23 Lockdown Defenders in NoDak

It's time to look at top defenders from North Dakota!   What wins games and championships? DEFENSE!   What makes a Lockdown Defender?   Great anticipation, quick feet, extra hustle, lateral movement, understanding angles, altering/blocking/contesting shots, ubiquitous NRG, killer closeouts, helping the helper, bumping cutters, blue-collar work, quickness, athleticism, communication, grit, persistence, taking charges, effort, committing smart fouls, physicality, strength, length, heart, toughness communicating, unselfishness, clean footwork, awareness, sharp reactions, mental toughness, and many more.   PGHD is highlighting 23 North Dakota defenders. See below for comments/info on the NoDak defenders.<a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/lockdowndefenders.jpg"></a><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/lockdowndefenders.jpg"></a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/image_48ebe8.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1154064" style="width:250px;height:auto" /></figure>   Abriana Lesmann (2025) |5'1 G| & Avery Boll (2027) |5'3 G| Westhope-Newburg   Lesmann and Avery "Wheels" Boll really relish the role of being a defensive stopper. The Sioux have dubbed them as the "Twin Towers". They are usually the two smallest girls on the floor but they have absolutely NO FEAR of anything, anyone, or any situation. Abriana and Avery are both extremely quick and make it very difficult for any ball-handler to do what they want to do effectively. They cause a lot of disruption and chaos. Either of them plays the point position of the full-court presses and tries to get the ball-handler to dribble into a trap. Even when the ball-handling guard throws a cross-court reversal pass against the press they are fast enough to get to that ball-handler to initiate a trap by sprinting across the width of the court. In any games where the Sioux have mounted a comeback to either win or make it competitive, Lesmann and Boll have been instrumental in causing chaos on the defensive end to help get scorers opportunities to get back in the game offensively. Abriana is one of the leading offensive rebounders as she utilizes her quickness and her small size to get around the defender to get to the ball. Coach Beaudrie often calls Avery "the fastest woman alive". When the Sioux force turnovers, Boll is usually the first one down the floor in transition. These two girls know their roles, they understand their role, and they fulfill their role to the absolute best of their ability. Abriana and Avery never complain, they are total team players, and they don't mind doing whatever it takes to help the team be successful. Lesmann and Boll are the absolute epitome of being a true TEAMMATE!!   Addison Saure (2026) |5'3 G| & McKenzie Ptacek (2027) |5'3 G| Hillsboro/Central Valley   Addison and McKenzie typically defend the opposing team's lead guards. They are asked to defend full court and face-guard the opponent's best ball handlers. Saure & Ptacek make it hard on the ballhandlers. They do a good job of limiting touches and are overall effective on-ball defenders.   [player_tooltip player_id='412033' first='Annabel' last='Scheeler'] (2026) |5'8 G| Dickinson Trinity   She is usually known for her ball-handling ability and shooting prowess, but defense may be the best part of her game. Scheeler guards the other team's most prolific perimeter player, a role she shares with teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1052902' first='Elly' last='McAvoy']. Annabel is a great anticipatory defender and understands how to put offensive players in a position of weakness or vulnerability. She's a menace in the full court and, despite her size, a very good paint defender with her positioning and physicality.     [player_tooltip player_id='1051796' first='Annelise' last='Presteng'] (2025) |5'7 G| Grafton   She can lock up guards and forwards. Annelise is a player who wants to guard the best and be the best. She has quickness, physicality, and determination. At 5'7", Presteng has no problem defending bigger players but can also stay with smaller guards. She's determined to make it tough on the player she is matched up with, nobody gets an easy shot. Her quickness gives opposing players fits. Presteng gives 100% on every possession and takes it to heart when someone scores on her.      [player_tooltip player_id='1152175' first='Ariana' last='Rood'] (2026) |5'2 G| Minot   Her job for the 10-0 and #1 ranked Majettes is to lock up ballhandlers. Ariana is good on defense because of the pressure she puts on the ball. Rood will pick the ball handler up full-court for an entire game and not get tired. Ariana may be smaller than some of the guards she goes against, but she excels at anticipating, has sharp hand-eye coordination for steals, and plays strong for her size. Ariana is constantly in your pocket waiting for you to put the ball in front of her to take it away.   [player_tooltip player_id='469472' first='Aubrey' last='Kenner'] (2026) |5'8 G| Benson County   A real star for the #1 ranked Wildcats (14-0). Kenner is probably known more for her ability to score but she is an elite on-ball defender. Aubrey is versatile and can guard players at all positions but typically has the task of taking away the other team's top scorer. Aubrey is very disruptive, from getting multiple deflections to picking off wing passes and going the other way for layups, she causes a lot of chaos. Through 12 games Aubrey has 62 deflections and 58 steals.   Aubrie Quick (2026) |5'7 F| Glenburn   She is the Panthers best defender. Aubrie guards 1-3, whoever the best player at those spots are. Quick is very coachable, so she takes info about her matchups and is able to apply it to the way she defends that player. She's able to steer the ball to the weak hand and is good at keeping it there. If the scheme is to fight through ball screens, she fights over the top very well and recovers through the hedges. If it's switching, she talks it and gets to the switch on time. Quick is not the quickest, so her ability to know scouting reports and use her length is what pushes her to the top for the Panthers.   [player_tooltip player_id='1050762' first='Cailee' last='Hanson'] (2026) |5'10 G/F| Four Winds-Minnewaukan   Cailee can guard positions 1-4 . Hanson has a long, quick, and athletic frame that is quick enough to stay with guards and tall enough to defend a post. Cailee works hard on the defensive end and is very sound defensively, she has great closeouts and is rebounding a lot more this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1104816' first='Ella' last='Fossen'] (2026) |5'6 G| Benson County   She typically guards the opponent's point guard or one of their primary ball handlers. Fossen is strong and fast with an amazing ability to recover. Ella's job is to make the other team struggle to get into their offense and she does a great job of it. Often times she plays the whole game and has a motor that doesn't quit. Fossen is a vital player for the #1 ranked Bearcats who have a perfect season going with a 14-0 record.   [player_tooltip player_id='1053416' first='Eve' last='Knutson'] (2026) |5'11 G| Minot   She is a versatile defender for #1 ranked Minot (10-0). Knutson guards 1-4 and sometimes defends the 5 spot. Eve is a good defender because she is so quick and long. She is a 5'11” guard with long arms. Knutson is a sprinter in track and most guards have a hard time getting around her because of how quick she is. She also has great stamina and doesn't get tired very easily on defense. Eve takes defense very seriously and is more focused on defense than she is on offense.   [player_tooltip player_id='1057963' first='Fallon' last='Sampsel'] (2025) |5'11 F| Watford City   She is the top overall defender for the Wolves. Fallon defends point guards all the way to post players. However, most of the time Watford has her guarding the other team's best guard. She signed a scholarship to go to NDSU for track, so she very athletic and fast! Sampsel's length helps her a lot, so even when she somewhat gets beat, she can recover and does a good job of contesting shots without fouling. She can also crash the boards and jump above everyone to finish the possession with a rebound. Sampsel has a lot of versatility on defense. Fallon's quickness, speed, and length allow her to contain most players. She works hard and never gives up. Sampsel is a good anticipator on zone presses and gets a ton of deflections and steals on the back end of the press. I think her speed and length can often surprise other teams when they think they can make a pass but she closes that gap quickly. Fallon is also smart, coachable, and she gets better every single day.    [player_tooltip player_id='331508' first='Jaiden' last='Haile'] (2025) |6'2 F| Horace   You will see her playing for the Zags next year! Haile is a complete player and with that comes tough defense. Jaiden guards the other team's best interior player without requiring help. She defends and protects the lane, walls off the ball well, is a great help defender, can switch out and guard perimeter players, and protects the rim well.   [player_tooltip player_id='555487' first='Jordan' last='Christofferson'] (2027) |5'11 F| Horace   She is a big reason the Hawks are 10-1 on the season. Jordan guards the other team's best forward/perimeter player. She defends the ball well and is a very good help defender. Christofferson can guard multiple positions and makes the player she is guarding work hard for everything.   [player_tooltip player_id='316049' first='Keelie' last='Sunde'] (2025) |5'9 G| Horace   Sunde guards the other team's best guard/perimeter player. Keelie defends the ball well, can contain dribble penetration, and makes the player she is guarding work hard for everything. Keelie and the Hawks are 10-1 on the season and one of the top squads in AA.   [player_tooltip player_id='380222' first='Kyra' last='Beckman'] (2025) |6'0 F| Bottineau   Beckman is a versatile defender, she can match up anywhere from 2-5. Kyra is long and usually very smart about taking chances. She does a great job inside knowing most girls will not score on her if she stays tall and doesn't reach. Beckman is very good at blocking people once they have released/shot the ball or just about to release it.    [player_tooltip player_id='1155605' first='Logyn' last='Simpson'] (2027) |5'7 G| Bottineau   Simpson usually guards the best ball handler or best perimeter shooter from the opposing team. Simpson works so hard and takes pride in the role of being a D-stopper. She by far has the most charges on the team, she is constantly willing to sacrifice her body for the benefit of the team.    [player_tooltip player_id='1097253' first='Makiah' last='Ryckman'] (2026) |5'5 G/F| Linton-HMB   She is very worthy of being called a "Lockdown Defender". Ryckman plays bigger than she is, and guards the opponent's best player, no matter the size. She can fully deny or put tremendous ball pressure on while protecting the lane and stopping dribble penetration. Ryckman allows the Lions to be flexible with other matchups. Linton is a physically small team, Makiah she allows the Lions to front the post because of her on-ball pressure. Ryckman is a great communicator and willing defender. She's embraced this role on the team and looks forward to key matchups.     [player_tooltip player_id='1104745' first='McCall' last='Chase'] (2030) |5'6 G| Garrison   Chase is just a 7th grader but she gets it done on defense. McCall defends all positions and she is extremely chaotic on defense. She is disruptive in the 1/2 court and in the full-court press. Chase is averaging close to 5 steals per game and also leads the team in deflections. McCall has a high hoop IP and she understands the court placement very well. She does the little things like taking charges, diving on the floor and sacrificing the ME for the WE.   Nakenya Dubois |5'3" G| Four Winds-Minnewaukan   Stella guards the opposing best point guard or shooting guard. Dubois works non-stop every second she is on the floor and she isn't afraid to mix it up and get her hands dirty (dive on floor, get inside, and grab rebounds). Stella is very fast and she is very strong for her size. She can pick up guards for 90-ft and is a definite pest on the floor when she locks in on someone.   [player_tooltip player_id='380066' first='Nevaeh' last='Tormaschy'] (2025) |6'2 F| Dickinson Trinity   Normally when I think of a lockdown defender, I think of a perimeter player. But Nevaeh, at 6'2" with a long wingspan, is a lockdown defender on how she controls the paint. She moves laterally with ease and gets her hands on a lot of basketballs. Tormaschy is a great shot blocker and has evolved her rebounding game this season. Her mere presence changes the way many opponents look to score.     [player_tooltip player_id='410434' first='Sydney' last='Aberle'] (2025) |5'10 F| Minot   She is an all-around defender for #1 ranked Minot (10-0). Sydney is quick enough to defend the guards and strong enough to guard the posts. Aberle is good on defense because she is a physical defender. Being a post-player, she isn't afraid of contact. Even though Sydney is a post defender, she can slide her feet well enough to guard guards, which causes problems because she is taller than most of the guards she goes against. Aberle is a great rebounder as well as guarding the ball. She is averaging 7 RPG.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/04/NorthDakota.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-889728" /></figure>

It's time to look at top defenders from North Dakota!