Conference Preview: Northwest Suburban-West Will be a Battle Between Familiar Programs

<span style="font-size: 18pt"><strong>WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR MAPLE GROVE TO REPEAT?</strong></span> <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>MAPLE GROVE</strong></span> had a phenomenal season a year ago, finishing with a record of 21-5 and a state tournament berth. But two of the Crimson's five regular season losses came at the hands of Park Center, a statistic that I'm sure they'll be itching to change this winter. Maple Grove will need to replace two college-bound prospects in <strong>Autumn Mliner</strong> (Wayne State) and <strong>Katrina Theis</strong> (St. Cloud State). The good news is that the Crimson are reloaded with solid talent across classes. Junior <strong>Abby Schulte</strong> and sophomore <strong>Jordyn Lamker</strong> are both legitimate Division I prospects. They combine to make up one of the <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2018/10/top-backcourt-duos-in-the-western-metro/">best backcourt duos in the western metro.</a> The Crimson will be looking for added depth this season. We wouldn't be surprised if freshman standout <strong>Kiera Albers</strong> is a player who earns her way to a significant varsity role as the season progresses. <span style="font-size: 18pt"><strong>THE CRIMSON'S BIGGEST CHALLENGERS</strong></span> <p style="text-align: right"></p> <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>PARK CENTER</strong></span> will have the unenviable task of replacing two scholarship-level players this winter. <strong>Meghan DuBois</strong> (Concordia-St. Paul) and <strong>Sommer Blakemore</strong> (Iowa Western C.C.) have moved on, but the Pirates' backcourt is in good hands...starting to sound familiar? <strong>Adalia McKenzie </strong>has worked her way to becoming Prep Girls Hoops Minnesota's #1 player in the class of 2021. And <strong>Lauren Frost</strong> is a top 15 player in the class of 2020. Park has plenty of guard depth as well, as Frost's fellow juniors <strong>Kayla Cox</strong> and <strong>Aaliyah Ragulen</strong> will look to step into larger roles this season. And sophomore <strong>T'Naye Griffin</strong> will be the Pirates' main post presence inside. Park Center's balance of speed and size will make them a favorite to win a Northwest Suburban-West championship in 2018-2019. Continuing the trend of dynamic 1-2 punches in the Northwest Suburban, <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>ROBBINSDALE ARMSTRONG</strong></span> has one of the best. Bucknell commit <strong>Carly Krsul</strong> and fellow senior <strong>Masengo Mutanda</strong> are both top 20 players in the PGH Minnesota's class of 2019. Armstrong got off to a painful 0-7 start last season while Mutanda was sidelined with an injury. The Falcons will go as these two go this year. Mutanda will be joined in the backcourt by sharp-shooting senior <strong>Jordan Bloom </strong>and sophomore <strong>Ella Brugnoli</strong>. Sophomore post <strong>Savannah McGowan</strong> also carved out a nice role for herself last season, and will be expected to increase her production in 2018-2019. <span style="font-size: 18pt"><strong>DARK HORSE TEAMS</strong></span> <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>SPRING LAKE PARK</strong></span> has increased its win total each of the past three seasons. And the Panthers return everyone who played meaningful varsity minutes in 2017-18. Grant recently watched SLP play at the Breakdown Fall League and <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2018/10/fall-league-week-3-in-pursuit-of-elusive-freshman-averi-dunbar/">wrote a great piece about the team's continued improvement</a>. Sophomore <strong>Madi Ngene</strong> and sisters <strong>Joelle</strong> and <strong>Jocelyn Talso</strong> all averaged between 8 and 10 points per game a season ago. 2021's <strong>Julia Levahn</strong> and <strong>Ashlea Nienow</strong> chipped in an additional combined 10 points per contest. And freshman <strong>Averi Dunbar</strong> is probably the best of the bunch. Dunbar can score from anywhere on the floor, and will become an increasingly well-known name as her high school career progresses. <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>IRONDALE</strong></span> had as much of an up-and-down season as any team in the Northwest Suburban last year. The Knights won five games in a row in December and early January, but ended the season losers of six straight. Irondale graduated their leading scorer from that team in <strong>Sophie Findell</strong> (Hamline) along with post player <strong>Sarah Loken</strong> (Hamline). But the Knights have a sneaky good core of players coming back in 2018. 2019's <strong>Kahlan Jester</strong> and <strong>McKenna Clouse</strong> (Waldorf commit) will provide senior leadership and experience this winter. And <strong>Dora Okpara</strong> is a top 50 player in the class of 2021. We're anticipating that Irondale will improve upon their 5-7 conference record from last year. <span style="font-size: 18pt"><strong>REBUILDING</strong></span> <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>TOTINO-GRACE</strong></span> will need to replace <strong>Madison Doran</strong>'s 16 points per game from last year. With Doran's graduation, the Eagles become junior <strong>Carla Meyer</strong>'s team. Meyer is a heady point guard with good length and a smooth 3-point stroke. <strong>Brianna Glynn</strong> is the other Eagle who has been a consistent scoring threat for TG. The senior forward averaged 9 points per game last year. Totino-Grace will be looking for others to step up this season including sophomore post <strong>Grace Sikkink</strong>. <span style="font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 400"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>OSSEO</strong></span> is in the middle of a true rebuild after a 2-24 finish a season ago. New head coach Doug Erlien, previously an assistant at Maple Grove, brings a culture of infectious energy and positivity to the program. The Orioles bring back their top four scorers from a season ago, including their leading scorer, <strong>Jaiden Kline</strong>, talented senior<strong> Brooke Heisler </strong>as well as sophomore guard<strong> Anna Corona.</strong> Osseo had been expected to add sophomore point guard <strong>Jayla Reliford</strong>, who would have been a difference maker. Instead the speedy guard elected at the last minute to stay at Robbinsdale Cooper.</span> <span style="font-size: 18pt"><strong>PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR CANDIDATES</strong></span> <em>Candidates are listed alphabetically</em> Lauren Frost - Park Center - 2020 Carly Krsul - Robbinsdale Armstrong - 2019 Adalia McKenzie - Park Center - 2021 Masengo Mutanda - Robbinsdale Armstrong - 2019 Abby Schulte - Maple Grove - 2020 &nbsp; **NOTE: A previous version of this article had incorrectly named Park Center as the Northwest Suburban-West's champion in 2017-18. While the Pirates had the best record against Northwest Suburban-West opponents, conference championships in the NWSC take into account teams' records against all conference opponents, including the NWS-North. Maple Grove had a better overall conference record last year and therefore was awarded the Northwest Suburban championship along with Centennial. &nbsp; <em>Cover photo courtesy of MN Girls Basketball Hub</em> <em>Frost photo courtesy of BeRecruited.com</em> <em>Mutanda photo courtesy of The Sun Post</em> <em>Nienow photo courtesy of ABC Newspapers</em>