Postseason Preview: Section 5A
Photo courtesy of the Park Rapids Enterprise Section basketball is just around the corner and as the season comes to a close, it’s time to start looking at individual sections. Here’s the lowdown on Section 5A: Favorite: Nevis The…
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Photo courtesy of the Park Rapids Enterprise
Section basketball is just around the corner and as the season comes to a close, it’s time to start looking at individual sections.
Here’s the lowdown on Section 5A:
Favorite: Nevis
The Tigers have been basically unstoppable since Christmas, winning 17 straight games. Of those 17 wins, only two were by less than 10 points.
Griffin Chase is one of the best players in the state and recently eclipsed 2,000 career points. Jack and Michael Landquist give the team two more solid scoring options and Tom Wormley is a solid presence inside.
Nevis hasn’t been tested much at this point in the season but the Tigers have absolutely torn through every team in their section. They’ve notched 20-point wins over the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 teams in their subsection.
In the Hunt: Browerville/Eagle Valley
One of the few teams to give Nevis a game this year, Browerville/Eagle Valley is seemingly peaking at the right time of year. The Tigers have lost just three games this year, all to top-end A or AA teams.
They’ve got a bona fide star in Bryce Irsfeld, who can take over a game by himself if he needs to. He’s also got good players around him with Ryan Warwick, Brendan Emery and Jordan Gorder. The Tigers have rolled through the back half of their schedule like Nevis has, and should be considered the favorite to get through their subsection.
In the mix: Kimball (south), Verndale (north)
The Cubs will likely earn the No. 2 seed in south subsection with more than 20 wins on the season, which makes them one of the most improved teams in the state after winning just nine games a year ago.
Del Guerrero is a terrific frontcourt player while Darius Westrich, Hayden Gagnon and Drew Gustafson can all provide strong production on the perimeter.
The Cubs seem primed to get to the subsection final and while they’ve taken more losses than some of the other teams in the section, they’ve played a tougher schedule thanks to a conference slate that includes Holdingford and Eden Valley-Watkins.
The Pirates have a solid trio in Jordan Brownlow, Mac Schluttner and Nathan Sabinash and after last season’s run to the section final, it’s a team with enough experience to make another extended run.
Players to Watch:
Bennett Primus of Swanville might be the top big man in the section. The 6-foot-8 senior can control the paint in a way few players in the particularly downsized section can and the Bulldogs might not have a great record, but they’ve played the good teams tough.
Speaking of frontcourt players, Sebeka’s James Clark and Jack Lillquist are both capable of stuffing the stat sheets for the Trojans. Both juniors, Sebeka could be in the mix for an extended run this year, and should be very strong again next season.
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley’s Nate Armstrong is another excellent guard who can put the team on his back for extended stretches. He’ll try to lead the Wolves on an extended run though they’ll likely end up as the No. 4/5 seed.
Breakdown:
On paper, it looks like the heavy, heavy favorites to meet up in the section final are Nevis and Browerville. Nevis has destroyed all the teams in its subsection so far this year while Browerville’s only loss to a section opponent was Nevis back in December.
The two best players in the section might be Chase and Irsfeld as well, which gives both teams a leg up on the competition.
Projected Seedings
Section 5A – North
- Nevis
- Verndale
- McGregor
- Sebeka
- Walker-Hackensack-Akeley
- Menahga
- Cromwell-Wright
- Pine River-Backus
- Laporte
Section 5A – South
- Browerville/Eagle Valley
- Kimball
- Swanville
- East Central
- Bertha-Hewitt
- Upsala
- Isle
- Onamia
- Ogilvie