in the painted area, shooting 50% from the floor and is a walking double-double who dominates the glass on both ends of the floor. He's the only returnee who averaged more than 1.4 points per game last season, so he'll be asked to do a ton for them and how the role players alongside him develop will be the key for how many games they win this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sidney (3-14, 77.7%): </strong>The Cowboys only entered stats for nine of their games from last season, so their numbers are a bit skewed but they bring back a big-time scorer in [player_tooltip player_id='3344407' first='Carter' last='Jorgenson'] (18.0). He didn't have a very efficient junior year, shooting 28% from the floor, but he's a volume shooter who can have explosive scoring nights. Sidney is a program accustomed to success, with last year being just their second losing season since 2006-07, but after last season we will see how things go this winter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stanton (11-12, 49.5%): </strong>The Vikings suffered a significant loss with Brodee Sowers graduating. He led the team in scoring and rebounding last season, nearly averaging 13 + 13, so he's a big presence to replace. Sophomore Tristan Elwood (6.0, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 blocks) had a nice freshman year and will be leaned upon as the go-to option in his second year with the program. An athletic 6-3/6-4 forward with good hands, he could turn into one of the best players in the league as soon as this winter. If guards Nolan Case (5.9) and Cooper Dreyer (5.3) can carry the perimeter scoring load and help cut down on the turnovers (19.4 a game last season) a bit, the Vikings could push for a top-3 finish.</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. East Mills<br>2. Bedford<br>3. Stanton<br>4. Fremont-Mills<br>5. Hamburg<br>6. Griswold<br>7. Essex<br>8. Sidney</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis:</strong> This league is a two-horse race between East Mills and Bedford, and will be decided by their head-to-head meetings. With the Wolverines taking two of three last winter, and bringing back arguably two of the three best players in the league, they get the edge. The rest of the league was hit pretty hard by graduation and could be a jumble.</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>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2906418' first='Mason' last='Camden'] (East Mills): </strong>Camden is not only the best scorer in the league, he's one of the best in the state. He can do so in a variety of ways, is a strong defender, a talented creator, and is the reason that East Mills is the team to beat 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>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2906418' first='Mason' last='Camden'] (East Mills)<br>2029 [player_tooltip player_id='3693058' first='Beau' last='Burdic'] (East Mills)<br>2028 Zayne Graybill (East Mills)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='3343950' first='Quentin' last='Dalton'] (Bedford)<br>2027 John Deemer (Bedford)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='3620609' first='Gabe' last='Staley'] (Hamburg)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='3344407' first='Carter' last='Jorgenson'] (Sidney)<br>2027 Calvin Johnson (Sidney)<br>2028 Dain Laverty (Griswold)<br>2028 Colton Frieze (Griswold)<br>2028 Broden Zimmerman (Fremont-Mills)<br>2029 Tristan Elwood (Stanton)<br>2028 Nolan Case (Stanton)<br>2028 Cooper Dreyer (Stanton)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->