Top Returning Cookie Monsters from The WDA Conference

As I’ve mentioned before, The WDA is filled with high level talent. The conference steadily produces some of the top athletes from around North Dakota that go D1, D2 or NAIA. In this article we’ll look at some of that talent on the defensive end of the court and how each of these 5 players contributes to their team’s success in being an absolute menace defensively weather that’s gobbling up steals, forcing turnovers or reeking shear havoc for the opposing offensive players.   [player_tooltip player_id="100419" first="Logan" last="Nissley"] – Century – (5’10/CG/2023) – Here we are back again with Nissley topping yet another chart in the cookie monster category. As I’ve said before, Logan is a player that can do it all and then some for any program on the court. This past season she tallied a total of 77 steals being good for 3.8 per contest. So not only will Nissley give you buckets, but she’ll give you pure pressure as well on the defensive side of the court. I expect Nissley to have a phenomenal junior campaign this year. [player_tooltip player_id="99797" first="Piper" last="Harris"] – Mandan – (5’4/PG/2023) – Piper is one of the best on ball defenders in the WDA conference. Harris can play low and fast in digging into larger guards to force turnovers. She uses her great lower body strength to hold the offense and has quick hands to pop the ball loose. When it comes to steals, she tallied a total of 61 being good for 2.9 steals a night. Look for Harris to push over 3 steals a night this coming year. [player_tooltip player_id="219714" first="Avery" last="Lunde"] – Minot – (5’9/CG/2024) – Lunde has been featured for prep hoops girls more than once by now. She’s slowly becoming a household name in the WDA and eventually throughout all of North Dakota. Avery is an athlete that can do it all. If I had to compare her to a similar athlete from the WDA it would be [player_tooltip player_id="100419" first="Logan" last="Nissley"]. Both can flat out score the ball and get the job done defensively. Lunde tallied a total of 55 steals this past year being good for 2.6 steals a contest. I expect Lunde to put on a show this coming year as she’s worked hard throughout the summer and even the year displaying her skill sets at the Dakota Expo. [player_tooltip player_id="208012" first="Miyah" last="Holzworth"] - Bismarck – (5’9/PF/2022) – Bismarck High returns 2 of their best defensive players in Holzworth and Neumiller. Both tallied together 100 steals last year. Holzworth was good for 51 of those 100 averaging 2.5 steals a game. If you ask me Miyah plays like a stretch 4 being able to defend quick guards using her quick reflexes and athletic build. I think it’ll be interesting to see how the duo pairs this year as the Demons should place somewhere in the top 3 of the conference. [player_tooltip player_id="196272" first="Peyton" last="Neumiller"] - Bismarck – (5’9/CG/2023) – Neumiller returns for the Demons this year after tallying 49 total steals being good for 2.4 steals a contest. Peyton last year was an enforcer on forced turnovers pressing up in the Demons aggressive 2-2-1 press or 1-2-2. She used her size and athleticism to her advantage in being able to cut offensive players off quick and keep the ball dead in time for a tie up or double from her teammates. Neumiller combined with Holzworth will be one of the top defensive backcourts in the WDA this coming year.