Conference Preview: Corner

<h4>The Teams</h4> <p><strong>East Mills (15-5):</strong> The Wolverines rolled through this league in regular-season play last year, going 10-0 and winning by an average of 25.6 points a game. They did lose a pair of games to Sidney, once in the conference tournament, and once in the postseason, but they beat the Cowboys in both regular-season meetings. The top two scorers return in juniors [player_tooltip player_id="1167727" first="Mason" last="Crouse"] (19.8) and Jerett Jetzsch (10.6), and four of their top six from last year’s rotation are back. In Crouse, they have the league’s best player, a strong two-way threat who can also control the glass. The Wolverines didn’t shoot it very well from the arc last season (25.6% as a team), but they make up for it by forcing turnovers and crashing the offensive glass hard. This should be their conference to win.</p> <p><strong>Essex (2-20):</strong> The Trojans struggled to score last year, putting up 30 or fewer points in 15 of their 22 games, and three of their top five scorers graduated. Sophomores Tony Racine (5.6, 7.2 rebounds) and Jonathon Resh (3.8) are the top returnees.</p> <p><strong>Fremont-Mills (9-13):</strong> Another team that does a great job crashing the offensive glass, the Knights pulled down 10.5 offensive boards a game last year, which helped offset some of their struggles from the field. This is a group that lost six games by single digits, so they were close to putting together a really nice year, and they bring back everyone except for leading scorer Cooper Langfelt, who averaged 13.7 points. Junior forward Taylor Reed (12.3) and guard Braden West (6.1) are the top returning scorers, and eight players who averaged at least 2.3 points a game last season are back, giving them plenty of experience.</p> <p><strong>Griswold (5-15):</strong> The Tigers lost their leading scorer, but bring back two of the most potent shooting threats in the conference in Kamron Brownlee (9.8) and Adam Houser (9.8), who knocked down 48 and 39 3-pointers, respectively, last year, which ranked second and fourth in the league. With the type of variance that 3-point shooting can present, Griswold could be a more competitive group this season if they can cut down on some of the turnover issues they had last season.</p> <p><strong>Heartland Christian (8-11):</strong> In a league that brings back quite a bit of talent, the Eagles were hit hard by graduation, with three of their top four scorers gone from last year's team. The lone returnee is junior wing Colton Brennan (11.6), who can do a little bit of everything for this group after finishing second in scoring and leading the team in assists and steals. He will be asked to take on a lot for Heartland Christian as the new pieces get acclimated to big minutes.</p> <p><strong>Sidney (15-6):</strong> Led by arguably the league's best backcourt, the Cowboys will be strong again this year. Seniors Cole Jorgenson (15.2) and Garett Phillips (11.2) form a dynamic tandem who can score in bunches, and Jorgenson was the league's most deadly 3-point threat last year, leading the conference with 59 made 3-pointers. Eight of the top nine rotation pieces from last season return to a team that split with East Mills and didn't lose to any other league opponents. </p> <p><strong>Stanton (12-8):</strong> The Vikings are always a team that can score in bunches, and this year should be no different as they bring back their top three scorers and 91% of their scoring production in total. Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="1158480" first="Carter" last="Johnson"] (20.9) and forward Jack Roberts (11.5) are the top returnees. Johnson is the league’s leading scorer, and he can also make an impact on the defensive end, averaging 3.3 steals a game last season. Roberts is an interior presence who pairs with fellow senior Quentin Thornburg (6.9) to control the paint and the glass. Stanton should contend with East Mills, Sidney, and Fremont-Mills at the top of the league. </p> <p><strong>NOTE:</strong> <em>Clarinda Academy is also in the Corner Conference, but is a residential facility with yearly roster turnover.</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Projected Order of Finish</h4> <p>1. East Mills<br /> 2. Sidney<br /> 3. Stanton<br /> 4. Fremont-Mills<br /> 5. Griswold<br /> 6. Heartland Christian<br /> 7. Essex</p> <p><strong>Analysis:</strong> After splitting their meetings last year, and with both teams returning a majority of their production, the battle between East Mills and Sidney should be fun to watch. Stanton and Fremont-Mills could both challenge the top two on any given night.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Preseason Player of the Year</h4> <p><strong>2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167727" first="Mason" last="Crouse"], East Mills:</strong> Crouse led the Wolverines to an undefeated regular season against league foes last year, and his ability to stuff the stat sheet in a multitude of ways makes him the best player in the league. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Players to Watch</h4> <p>2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167727" first="Mason" last="Crouse"], East Mills<br /> 2023 Jerett Jetzsch, East Mills<br /> 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158480" first="Carter" last="Johnson"], Stanton<br /> 2022 Jack Roberts, Stanton<br /> 2022 Quentin Thornburg, Stanton<br /> 2022 Cole Jorgenson, Sidney<br /> 2022 Garett Phillips, Sidney<br /> 2022 Conner Behrends, Sidney<br /> 2023 Taylor Reed, Fremont-Mills<br /> 2023 Braden West, Fremont-Mills<br /> 2022 Jake Malcom, Fremont-Mills<br /> 2023 Colton Brennan, Heartland Christian<br /> 2023 Kamron Brownlee, Griswold<br /> 2022 Adam Houser, Griswold<br /> 2024 Tony Racine, Essex</p>