North Dakota Preview: Class A Top Backcourts

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s never too early for too-early-season. With fall sports and school underway, it’s only a matter of time before the winter sports season is upon us. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">With that in mind, here’s a look at the top backcourts in Class A:</span> <strong>Mandan: [player_tooltip player_id="98730" first="Sydney" last="Gustavsson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="99797" first="Piper" last="Harris"]</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Gustavsson will be on the short list of contenders for Player-of-the-Year in the WDA this season and Harris was a solid role player as a sophomore for a Braves team that reached the state semifinals last season. The big key here will be both players evolving and ascending a step further in their roles: Gustavsson going from co-star to featured go-to player and Harris going from ancillary piece to all-league caliber No. 2. </span> <strong>Bismarck: [player_tooltip player_id="98646" first="Jilee" last="Golus"] and Peyton Gerving</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The Demons have the look of a top five team in the state heading into the season and a big reason why is their backcourt should be elite. Golus was one of the best scorers in the WDA last year and should be improved with another year of experience. And Gerving averaged 10 points per game as a sophomore. If she takes another step, the Demons have two all-league guards who get it done on both ends.</span> <strong>West Fargo: Chloe Pfau and [player_tooltip player_id="98741" first="Brynn" last="Giesen"]</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The Packers return four starters including two all-league caliber players in the backcourt. Giesen emerged as one of the best pure shooters in the EDC last season and does a good job making plays in complementary fashion. Pfau’s heading into her third year as a starter on the varsity team and she showed last year that she’s capable of impacting the game a great deal without scoring, averaging five rebounds and four assists. Don’t be surprised if she scores it quite a bit more as a sophomore. </span> <strong>Grand Forks Red River: [player_tooltip player_id="98744" first="Ella" last="Fosse"] and Jasmine Sondrol</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The Roughriders return four starters from last season and while the strength of the team will be its defense, the backcourt tandem of Fosse and Sondrol is the spearhead in that effort. Fosse isn’t a big scorer, but she’s excellent at the point of attack defensively, and does a great job controlling the tempo and facilitating. Sondrol is tough defensively at the shooting guard spot and a solid scorer on the wing. She averaged about nine points per game a year ago - expect that number to go up significantly as a senior. </span>