Northwest Conference Preview

Here are 5 teams that play together in a conference, the Northwest Conference, because there’s nobody else up in the extreme northwest part of the state to play. Well, okay, there’s Park Rapids and Bagley nearby, they’re both in Class AA. But, otherwise, these are all of the Class AA and AAA teams north of Brainerd and Moorhead and west of Grand Rapids. Thief River Falls came to 3 straight state tournaments prior to last year with sterling won-lost records, but couldn’t get a seed because “they didn’t play anybody.” Well, they played the biggest, baddest schools they could find without traveling 300 miles. Now, Roseau has replaced Thief as conference champ and as state tournament entry but, unlike Thief, Roseau is in Class AA and the Rams won a state title last year. Crookston and East Grand Forks have each won a Section 8AA championship in the past decade. So give ‘em some credit. This is a tough conference, except for Warroad. It’s not their fault there’s only 5 of them. Our Predictions 1. Roseau 6-1 (7-0, 1st last year, average 4-3 over 8 years) The Rams went 0-6 and 0-6 as recently as 2012 and 2013, but then the Borowicz sisters happened. Kiley led the Rams to 3 state tournaments including a state title at 32-0 a year ago, averaging close to 30 ppg over 3 years. Now, Kiley’s gone but her sisters Kacie and Katie return, along with 6-2 post Victoria Johnson. Kacie you know about, a lanky, aggressive 5-9 point guard who pushes the pace, dishes and scores. She has already scored 17 ppg for 2 years and she is still just a junior. But, it is Katie who is going to pick up the slack from Kiley’s graduation. Katie is a 5-4 9th grader who scored 4, then 6 ppg as a 7th and 8th grader in a limited role. But, this past summer, she established herself as one of Minnesota’s top players in the class of 2021. She has that Borowicz basketball IQ. Don’t be surprised if she scores 20 this year while Kacie continues to dish it and scores about 17 again. Johnson is solid in the middle with 11 ppg, 9 boards and 2 blocks a year ago, and 3 state tournaments under her belt. Forwards Mya Hough, Morgan Groenhoff and Makayla Christianson also return. Still, in recognition of Kiley’s departure and also of the quality of the Northwest Conference, we’ll go out on a limb and say the Roseau will lose a conference game at East Grand Forks or Thief this year. 2. East Grand Forks 5-2 (4-3, 2nd last year, average 4-3 over 8 years) The Green Wave displaced Thief in 2nd place last year, their highest finish since being unbeaten in the conference in 2010 and 2011. The talent pool is on overload right now, though it’s not obvious there’s anybody on the caliber of Kacie or Katie Borowicz. The ring-leader is 5-10 forward Brooke Filipi, who triggers an uptempo game off the boards, then gets downcourt to score a team-high 18 ppg. 5-11 center Julia Warmack also pounds the boards and adds 8.5 ppg. Both are now seniors. On the wings are 5-7 juniors McKenna Aitchison and Breanna Olson, who add 13 ppg between them, and sophomore Haley Berger, who scored a dozen points per game last year as a freshman. So there’s a ton of firepower in the frontcourt. In the backcourt, you’ve got senior Natalie Carlstrom (5-6, 8 ppg), junior Mary Skyberg (6 ppg) and freshman Chloe Torgerson (3.5 ppg). They’re deep, they’ll outrun most teams. Roseau, however, will say: Let’s go faster! 3. Thief River Falls 4-3 (3-3, 3rd last year, average 5-2) Thief has been blessed with great point guards and great depth in recent years. This year they’ll continue to have great guard play, but the depth—not so much. The guards are senior Kylea Praska, who is smooth and athletic and fundamentally solid. She scored 14 ppg 2 years ago. They’ll need more than last year’s 13 from her—20 would be more like it—to contend with Roseau and East Grand Forks. They other guard is junior Alexa Rogalla, who scored 9 last year. Then, Thief’s no-so-secret weapon is Tiana Nicholson, a 6-2 senior, who scored 20 ppg last year, finally elevating her game like people thought she could and would. She’s mobile, a hard worker, and a beast on defense. I can’t believe there aren’t some D1s camped on her doorstep. 4. Crookston 3-4 (1-5, 4th last year, average 3-3) Remember those great Crookston state tournament teams with point guard Kamille Wahlin of a decade ago? I’m not going to say this team has that kind of potential. But the Pirates have 8 contributors back led by a legitimate star in freshman guard Emma Borowicz, who apparently a cousin to the Roseau girls. She scored 14 ppg as an 8th grader last year. She’ll get help from quick, active 5-6 senior Bailey Folkers (11 ppg) and six other girls who scored between 3 and 7 points last year, but 5-11 junior Rachel Hefta is the only size. 5. Warroad 0-4 (0-4, 5th last year, average 1-6) Warroad hasn’t won a conference game since 2014 and limits its exposure to one game against each conference rival. Things might get better after this year as there are 5 juniors in the rotation, led by 5-11 post Madison Pickar. But, this is hockey country and so things might not change a whole lot. All-Northwest Center—Tiana Nicholson, Thief, 6-2, senior, 20 ppg Forward—Brooke Fillipi, East Grand Forks, 5-8, senior, 18 ppg Point Guard—Kacie Borowicz, Roseau, 5-9, junior, 17 ppg Combo Guard—Katie Borowicz, Roseau, 5-4, freshman, 6 ppg Combo Guard—Emma Borowicz, Crookston, freshman, 14 ppg 2nd Team Center—Victoria Johnson, Roseau, 6-2, senior, 11 ppg-9 reb Forward—Haley Berger, East Grand Forks, sophomore, 12 ppg Point Guard—Alex Rogalla, Thief, junior, 9 ppg Shooting Guard—Kylea Praska, Thief, senior, 13 ppg Shooting Guard—Natalie Carlstrom, East Grand Forks, 5-7, senior, 8 ppg Stock Raisers Center—Alexis Syverson, Warroad, 5-10, sophomore, 4 ppg Power Forward—Breanna Olson, East Grand Forks, junior, 5 ppg Small Forward—McKenna Athison, East Grand Forks, junior, 8 ppg Point Guard—Kylie Solheim, Crookston, 5-6, junior, 7 ppg Shooting Guard—Chloe Torgerson, East Grand Forks, freshman, 3.5 ppg