Conference Preview: Centennial is looking to repeat as Northwest Suburban-North champs

Minnesota high school basketball practices start today, and here at Prep Girls Hoops we couldn't be more excited! As we continue to preview the best conferences across the state, today we're taking a look at the Northwest Suburban-North. At first glance, the NWS-North looks to be a two team race, but the conference has talent and experience from top to bottom. Read on to learn all about the conference's top teams and players. <span style="font-size: 18pt"><strong>WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR CENTENNIAL TO REPEAT?</strong></span> <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>CENTENNIAL</strong></span> had an outstanding season a year ago which included a 23-3 regular season record. But the Cougars have some major holes to fill after the graduation of <strong>Claire Orth</strong> (North Dakota) and <strong>Sydney Stapleton</strong> (South Dakota State), both of whom were ranked in PGH Minnesota's top 25 players in the class of 2018. <strong style="font-size: 16px;font-style: normal;font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"></strong> That being said, the cupboards are far from bare. The Cougars' roster still includes what most would consider the two best players in the conference. <strong>Sara Stapleton</strong> and <strong>Taylor McAulay</strong> are rated as the 7th and 8th best players in the class of 2019. Stapleton will be playing her college ball in the Big 10 at Wisconsin, while McAulay will head to Drake. Talented senior forward <strong>Sarah Lavell </strong>will join Stapleton in Centennial's frontcourt, and junior <strong>Grace Johnson</strong> will likely run the point guard spot. A trio of sophomores, <strong>Jodi Anderson</strong>, <strong>Jenna Guyer</strong> and <strong>Claire Johnson</strong> will all play significant roles for the Cougars as well. Centennial is the early favorite to repeat as the Northwest Suburban-North Conference champion in 2018-2019. <span style="font-size: 18pt"><strong>THE COUGARS' BIGGEST CHALLENGERS</strong></span> <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>CHAMPLIN PARK</strong></span> finished 2017-2018 with a record of 22-4 and a season split with Centennial. But the Rebels will be without the services of a dynamite group of 2018 players this season. <strong>Erica Hicks</strong> was the team's leading scorer, and a top 20 player in the class. And <strong>Gabby Mocchi</strong> (Montana State) and <strong>Amanda Pollard</strong> (Wagner) were dominant in their own rights. The trio combined to score 62% of CP's points a season ago. The Rebels may not have quite the same firepower in 2018-2019 with Hicks, Mocchi, and Pollard all moving on. But much like Centennial, there is still plenty talent at Champlin. <strong>Makayla Johnson</strong> is a 2019 forward and Concordia-St. Paul commit. She'll be joined by juniors <strong>Izzy Quick</strong> and <strong>Miyah DuBose </strong>who will be given the keys to the Rebels' backcourt. Freshman <strong>Izzy John</strong>, a long and athletic forward, is sure to make an impact as well. The Rebels project to be Centennial's stiffest in-conference competition. <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>ANOKA</strong></span> will be searching for reinforcements after graduating their top three scorers from a season ago. But the Tornadoes have a crop of solid guards across classes that look to be up to the task. PGH recently named senior <strong>Elizabeth Torgerson </strong>and junior <strong>Jersi McAlpine </strong>as one of the <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2018/10/the-best-backcourt-duos-in-the-northern-metro/">best backcourt duos in the northern metro</a>. They will be joined by 2020 guard <strong>Emily Josephson</strong> and sophomore <strong>Olivia Anderson</strong>. While scrappy and quick, Anoka's biggest challenge will be size. All four of the previously mentioned players stand somewhere in the neighborhood of 5'6". The Tornadoes will struggle to contain the conference's best post players without a consistent post presence. <span style="font-size: 18pt"><strong>DARK HORSE TEAMS</strong></span> <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>ELK RIVER</strong></span> finished last season with an uninspiring 10-16 record. But the Elks bring back most of their significant pieces from that team and look ready to make some noise in the Northwest Suburban this winter. The junior guard pairing of <strong>Lydia Haack</strong> and <strong>Mikayla Kanenwisher </strong>will be fun to watch this season. We recently took in some games when Kanenwisher was playing with her Minnesota Stars team. She looked poised and confident running the show from the point guard position. And Haack is one of the best players in the NWSC. Add in sophomore post <strong>Johanna Langbehn</strong> and freshman guard <strong>Ava Berg</strong> who have both expanded their games over the summer and Elk River has a really nice core of players to build around. The Elk's biggest question going into the season will be whether they can find enough offensive production within their supporting cast to compete with the top teams in the conference. <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>ANDOVER</strong></span> will have a new head coach on the sidelines this winter. Coach Blake Nicols comes to Andover after most recently leading the boys basketball program at New Prague. Nicols has built a great reputation among the basketball community, particularly in the southern metro. He a knack for both connecting with and developing his players. He will inherit a team with a solid core group of athletes. Junior guard <strong>Sydney White</strong> led the Huskies in scoring last season. She's back and will be joined in the backcourt by fellow 2020 <strong>Emily Diemer </strong>and senior <strong>Mackenzie Mackey</strong>. Another player to keep an eye on is freshman <strong>Jersey Castillo</strong>. Castillo is long, athletic, and should provide some scoring power to the Huskies. Much like Elk River, Andover will be looking to develop a few more rotational pieces. The Huskies should improve upon their conference record from last season if Coach Nicols and his staff are successful in doing so. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt">REBUILDING</span></strong> While most North Suburban-North teams will have significant holes to fill, <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>BLAINE</strong></span> is returning most of their players from a season ago. The Bengals had the unfortunate circumstance of playing last season without their best player. <strong>Theresa Grace Mbanefo</strong> was forced to sit out her senior season due to injury, and has since moved on to start her college career at Cornell. Mbanefo's absence last season allowed other Bengals to gain valuable varsity experience. Blaine brings back seniors <strong>Hailey Babcock</strong>, <strong>Emily Baurr</strong> and <strong>Phoebe Carson</strong>, juniors <strong>Kayla Bohr</strong> and <strong>Anna Garfield</strong>, and sophomore <strong>Madison Hoehne</strong>, all of whom averaged at least 5 points per game last season. The Bengals should be much more competitive with another year of experience for essentially their entire lineup. <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>COON RAPIDS</strong></span> finished last season with a .500 record of 13-13. The Cardinals had an up-and-down year that included both a win against powerhouse Park Center and a loss to Blaine, one of just five W's for the Bengals. While Coon Rapids will be looking for more consistency in 2018, they will have to do so without the services of five contributors from the class of 2018. Last year's leading scorer was forward <strong>Elle Carver</strong>. Carver will be replaced inside by 6'3" sophomore forward <strong>Nicole Post</strong>. Post has the size to be a dominant presence on the block, and will be looking to take a major step forward this winter. She will work alongside senior forward <strong>Laynie Hanneman</strong> and junior guard <strong>Destini Artis</strong>. Coon Rapids becomes pretty inexperienced pretty quickly beyond the players listed above which means that there will be opportunities for new players to carve out significant roles in the Cardinals' lineup. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt">PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR CANDIDATES</span></strong> <em>Candidates are listed alphabetically</em> Lydia Haack - 2020 - Elk River Makayla Johnson - 2019 - Champlin Park Taylor McAulay - 2019 - Centennial Sara Stapleton - 2019 - Centennial Sydney White - 2020 - Andover &nbsp; <em>Stapleton photo courtesy of The Quad City Press</em> <em>McAlpine photo courtesy of ABC Newspapers</em> <em>Haack photo courtesy of ABC Newspapers</em> <em>Baurr photo courtesy of ABC Newspapers</em>