Way-Too-Early Season Preview: Class A Guards to Watch

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Fall sports are right around the corner. With a few more grassroots tournaments still in store for summer, hoops aren’t completely over yet. But with the AAU season being salvaged to a degree, there’s a clearer picture of what to expect next season. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Here are some of the guards to watch at the Class A level:</span> <strong>Jilee Golus, Bismarck</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Golus led the Demons in scoring last year, averaging 15 points per game and could lead the WDA in scoring as a senior if she shoots marginally better from the 3-point line (32 percent in 2019-20). She’s got good length, defends as well as anybody and can create her own shot with ease. The Demons should be among the top teams in the state, and Golus will be the key player. </span> <strong>Julia Fitterer, Bismarck Century</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Fitterer was arguably Bismarck Century’s best player a year ago, averaging better than 13 points while knocking down better than 40 percent of her 3-pointers. Her ascension from ‘solid role player’ to ‘all-stater’ allowed the Patriots to be one of the three or four best teams in Class A despite missing their best player from the start. She’s one of the best all-around players in the WDA and will be the leader for a Bismarck Century team that should be ranked No. 1 in the preseason.</span> <strong>Arianna Berryhill, Bismarck Legacy</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Berryhill was a catalyst for a Bismarck Legacy team that won the WDA last year and was ranked in the top-three all season. She’ll take on an even bigger role as a senior with several starters gone to graduation. She’s a skilled slasher who can shoot and create for her teammates. She’ll likely be in the running for a Player-of-the-Year honor when it’s all said and done.</span> <strong>Chloe Pfau, West Fargo</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Pfau is one of the top players in North Dakota’s 2023 class and was solid as a freshman, averaging about nine points, four rebounds and four assists. She’s going to have the ball in her hands a ton and with the Packers losing their leading scorer from a year ago, she’ll have an opportunity to put up big numbers for a team that should be among the best in the EDC.</span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="98748" first="Alex" last="Page"], Grand Forks Red River</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Page was a key cog for a Grand Forks Red River team that reached the state tournament again last year and with several starters gone, she’ll have an opportunity to put up bigger offensive numbers as a senior. She averaged 10 points and shot 46 percent from the 3-point line, so the skills are there for a huge senior year. </span>