Class A Region 3 Predictions – Top 3

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1 - South Prairie-Max </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>This Royals team is absolutely loaded. They are my favorite to win the Class A tournament in 2025-2026. The key will be for them to line up and play in the biggest games this season and avoid any big moment letdowns. They have experience, athleticism, and incredible talent. Leading the way are All-State talents [player_tooltip player_id='593657' first='Rylee' last='Routledge'] and [player_tooltip player_id='782585' first='Skotti' last='Beck']. Routledge is heading to NDSU while Beck is heading to Minot State. These two can score in bunches and are a true dynamic duo. [player_tooltip player_id='1054372' first='Bree' last='Rose'] is another All-Region returning player. She is a solid 5'10 and plays with great toughness. Fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='1125219' first='Maycie' last='Talbott'] is an All-Region type of talent and should find herself on that team this year. She is a college-ready point guard. [player_tooltip player_id='1054402' first='Mya' last='Gunville'] is another quality guard. The Royals can play with tremendous speed this season. They are one of the few teams who can win the entire thing.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2 - Turtle Mountain/Belcourt</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>The Turtle Mountain/Belcourt Bravettes are the only team that can knock off South Prairie-Max in Region 3. They have enough talent to potentially upset the Royals and win the region. This squad is as talented of a group as David Gourneau has had in his tenure as head coach. He will lean on an excellent senior class led by All-State guard [player_tooltip player_id='1161475' first='Aubree' last='Jeanotte']. She is a college prospect point guard who isn't afraid to score the rock. [player_tooltip player_id='1217411' first='Emberlyn' last='Poitra'] is a fellow All-Region returner who anchors the Bravettes defensively. She is an excellent finisher around the rim and a very good rebounder. Akealyes Azure is a double-figure scorer and capable defender. Maddison Patneaud averaged 9.7 points per game last season. Junior Irelei Zerr rounds out one of the top offensive teams in the state.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3 - Rugby</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Coach Jen Brossart has built a powerhouse of a program out in Rugby and last season surpassed an impressive 300 career victories. She gets her team to compete every night regardless of their talent level, a great compliment to a coach. She graduated a couple of nice players from last season's squad but retains enough pieces to make the Panthers competitive in a very tough region. Rugby will be looking to utilize their speed and athleticism to play an up-tempo style. They are hoping their length and defensive intensity will translate into easy offensive scoring opportunities. Seniors Alli Blessum and Sara Schmaltz will be relied upon to bring some leadership to this team. Ninth grader Avery Santjer started a handful of games last season as an 8th grader and is looking forward to an All-Region type of season. Two final players Coach Brossart will be looking at contributing this season are Abbey Hager and Marly Santjer. They are two players that can shoot the ball well and defend.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->