North Dakota Preview: Carrington

Matt Bigelow

October 18, 2020 @ 03:00 PM

The Carrington Cardinals looked like one of the best teams in the state for large chunks of last season, ultimately bowing out in the Region 3 semifinals against Kidder County in the region semifinals after winning 20 games. With a big chunk of seniors gone, there will be some questions to answer for Carrington. But a solid frontcourt duo plus a solid returning group of role players puts this team right back in the mix in Region 3. Go-To Girl: [player_tooltip player_id="98710" first="Hannah" last="Hagel"] Hagel is heading into her third year as a varsity regular and has shown she’s capable of supplying double-double type production. She’s an athletic, active post player who can finish inside against just about anybody and has shown in the past that she can carry the offensive load in doses. Expect her to put up big numbers as a senior. Breakout Candidate: Sydnie Grager Grager saw consistent minutes in her sophomore season and showed in doses that she can impact the game as a slasher and finisher around the rim. She’s got the athleticism to cause problems for opposing teams in the frontcourt but also has the length and explosiveness to get work done inside. With a lot of teams likely focusing heavily on slowing down Hagel inside and Lexus Page on the outside, Grager could be the benefactor of the extra space to work. Question: Can Someone Emerge Like [player_tooltip player_id="97786" first="Kiera" last="Eli"] Did Last Year? Eli was a revelation last season, doubling her scoring average from about seven points to nearly 15 from her junior to senior seasons. Can someone from this group make that kind of jump with more opportunity? Lexus Page was one of the team’s leading scorers and most consistent players last year and can certainly shoot it. Tessa Page is going to have more opportunities too. Can it be someone else who emerges - perhaps not into an all-region player, but still a difference-making rotation player? Outlook Carrington has been among the best programs in Class B for a number of years, seemingly deploying a solid outfit yearly. They lost a significant class of seniors that were instrumental in the team’s success over the last few seasons. Replacing them will be a big challenge. But the Cardinals have a solid returning core of players who gained a lot of valuable experience and contributed to winning last year. Region 3 is loaded with high-end teams - Carrington is right in that mix.