North Dakota First Look: Kindred
***Photo Credit: Dave Samson/Fargo Forum*** The Kindred Vikings were one of the elite teams throughout the 2018-19 season and they ended the year with 14 straight wins on their way to claiming the Class B State Title. Despite being one…
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Continue Reading***Photo Credit: Dave Samson/Fargo Forum***
The Kindred Vikings were one of the elite teams throughout the 2018-19 season and they ended the year with 14 straight wins on their way to claiming the Class B State Title. Despite being one of the youngest teams in the state, Kindred dominated with terrific defense and efficient offense. And with all but one starter back, the Vikings will be the preseason No. 1 team in Class B.
GO-TO PLAYER: Abby Duchscherer
Perhaps the best player in Class B despite being only a sophomore, Duchscherer has already eclipsed 1,000 career points and helped the Vikings win two state titles. The 6-foot forward combines terrific touch with a hot motor and really heady play. She averaged better than 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists last year and she’ll continue to terrorize the competition for a long time.
BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Kristina Freier
A late-season star for the Vikings, Freier had some big moments last year for the Vikings including hitting what amounted to the game-winning 3-pointer in the state title game. Now, still just a sophomore, Freier returns to a team that brings back four starters and while her role likely won’t change a ton, she’ll likely have a big opportunity to put up bigger numbers with opponents most likely packing the paint to try to limit the Kindred forwards.
QUESTION: Does complacency set in?
Kindred started three freshmen and a junior last year plus had a number of other underclassmen play spot roles. With that much youth on the roster, the expectation will just be simply that everybody gets better, the team becomes unstoppable and they roll everybody all year. That assumption can be dangerous though if the players buy into it. Kindred’s program has had plenty of success before,so this seems like an unlikely situation.
OUTLOOK
The Vikings won their second state title in three years last March and they are set up to be contenders in Class B for a while. This season in particular could be their best opportunity to win another one though because they’ve got the right combination of experience with the three returning starting sophomores plus a starting senior guard. With Duchscherer and sophomore forward Terryn Johnson (13 points, 7 rebounds as a freshman) both back, Kindred has the interior talent to dominate teams on both ends of the floor. They are good enough to win another state title and should be considered the favorite.