Way too Early Preview: WDA Breakout Candidates

Matt Bigelow

August 20, 2020 @ 03:00 PM

Fall sports are right around the corner. That means winter sports aren’t all that far behind. With that in mind, here are some potential breakout candidates for the 2020-21 season: [player_tooltip player_id="196272" first="Peyton" last="Neumiller"], Bismarck Bismarck was strong in the WDA last year but struggled in a big way on the offensive end of the floor. If the Demons are going to take a step forward, Neumiller is one of those players who has a chance to take a big jump. She struggled offensively as a freshman, but showed signs of being able to contribute in a big way. Her biggest areas of struggle last year were as a 3-point shooter and at the free throw line. If she takes modest steps forward in both areas - as should be expected with more experience - she’s got a chance to give the Demons some much-needed juice. [player_tooltip player_id="99797" first="Piper" last="Harris"], Mandan Mandan was one of the best teams in the state last year and while the Braves lose several key starters, they should head into the 2020-21 season with high expectations. A big part of that hype is based on Harris taking a step similar to the one [player_tooltip player_id="98730" first="Sydney" last="Gustavsson"] took last year, going from a good role player as a sophomore to an all-league contributor. She’s proven she can shoot it, and she supplies solid defense. [player_tooltip player_id="99799" first="Madison" last="Spacher"], Watford City Spacher was a solid role player for Watford City as a sophomore, averaging better than eight points per game on solid shooting efficiency. The Wolves should be improved in 2020-21 with Ella Mogen and Ally Holen both back among several others, and Spacher developing and joining Holen up front could make them dangerous. She’s long, has solid skill and if she takes steps in terms of her free throw shooting and defensively, she’s got all-league potential. [player_tooltip player_id="100461" first="Ella" last="Falk"], Jamestown Falk put up solid numbers as a freshman, averaging 10 points, better than five rebounds and five assists on solid efficiency. The Bluejays are graduating just about everybody aside from her and [player_tooltip player_id="98641" first="Grace" last="Hegerle"], so it’s going to be the Falk and Hegerle show next season. [player_tooltip player_id="195723" first="Mariah" last="Evenson"], Minot Minot was a surprise team around the WDA last year, improving its win total by seven and pulling off several impressive upsets over good teams. The Magicians are losing a good chunk of the contributors from that core including an all-league player. If Minot is going to stay in the thick of things, Evenson is a player who will have her fingerprints all over the outcome. She averaged about nine points per game as a sophomore and was efficient from the field. As an upperclassman, she’ll have a lot of opportunity to shine in a heavily featured role.