Monday Night Standouts

Mother Nature finally allowed high school basketball to be played in North Dakota! It was great to be back watching hoops. Who looked good on Monday night? We have 11 players from 4 different ND Class B teams to look at in this article.   SCORES   #4 Thompson 71 #8 North Border 57   Garrison 66 Flasher 63   Thompson dominated in their Region 2 matchup on the Tommie home court. They got up early and were in control for the entire game.   Garrison won a big road game in Region 5. It was a battle, that's for sure! Garrison had a lead in the 4th and Flasher battled back and made it interesting. They got within 2 points and had a chance to tie it at the end. The Troopers were banged up and bit under the weather. I imagine that Garrison is very happy with a Region win where they traveled almost 2 hours on a Monday night in below-zero weather.   See below for player info...   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/NDSDStandouts-crop-752x494-1656375136.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/NDSDStandouts-crop-752x494-1656375136.jpg?w=751" alt="" class="wp-image-1496316" width="363" height="238" /></a></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1144986' first='Javin' last='Friesz'] (2024) |6'2 G| Flasher   33 points, 13-18 FT's, 4 triples. He had a dominant performance and showed why he is one of the best players in the state. Javin moves extremely well without the ball, is a tireless worker, and was excellent at creating shots. Friesz is a fearless attacker and he scored from all 3-levels. He drew a ton of fouls and lived at the line in the fourth quarter. All 4 triples for Javin came in the first half. Friesz is going to put up gaudy numbers all season long.   [player_tooltip player_id='1125690' first='Connor' last='Kerzmann'] (2023) |6'0 G| Garrison   16 points, 3-4 FT's, 1 triple. It was not his best night but Kerzmann still put in 16 points and did enough to get the win. Kerzmann attacked hard and it was easy to see that he is a quick athlete. He has great shooting mechanics. Kerzmann is one of the more underrated players in the state.   [player_tooltip player_id='1350687' first='Little' last='Hail Perkins'] (2025) |6'3 SF| Garrison   7 rebounds, 1 triple. He was very good on the glass. Perkins was under the weather last night but he fought through it and helped the Troopers pick up a big Region win.   [player_tooltip player_id='1184662' first='Brady' last='Norenberg'] (2023) |6'8 C| Garrison   14 points, 4-5 FT's. His size alone is a huge factor. Norenberg looks to be a good screener for his teammates. Norenberg showed a nice catch and post-finish from the block. Brady does not realize how good he can be. There are not many class B teams that have a 6'8" BIG. Norenberg will be an X-factor for the Troopers on a nightly basis. The good thing for the Troopers is that Brady will keep improving with every game.   [player_tooltip player_id='1144980' first='Braxton' last='Iglehart'] (2023) |6'1 G| Garrison   10 points, 4-4 FT's. He had a really nice game distributing the rock and he got the ball where it needed to go. He is a mobile athlete and he is excellent at creating turnovers. He is another Troopers with loads of potential.   [player_tooltip player_id='1126978' first='Ayden' last='Stainbrook'] (2023) |6'4 SF| North Border   19 points, 3-4 FT's, 4 triples. On defense, he showed good anticipation when picking off a couple of passes. He had 19 points and it still seemed like a slow/off night. His shot is so pure, I would like to see him shoot even more. When you are as good of a shooter at Stainbrook, I think you could afford to take a few more contested shots. He got the Eagles scoring going with a 3-ball from the left side. He hit another 3-ball from the left wing in catch-n-shoot, his jumper is as smooth as silk. Ayden also cashed in a pull-up triple from the top of the key in transition. His last 3-ball came off a SLOB when he knocked it down beyond college range. He scored around the rim when posting up with a sweet baby hook and a lefty finish off the class. He impressed me a few times when he went up on over opponents for rebounds. He showed great footwork when Cosley drove baseline, Stainbrook cracked back, caught, and hit a beautiful jumper. That was some great action to see from high school players. If he has 19 on a slow night, wait until Ayden is "feeling it"! He has the ability to go off for 30+ in any game. Be on the lookout, Stainbrook is nearing 1,000 career points and that will likely happen soon!   [player_tooltip player_id='1050261' first='TJ' last='Cosley'] (2023) |6'0 G| North Border   28 points, 7-8 FT's, 3 triples. He showed off why he was such a good defensive player in football. TJ picked off multiple passes like a smart DB/FS. Cosley can read/see plays happen before they develop and he makes quick reactions/decisions. After a TO he was very quick to convert on the other end. TJ flies down the court like a jet, he has to be one of the fastest players in ND going up and down the court. He was also good at finishing in traffic and he converted multiple AND1's. TJ has no trouble finishing with a hand in his face or after contact. He knocked down 3's with a pull-up and when spreading the floor. He made a few nice passes as well. I liked when he drove baseline, Stainbrook cracked back and Cosley hit him with a perfect pass for a jumper. I liked his footwork from the top of the key when he shot faked, jabbed, shot faked, and then attacked and drew a foul. It is tough for defenders to stay with Cosley when he gets going downhill. The game was not the end result that TJ wanted but he still put up some impressive numbers and showed off his playmaking ability.   [player_tooltip player_id='1165392' first='Karter' last='Peterson'] (2025) |6'6 PF| Thompson   19 points, 1-2 FT's. I am not sure about rebounds, but Karter must have been flirting with a double-double as he was very productive on the glass. Peterson showed me last night that he is one of the best BIGs in Class B and he is only a sophomore. He was dominant around the basket. I liked his aggressiveness on the O-glass and he scored with putbacks. His strength was on display when finishing after contact and with AND1 scores. Peterson is nimble and athletic for his size, he caught in traffic and finished very smoothly. He showed a beautiful leaning baby hook when scoring off a post-up. Karter has great feet. That was on display with a quick drop step, and when he caught, ripped & slashed from the elbow. Get this Tommie on your watchlist, he is a Super Soph! I think everyone in Region 2 wishes that Peterson was a senior. He will be a force for years to come.   [player_tooltip player_id='1705523' first='Drew' last='Overby'] (2024) |6'1 G| Thompson   26 points, 6 triples. He had the hot hand land night. Overby obviously has the green light from deep, he was letting them fly with confidence. I love how he steps into the shot, has a fluid motion, and his trigger is quick. Drew does not need much room to get a good look. Besides being lights out from deep, Overby scored multiple baskets in transition. He created TO's and grabbed O-boards. Drew also showed a smooth mid-range pull-up. Going into this game I was thinking that the Tommies had a dynamic duo with Peterson and Starcevic. After last night, it is apparent that the Tommies are a 3-headed monster with Overby, Peterson, and Starcevic.   [player_tooltip player_id='1145544' first='Jake' last='Starcevic'] (2024) |6'2 SF| Thompson   15 points, 1-2 FT's. I thought he did a nice job defensively on Stainbrook. Jake is a premier athlete and he is as strong as an ox. He scored the first bucket of the game with a sharp cut and score. I like that he can score from all over the court and with both hands around the cup. He posted up, spun middle, and finished with his left hand across the lane. He showed off his muscle when attacking the rim, he bumped defenders when slashing like they were JH kids. He showed good footwork and awareness with a step-through finish on the baseline. Starcevic had another sweet/athletic spin move that left his defender in the dust and he scored with ease. There is no question that Starcevic is an athletic difference-maker.   [player_tooltip player_id='1705524' first='Gavin' last='Krogstad'] (2025) |6'4 PF| Thompson   4 points, 2-3 FT's. He did not have a big scoring night but he was very solid off the bench. I thought he rebounded very well, I have not heard how many he grabbed but he certainly passed the eye test when working on the glass. He showed great effort when tipping the ball and grabbing rebounds with a 2nd effort. On defense, Gavin showed some rim protecting when hustling on D and blocking a shot. Krogstad looks like he will be a key role player for the Tommies.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/NorthDakota.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/NorthDakota.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1606306" /></a></figure>

Mother Nature finally allowed high school basketball to be played in North Dakota! It was great to be back watching hoops. Who looked good on Monday night? We have 11 players from 4 different ND Class B teams to look at in this article.