EDC Tournament Preview
The end of season is upon us. With Class A teams wrapping up regular season competition this last week, it’s time to turn our attention to the postseason. This is it. With four teams advancing to the state tournament, there’s…
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Continue ReadingThe end of season is upon us. With Class A teams wrapping up regular season competition this last week, it’s time to turn our attention to the postseason. This is it. With four teams advancing to the state tournament, there’s going to be heavy competition next week in the region tournaments.
Here’s a look at the upcoming EDC Tournament
Favorite: Devils Lake
The Firebirds finished the regular season as the only undefeated team in Class A and are the No. 1 team in the state. They’ve cruised through EDC play, beating teams in dominant fashion, posing several come-from-behind victories and showing they can grind out wins. This team has the versatility on both ends of the floor that is hard to match up with. Jes Mertens sets the tone on both ends of the floor, averaging 13.4 points and 3.8 assists plus 5.6 steals. Jailyn Martinson’s enjoyed a breakout season, averaging 13.2 points per game. And Ramsey Brown and Abby Johnson are both rock-solid on the wings, averaging double-figure scoring. The balance in the starting five makes the Firebirds hard to prepare for and extremely difficult to slow down because there’s no room for error.
Contender: Fargo Shanley
The Deacons went into the year ranked in the top-five and considered one of the favorites in the EDC and that’s been the case, as they finished second in the EDC and have a great shot at reaching the state tournament and winning multiple games. Reile Payne is arguably the best player in the league, averaging 20.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.6 rebounds. She’s terrific on both ends of the floor. Hadley Huber has come back and given the Deacons some serious juice at the point, averaging 10.3 points and 6.0 assists while providing solid defense at the point of attack. And Morika Hakim has been a breakout star, averaging 13.2 points and 9.5 rebounds inside. The Deacons have hung tough in losses against Devils Lake and have shown they can beat anybody when playing well.
In The Mix: Fargo Davies, Grand Forks Red River, West Fargo
Grand Forks Red River has been playing well heading into the postseason and has to like where it’s at at this point. Shelby Frank is one of the best forwards in the league, averaging 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds. And the trio of guards in Alex Page, Jasmine Sondrol and Claire Leach all average around nine points per game and play excellent defense. The Roughriders are the best defensive team in the EDC, so while they don’t have the same kind of offensive juice some of the other top teams have, they’ll never be out of a game.
The Eagles have been right there with teams like Devils Lake, Fargo Shanley and Grand Forks Red River and at their best, they can stress teams a great deal thanks to their size. Ryleigh Wacha is one of the elite players in the league, averaging 15.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and converting better than 57 percent of her shot attempts. Taylor Fey has shown she can dominate a game inside and averages 15.2 points per game. Ava Wild is solid inside to round out a dominant frontcourt trio.
West Fargo is heading into the EDC Tournament with some momentum, riding a five-game winnings streak. McKenna Becher is having a terrific season, averaging 15.8 points and 3.8 assists. Chloe Pfau has come along nicely, averaging 8.8 points and 3.8 assists. Ashlyn Diemert, Brynn Giesen and Jessica Walsvik have all had strong years in complementary roles too. The Packers have been on the outside of that top-four mix all year, but they are absolutely good enough to get multiple wins in this tournament, and get to state.