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>Bellevue Marquette (12-11, 99.8% of scoring returning): </strong>The top eight scorers return for Marquette, led by a pair of juniors in Kannon Still (10.6) and Caden Kettman (9.0). While Still was the team's top scorer last year, it's Kettman who is the major difference maker for this group. A 6-3/6-4 forward who does a little bit of everything, Kettman stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 9-8.4-2.8-2.0-2.7 last season, showing that he can impact the game on both ends of the floor in a major way. Senior guard Evan Scott (7.5) will pair with Still to give them a pair of experienced ball-handlers, while sophomore Spencer Roeder (7.0) and juniors Isaac Brinker (6.3) and Aidan Clausen (5.5) saw a lot of time last season. Roeder looks like he's ready to take a step into a bigger scoring role this season. Marquette is going to be deep and balanced, which will make them difficult to defend. They went through some rough patches last year, but those learning experiences should be very beneficial for them this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Calamus-Wheatland (5-17, 88.8%): </strong>Senior forward Cole VanderHeiden (11.9, 10.2 rebounds) returns to lead a Warriors team that brings nearly 90% of their production back. VanderHeiden is a walking double-double whose work on the offensive glass is a major benefit for a team that doesn't shoot it well from behind the arc, helping gain some extra possessions. Juniors Isaac Wilhelm (9.2) and Pedar Rohling (8.3) are solid perimeter scorers, while Jacob Weih (7.3) is another forward who can put the ball in the bucket. The Warriors really need to cut down on the turnovers this season (22.2 a game last year) if they want to rack up some more wins.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Easton Valley (19-3, 14.3%): </strong>For the first time since 1975, Easton Valley will have a new coach on the sidelines following the legendary Dan Beck's resignation to take an AD job in Illinois. New coach Pat Hartung will have a lot of production to replace as the River Hawks lost seven of their top eight scorers from last year's team to graduation. The good news is that senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1167740' first='Carson' last='Fuegen'] (7.1, 5.7 assists) is back, and he's a great piece to start building. Fuegen is small, listed at 5-9, but he's a lightning-quick guard who can impact the game as a defender (3.6 steals) and facilitator, dishing out nearly six assists a game last season. He's a pass-first guard by nature, but he may be asked to be more of a scoring threat this year, especially early on as they break in a number of new pieces. This is a program that routinely wins 16-20 games, and despite losing nearly everything it's hard to see them completely falling off the map. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lisbon (17-6, 21.2%):</strong> Like Easton Valley, Lisbon has to replace a ton of production off of last year's team but they bring back a talented point guard in junior [player_tooltip player_id='1476988' first='Michael' last='Gadberry'] (9.3) who led the team in assists last season. He's a good ball-handler who sees the floor well and likes to get others involved and can score from all three levels. No other returnee scored more than 24 points last season, so there will be a lot of new pieces taking the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Midland (4-18, 87.7%): </strong>The Eagles bring back their top three, and four of their top five, scorers from last year's team, led by senior guard Zain Sauer (9.8). Sauer led the team in scoring and assists, and was second in rebounding last season. Junior Cale Crist (8.3) and senior Warren Etten (7.2) are solid secondary and tertiary scoring options, and you can expect junior Matt Sauer (4.7) to take another step up this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>North Cedar (3-19, 31.0%): </strong>The Knights lost a ton of production off of last year's team, with the top three, and four of the top five, scorers graduating. Junior guard Jaydon Nabb (7.5) is the top returning scorer. Fellow junior forwards [player_tooltip player_id='2377311' first='Johny' last='Amina'] (4.5) and Ethan Thimmes (3.0) were both strong on the glass last season as role players and will be asked to become bigger scoring threats this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prince of Peace (6-17, 97.2%): </strong>The Irish were really young last year, led in scoring by a freshman, Hakael Powell (13.5). Powell, now a sophomore, is an athletic, slashing wing who gets to the bucket and does a good job getting into passing lanes on the defensive end. Senior Marcus Blount (12.2) is another good athlete on the wing who can create shots for himself and others, while juniors Jhikeith McGraw (7.3) and Jaxon Dehner (3.2), and sophomore Logan Detterman (3.2), saw plenty of time last season as well. There has been talk of a few potentially impactful move-ins from the Chicago area taking the floor this winter for the Irish as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></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. Bellevue Marquette<br>2. Easton Valley <br>3. Prince of Peace<br>4. Lisbon<br>5. Calamus-Wheatland<br>6. Midland<br>7. North Cedar</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>Traditional power Easton Valley lost their coach and nearly everyone from last year's team, which opens the door a bit for Bellevue Marquette, who brings back everyone. Prince of Peace brings back a lot as well from a team that improved as the season went on last year, and there is talk that they may be adding a few impactful players to the rotation. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></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>2024 Caden Kettman, Bellevue Marquette: </strong>Kettman stuffed the stat sheet as a sophomore, averaging 9.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and 2.7 blocks a game. That type of two-way production makes him incredibly valuable for a Marquette team that may be the favorite in the division. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 Caden Kettman, Bellevue Marquette<br>2024 Kannon Still, Bellevue Marquette<br>2023 Evan Scott, Bellevue Marquette<br>2025 Spencer Roeder, Bellevue Marquette<br>2024 Isaac Brinker, Bellevue Marquette<br>2024 Aidan Clausen, Bellevue Marquette<br>2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1167740' first='Carson' last='Fuegen'], Easton Valley<br>2025 Hakael Powell, Prince of Peace<br>2023 Marcus Blount, Prince of Peace<br>2024 Jhikeith McGraw, Prince of Peace<br>2023 Cole VanderHeiden, Calamus-Wheatland<br>2024 Isaac Wilhelm, Calamus-Wheatland<br>2024 Pedar Rohling, Calamus-Wheatland<br>2023 Jacob Weih, Calamus-Wheatland<br>2023 Zain Sauer, Midland<br>2024 Cale Crist, Midland<br>2023 Warren Etten, Midland<br>2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1476988' first='Michael' last='Gadberry'], Lisbon<br>2024 Jaydon Nabb, North Cedar</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->