2 REVIEWS: 2 OF THE BEST IN ND

The high school season is in the books, but we are not done talking about it!   Prep Girls Hoop Dakotas has a loaded article for the basketball fans. We are doing two Season Reviews in one article. Both of the teams that we are looking at today had double-digit win seasons. We have one team from the east and one from the west.   Time to talk Cougars & Tornadoes!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/04/image_e5217f.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1231200" style="width:312px;height:auto" /></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/04/CMCgbb-crop-5293x3476-1744307627.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1231166" style="width:312px;height:auto" /></figure>   Central McLean Cougars   Head Coach: Ethan Vaagene   Class: B   District: 8   Region: 4   Record: 25-4 (4th Place at State)   The Cougars were one of the top teams in Class B all season, and they capped it off with a trip to the State Tournament. CONGRATS on the successful season!   SHOUTOUT to [player_tooltip player_id='935277' first='Morgan' last='Snyder'] for being selected as an All-State Player!   Team Stats   PPG: 60.2 OPPG: 35.6 PPP: .92 RPG: 36 APG: 13.1 SPG: 15.3 FG%: 39.3   eFG%: 42.6 3FG%: 25.7 FT%: 62.6 3'sMPG: 4 FTMPG: 9.5 A/TO: 1.06   Individual Statistical Leaders   Sally Hager jr. - 29 GP, 5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 38 FG%, 2 3FGM   Gracelyn Vaagene sr. - 28 GP, 5.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 29.9 FG%, 30 3FGM   Emma Fischer soph. - 28 GP, 2.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg, .9 apg, 25.3 FG%, 2 3FGM   [player_tooltip player_id='935268' first='Adlyn' last='Eng'] sr. - 28 GP, 13.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, 41.8 FG%, 10 3FGM   [player_tooltip player_id='935277' first='Morgan' last='Snyder'] soph. - 28 GP, 19.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 44.8 FG%, 37 3FGM   [player_tooltip player_id='1095938' first='Reagan' last='Kjelstrup'] sr. - 25 GP, 11 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.4 apg, 38.6 FG%, 27 3FGM,   Emry Hunt sr. - 21 GP, 1.5 ppg, 1 rpg, .4 apg, 33.3 FG%, 1 3FGM,   River Fylling 8th - 20 GP, 2.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg, .6 apg, 38 FG%, 2 3FGM   [player_tooltip player_id='1225779' first='Aryah' last='Ross'] frosh. - 16 GP, 2.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, .3 apg, 40.8 FG%   Lainy Haraseth frosh - 12 GP, 2.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg, .2 apg, 52 FG%, 3 3FGM   Brooklyn Lauer frosh. - 8 GP, 1.9 ppg, 1.5 ppg, 1.1 apg, 25 FG%, 1 3FGM   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/04/image_f60072.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1231217" style="width:203px;height:auto" /></figure>   With Ethan Vaagene   PGHD: How would you sum up the season for your squad?   "Overall, we had another successful season. We finished the season 25-4. We won the District Championship and made it to the State Tournament for the 2nd year in a row, and finished 4th at State."   PGHD: Do you have any fun memories you want to share with us?   "Making it to State for the 2nd year in a row was a great memory. It's hard getting to State once, but getting there back-to-back was really special."   PGHD: How did your team overcome adversity?   "We had to overcome a lot of adversity this year with illnesses and injuries. Our main message was that we were going to find a way. We were not going to let it deter us from our goals, and we were going to find a way each day to still accomplish what we set out to achieve."   PGHD: What are a few things your team improved on?   "Our team depth. Ability to read and react. Overall team chemistry."   PGHD: Who are some role players that stood out to you?   "Sally Heger. Really came into her own at the end of the season to give us quality minutes at both ends of the floor inside. [player_tooltip player_id='1225779' first='Aryah' last='Ross'] is a freshman who we had to use at the end of the season due to illness, and she stepped up huge for us in the Tournament."   PGHD: Can you talk about your seniors?   "We lose a great senior class. In their 4 years of varsity basketball, they won 94 games and made it to 2 State Tournaments. Their leadership will definitely be missed. They were great leaders on and off the floor. What they brought to the floor will also be missed. They were some of our main players the last few years."   PGHD: Who are some up-and-comers to look out for?   "[player_tooltip player_id='1225779' first='Aryah' last='Ross']. River Fylling."   PGHD: Who was your best defensive player?   "[player_tooltip player_id='935277' first='Morgan' last='Snyder']. Her on-the-ball pressure is second to none. Her instincts are great. She has the ability to disrupt a team single-handedly."   PGHD: Who was your top interior player?   "[player_tooltip player_id='935268' first='Adlyn' last='Eng']. She is just very dynamic and can score inside and outside. She's very strong on the boards also."   PGHD: Any last comments/thoughts on the season?   "Overall, we had another great season. For our class in ND, we had the highest scoring offense and lowest scoring defense for the second season in a row. Girls did great and look forward to building on what we've accomplished."   BEST OF LUCK TO THE COUGARS THIS OFFSEASON!!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/04/image_01e734.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1231295" style="width:542px;height:auto" /></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/04/image_040dba.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1231310" style="width:542px;height:auto" /></figure>   Oakes Tornadoes   Head Coach: Shaun Kourajian   Class: B   District: 1   Region: 1   Record: 15-8   Individual Statistical Leaders   Molly Sitzler sr. - 9.4 PPG, 2.7 Reb, 2.8 Ast, 60 Stl, 37% FG, 69%FT   Brianna Schmitz sr. - 7.5 PPG, 5.8 Reb, 1.9 Ast, 55 Stl, 36% FG, 56% FT   Kassidy Jackson sr. - 8.1 PPG, 4.1 Reb, 2.7 Ast, 71 Stl, 27% FG, 68% FT   Izzy Friedt jr. - 9.0 PPG, 7.3 Reb, 1.0 Ast, 17 Stl, 41% FG, 62% FT   Haylie Dethlefsen sr. - 7.6 PPG, 3.1 Reb, 1.2 Ast, 31 Stl, 28% FG, 60% FT   Savannah Sundby sr. - 2.1 PPG, 2.7 Reb, 1.0 Ast, 22 Stl, 30% FG, 33% FT   Jocelyn Quandt sr. - 3.6 PPG, 3.0 Reb, 0.6 Ast, 25 Stl, 41% FG, 72% FT   Player Comments from Coach Kourajian   Molly Sitzler Sr—"3 level scorer. Good outside shooter, great defender, and ball handler. Will guard opponent's best player. She plays downhill well and makes plays for others. Molly improved this season in her leadership ability and being an offensive threat night in and night out. She was the glue of our team."   Brianna Schmitz Sr—"Has a great feel for the game and seems to always be in the right spot. Great inside scorer and rebounder. Can score from the outside. She is our most versatile player on both ends of the floor. Brianna improved her ability to score from all levels of the floor this season."   Kassidy Jackson Sr—"Great defender and gets lots of deflections and steals. She is a good outside shooter with lots of playmaking upside. Kassidy's biggest improvement she made this year was being a consistent scorer for us. She had a confident mentality all season long that helped her teammates gain confidence too."   Savannah Sundby Sr—"Quick and versatile defender. Great footwork and scorer inside the paint, and has good court vision. Savannah improved this year in her outside shooting. She is very fast, and her outside shooting opened more opportunities for her and teammates."   [player_tooltip player_id='1047539' first='Isabelle' last='Friedt'] Jr—"Great footwork in the post and can score the ball from a variety of spots on the floor. She has good length defensively. Isabelle improved tremendously and really blossomed in the last month of the year. Her confidence down low and great footwork helped her become a scoring threat in the post. She also improved her passing from in the post."   Haylie Dethlefsen Sr—"Good scorer from all 3 levels and great footwork. Opens up the floor for driving lanes for others with her ability to score from the outside. Haylie's improvement this year earned her a starting spot for us. She has always had the ability to score and spread the floor, but her defense was what improved the most and helped us have success this season."   Jocelyn Quandt Sr—"Good post defender and rebounder. Runs the floor well offensively, and she is a great facilitator. Joce's leadership ability and effort, and energy are things that she improved on this year. She always gave 100% effort and gave our team great minutes. She also improved from the FT line, and she was top 3 on the team."   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/04/image_94b6eb.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1231318" style="width:218px;height:auto" /></figure>   With Shaun Kourajian   PGHD: How would you sum up the season for your squad?   "Our season was an absolute joy to be a part of. With every season, there are positives and negatives, but looking at our season as a whole, it was a success. The Tornadoes were an up-in-your-face kind of team and fast paced on offense and defense. After each game, I was very proud of our heart and effort in each game once the final horn rang. The story of our season was our inconsistency on the offensive end. Our defense would show up night in and night out, but offensively we would generate good scoring opportunities, but didn't knock down enough shots in big games to get over the hump. The Lady Tornadoes ended the season with a 15-8 record."   PGHD: How did your team overcome adversity?   "Each season and each game you overcome some sort of adversity. We had several games where we were missing one or two of our main rotational players due to injury or illness. We never used that as an excuse and always had the next man up mentality. One thing that I am super proud of is our effort and hard work on the court. When adversity hit, our mentality and effort never changed. Up 20 or down 20, we played hard until that final whistle. Effort, energy, passion, and grit are just a handful of things that we hang our hat on."   PGHD: What are a few things your team improved on?   "Our team improved each day and every week throughout the season. I always talked about getting 1% better every day, and I feel like we accomplished that each day in practices and games. Our style of play was different than years past, and I think that's what we improved on each day. Understanding what makes our team go and each player doing things they do well helped us have success on the court. It definitely took several practices and games to understand how we needed to play, but by the end of the year, it was night and day different between the style of teams on the court."   PGHD: Who are some role players that stood out to you?   "Our team was pretty unique with us having seven main rotational players and all contributing in different ways. It was mostly balanced scoring and a variety of people scoring. Some key role players who stood out were Jocelyn Quandt and Haylie Dethlefsen. Joce was an undersized post and had to lots of hard work to be effective, and she always gave 100% effort while on the court. It was fun to watch her compete at a high level and give our starters breaks when needed. Haylie was another one who really stood out to me. She started the year as the 6th man off the bench but eventually worked herself into a starting role. She worked her tail off in practices and games to earn that spot. Her ability to score from all three levels helped us space the floor offensively. Her defense improved immensely, which ultimately helped her earn that final starting spot."   PGHD: Can you talk about your seniors?   "Our senior group was sure a special one. I had six experienced girls who all played significant minutes and roles this year. Each of them made huge contributions, which led to our successful season of 15 wins. Their love and passion for the game were evident in everything they did. From summer open gyms to working their tails off on the floor, it was a pleasure and joy to coach. We will miss their impact on our program, and they left their mark on Tornado Basketball forever."   PGHD: Who are some up-and-comers to look out for?   "Sophomore, Mallory Harris is a threat from all areas on the floor and excited to get to see her play at the next level. She has shown flashes of being a really great basketball player. Freshman Aliyah Friedt is another tall and athletic post, similar to her sister. She has a great skill set with great post moves and footwork around the basket. She had an injury that ultimately ended her season, but I am expecting a big jump from her next year. Junior, Lexi Harris is a quick skilled guard for us that can score from all three levels. She will be a big contributor for us next year. Junior Emily Rosendahl is another guard for us who is a great shooter. Her ability to space the floor should open up the floor for opportunities for her and our bigs down low. We will also be returning [player_tooltip player_id='1047539' first='Isabelle' last='Friedt'], who had a great season, and I am expecting big things from her as well."   PGHD: Who was your best defensive player?   "We had a couple of girls who were outstanding for us this year on defense. Senior Molly Sitzler had 60 steals on the year and took 15 charges. She often had the assignment of guarding the other team's best player. Another Senior, Kassidy Jackson, was our best defensive player on the court all year. Her ability to anticipate passing lanes helped her get 70+ steals on the year. It seemed that she got her hands on lots of passes this year, leading to our team getting the steal and running in transition."   PGHD: Who was your top interior player?   "Junior, Izzy Friedt was our best interior player this year. She is long and athletic, which makes her a threat down low. She is most effective in the post because she has tremendous footwork and great scoring ability. She really blossomed in the last month of the year offensively, which really helped us in the postseason."   BEST OF LUCK TO THE TORNADOES THIS OFFSEASON!!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/04/image_040dba.png?w=1004" alt="" class="wp-image-1231310" /></figure>

The high school season is in the books, but we are not done talking about it!