Class B Tournament Takeaways
The North Dakota High School season ended a week ago with Thompson completing its quest to win a state title in football, baseball and basketball. The Class B State Tournament always seems to be incredibly competitive and that was the…
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Continue ReadingThe North Dakota High School season ended a week ago with Thompson completing its quest to win a state title in football, baseball and basketball. The Class B State Tournament always seems to be incredibly competitive and that was the case again this season as a majority of the games were decided by 10 points or less and several went into overtime.
Here are some takeaways from the Class B State Tournament:
Thompson was on a mission all year and the Tommies weren’t going to be denied
Winning is a habit for this particular crop of athletes at Thompson as the Tommies won the state title in football last fall after winning a title in baseball as well. This basketball team certainly isn’t an underdog story because the team won 19 games last year and came into this season as a surefire top-five team (if not No. 1 or 2) according to basketball pundits.
Yet it wasn’t all smooth-sailing. The Tommies missed Cadyn Schwabe early in the season due to an injury he suffered during the football season. Schwabe more than made up for lost time as he was named Tournament MVP after averaging 20 points per game. Thompson more than held its own without him early in the year and the Tommies only suffered one loss on the year and that was with Schwabe. Hayden Overby and Marcus Hughes stepped up their play as seniors and a number of good juniors like Chance Danner and Clay Odenbach proved valuable all year. It wasn’t an easy road. The Tommies had to beat Hillsboro/Central Valley just to get to state then needed to win overtime games over Bishop Ryan and Shiloh, but they got it done.
Bishop Ryan and Shiloh Christian will have a lot of questions after graduating awesome seniors
Shiloh Christian reached the state championship game and lost to Thompson in overtime. The Skyhawks were one of the five best teams in the state all year and consistently one of the better programs in Class B. But they better hope there’s a lot of talent in the underclass ranks because Shiloh was especially old this year, playing all upperclassmen including seniors like MaCauley Young, Matthew Reep and Canaan Fagerland. Young’s been a double-double machine the last few years and while the cupboard isn’t completely bare next season, losing a guy like that changes how the Skyhawks will play without doubt.
Bishop Ryan will have a tougher time moving on as Ben Bohl and Mason Hedberg have been arguably the best duo in North Dakota each of the last two years. Both guys are elite and can dominate the game on both ends of the floor. Not only do the Lions graduate those two, they lose the third head in their attack in Chinaza Udekwe. It’s going to be impossible to replace those guys when it comes to production. So the strength of the Bishop Ryan program is going to definitely be tested.
There is a lot of promising young talent in Class B going forward
While Bishop Ryan, Shiloh and Thompson were mostly dominated by seniors, there’s an awful lot of talent set to come back next year at the Class B level.
Shiloh will lose key seniors but the Skyhawks return Jaden Mitzel who is an all-state performer. He had a couple difficult games at the end of the year but he’s been a double figure scorer for two years now and will go into next year as one of the best players in the state overall.
Richland finished third in the state tournament and the Colts very well could go into next year as the No. 1 team in Class B. Cole Meyers, Gavin Reiland and Carter Lingen all return. Colten Evenson gives them four returning starters.
Scott Wagner emerged as a double-double machine for Ellendale in just his freshman season. He’ll be a headache for Class B big men for the next three years.
Beulah graduates several key guys including Chad Morsette but Trey Brandt looks like a star at the point guard spot after earning all-tournament honors as a freshman. Jonah Larson will be back too and should be one of the better big men in Class B.
Powers Lake had to wait a long time for a state tournament appearance but with the young talent it figures to have back in guys like Noah Frederickson, the Ranchers should be strong for a while.
That’s just from state tournament teams. Teams like Four Winds/Minnewaukan and Hillsboro/CV bring back top-notch guys like Doug Yankton and Carson Henningsgard too. So Class B competition should be fierce again next winter.