Way-Too-Early Class B Rankings

Fall sports are right around the corner. Assuming there are no hiccups, that means the winter sports season isn’t as far off as it might feel. Here’s a way-too-early look at the top teams in Class B Grafton The Spoilers will head into 2020-21 with state title aspirations after reaching the championship game last spring. [player_tooltip player_id="98709" first="Carlee" last="Sieben"] is one of the best guards in the state. [player_tooltip player_id="98713" first="Julia" last="Dusek"] is a matchup nightmare and multi-year all-region player. Cassie Sieben and [player_tooltip player_id="99806" first="Reagan" last="Hanson"] have been excellent and [player_tooltip player_id="100425" first="Walker" last="Demers"] has a chance to be a force in the middle after showing what she’s capable of during their state tournament run. Kindred The Vikings were the favorite to win the Class B state title last year until an upset in the Region 1 Tournament and they’ll head into next winter on a very short list of legitimate state title favorites. The junior duo of [player_tooltip player_id="14168" first="Abby" last="Duchscherer"] and [player_tooltip player_id="14180" first="Terryn" last="Johnson"] gives the Vikings two all-state players. Duchscherer may be the best individual player in the state regardless of age or class. [player_tooltip player_id="99804" first="Kristina" last="Freier"] and [player_tooltip player_id="100436" first="Kacie" last="Burner"] are both back as well. Rugby The Panthers were one of the five or so best teams in the state, finished with two wins at the state tournament in what was supposed to be a rebuilding season and get a chance to run it back. They’ve got an elite defense and terrific tandem in Mykell Heidlebaugh and Brooke Blessum, the Panthers will be the favorite in Region 6 and a potential title contender. Sarah Blessum and [player_tooltip player_id="98737" first="Tesha" last="Sobolik"] give the Panthers solid backcourt options. Four Winds/Minnewaukan The Indians have been one of the best teams in Class B in recent years and could go into the 2020-21 season as the favorites in an always loaded Region 4. Myona Dauphinais could be one of the top scorers in the state and the duo on the interior of Ezura Rainbow and Mahpiya Jackson is as good as any. Langdon/Edmore/Munich LEM is coming off a state championship run and while the Cardinals are losing two terrific seniors including an all-stater, don’t expect a precipitous drop. Morgan Freije was excellent as a sophomore and should transition into a featured role. Kaylee Lowery and Lexi Olson are both multi-year starters up front and excellent particularly on the defensive end of the floor. And watch out for Jaya Henderson. Central Cass The Squirrels upset Kindred to reach the state tournament last year, but there’s a legitimate chance that they are even better this upcoming winter. Central Cass returns eight rotation players including sophomore forward DeContee Smith. She should be one of the top forwards in the region. [player_tooltip player_id="99809" first="Kailey" last="McKinnon"], [player_tooltip player_id="99820" first="Rylie" last="Holzer"] and Morgan Lee are all back after starting as sophomores and a healthy [player_tooltip player_id="99826" first="Jaylin" last="Cotton"] could be a game-changer inside. Shiloh Christian The Skyhawks won the Region 5 Tournament for the second straight season and should be even better this upcoming season. Their frontcourt figures to be one of the best in the state, as [player_tooltip player_id="99803" first="Grace" last="Kelly"] and Jacie Hall are both all-region caliber players. Hannah Westin, Kennady Walth and Aliya Schock round out a rock-solid rotation. Trenton The Tigers are losing an elite player in [player_tooltip player_id="97876" first="Kaity" last="Hove"] - and replacing her will change the entire team’s identity - but are returning three starters including all-region talents in Alyssa St. Pierre and Jacee Turcotte. Alexa St. Pierre should take on more ballhandling and playmaking responsibility and Raquel Archer was a weapon off the bench last year. Kidder County The Wolves have been among the top teams in Class B in recent years and should be strong again next year, as they return two-time all-state lead guard [player_tooltip player_id="98728" first="Madelyn" last="Schmidt"]. Hailey Pfaff was solid on the wing and Avery Rath and [player_tooltip player_id="100438" first="Kennedy" last="Harter"] should both ascend into more featured roles. Thompson The Tommies were one of the best teams in the state last year, losing to eventual state runner-up Grafton in the Region 2 championship. They’ll turn over a big chunk of their roster but return all-state guard Kenzie Hughes. Jade Welke is back in the frontcourt and there’s a solid host of complementary talent waiting to emerge in the likes of Libby Koerber, [player_tooltip player_id="14177" first="Bailey" last="Munson"], Olivia Dick and Sydney Schwabe.