First Look At Class B State Tournament

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the beginning of the State Tournament starting today we'll discuss the tournament matchups and key players from different squads that will have an immediate impact on their squads chances of taking the crown this year. There can only be 1. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First matchup we have is Central Cass vs. Bowman County. Central Cass has been a threat all year behind senior leader and Northern State commit [player_tooltip player_id='100445' first='Deconte' last='Smith']. Smith is a versatile athlete with phenomenal strength and a pedigree to win. This well rounded team gets the job done at both ends of the court. On their path to state they demolished a well balanced ranked Northern Cass squad by 20. On the other end of the court we'll take a look at Bowman County. Their lead by senior forward and NAIA commit to Valley City [player_tooltip player_id='211390' first='Ellie' last='Powell']. Powell is a quick forward that can hurt you in a variety of ways from the low post to hitting outside shots. She'll be a handful for Central Cass on the offensive boards. Bowmans journey to the state tournament came at the win over a stacked Grant County Mott/Regent squad 70-55. This is the first matchup between these teams all year and will surely be a clash of titans. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Second matchup we have Rugby vs. Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich. Rugby has been on a tear all season long. Their two losses on the year come from both ranked teams Shiloh Christian and other state candidate Thompson. Rugby will be lead by senior leader [player_tooltip player_id='211404' first='Mykell' last='Heidlebaugh']. A quick hitting guard/forward that is averaging 14.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.6 steals a game. Mykell is a workhorse of a player and no doubt will have a huge impact on this game. On the other side of the ball we have the Cardinals from Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich returning to the state after a 4th place finish last year. This is a young team that only looses 1 senior in Halle Jabs. With the way this offensive flows and their defensive pressure this squad is flexible under almost any condition and built for repeat title runs. This will be both teams first matchup on the year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Third matchup we have Thompson vs. Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier. Thompson has been red hot all year long. They have so many great wins on their resume from both Northern and Central Cass, Grafton, Mayport and last years state winners Kindred. They have two senior leaders in [player_tooltip player_id='211417' first='Olivia' last='Dick'] and [player_tooltip player_id='414524' first='Clara' last='Stevens']. The rest of the team is young and hungry. They play fast and have beaten 4 of the past of the past state tournament teams from last year and this year. This Thompson squad might be the favorite to win it all this year. In order to do so though they'll have to get past a quick, scrappy EKM squad that I'm sure feels they should've been hear last year. They'll be lead by Junior standout and no doubt all-state selection [player_tooltip player_id='219712' first='Mataeya' last='Mathern']. Mathern is a fast, aggressive, powerhouse of a player that can do it all from being a 3 level scorer to a lockdown defender. No doubt she'll have a big say in how this game turns out for the Rebels. This will be the first matchup from these two teams this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our last matchup will be Kenmare/Bowells vs. Garrison. Kenmare returns cooped with Bowells for a second shot at the title this year after a 6th place finish last year. Mid season this Kenmare squad was ranked #1 in the state and was lead by senior rim protector [player_tooltip player_id='211389' first='Brenna' last='Stroklund'] a returning all-state powerforward that compiled 87 blocks last year being good for #2 in class A and B. On the other side of the hoop we have Garrison a team that's been thriving all year under two losses for the season, but a huge win over a competitive Shiloh Christian squad to enter the state tournament realm. The team is lead by All-Region selection [player_tooltip player_id='211396' first='Karli' last='Klein']. Klein is a dominant big that averaged a double-double the previous season in points and rebounds. This will be the second time these two teams matchup the first having Kenmare on top winning 61-33. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:table /-->