North Dakota Girls Preview: Bismarck

Bismarck won 12 games last season and came within a game from reaching the state tournament. For all their flaws, the Demons were a competitive bunch. Now with their entire core back, they could be in for a fun winter.

Must Be Replaced: None

The Demons didn’t have a senior on the roster last season which is rare for a Class A club. Typically teams that rely on underclassmen struggle mightily and while Bismarck had its share of ups-and-downs, that experience should prove valuable this season.

Key Returners: Cadee Ryckman, Mady Mosolf, Maddy Steckler,

Ryckman was the team’s leading scorer last year, averaging 11.2 points per game. She also averaged 5.4 rebounds per game, leading the team in that mark as well. Mosolf averaged better than nine points per game and led the team in 3-pointers made with 29. She was one of the few players who recorded more points than shot attempts. Steckler is back after leading the team in assists. If she can improve a bit as a scorer, she could be a very valuable player to Bismarck’s improvement efforts.

Stepping Into New Roles: Olivia Dickerson, Megan Henderson, Hannah Golus,

Dickerson, Henderson and Golus were all rotation players last year and had varying degrees of success. Golus and Henderson will be particularly important because they could be the team’s top two perimeter shooters. By percentages, they were last year. But there wasn’t a lot of volume. Henderson was the team’s third leading scorer and third-leading rebounder while Golus was second on the team in rebounds and averaged 7.3 points per game. Those two are very similar statistically. Dickerson averaged 5.5 points per game as a sophomore and could see an uptick in minutes and usage as she enters her upperclass years.

Season Outlook

Bismarck won 12 games last season all while shooting less than 40 percent from the field and turning the ball over almost 20 times per game. Those numbers won’t automatically get better, but it’s hard to imagine them being worse and as the team moves forward with more experience, higher efficiency offensively can be expected. The Demons were already tough defensively. A little offensive progress would add up to a team capable of winning 15-20 games this winter.