Class B Region 1 Predictions – Sleeper Squads

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oakes</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>The Oakes Tornadoes graduated a bunch of players from last season's 15-8 team but have enough talented girls to compete in Region 1. Coach Shaun Kourajian is excited about his team's length and size. They should be hard to score on down low and offensive rebound against. He is hoping that their tough defense will lead to scoring opportunities in transition. They return [player_tooltip player_id='1047539' first='Isabelle' last='Friedt'], a Jamestown College commit. She is capable of producing a double-double each night. Fellow seniors Lexi Harris and Emily Rosendahl will be key contributors this season. Rosendahl is a lengthy guard with good athleticism. Harris is quick and will be asked to be one of the primary scorers for her squad. Mallory Harris and Swaye Jackson are two juniors who will be in the mix. Aliyah Friedt and Jillian Miller round out this roster and will be asked to contribute as sophomores.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kidder County</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Kidder County finished last season 12-10, a respectable record for the type of competition they had to line up against each night. They return two All-District selections who will have a shot at making the All-Region team this season in [player_tooltip player_id='415685' first='Taylor' last='Zimmerman'] and Breanah Pfaff. Both averaged in double figures for scoring and were tenacious on the defensive side of the ball. Zimmerman had 109 steals and Pfaff recorded 55 steals. These two guards will be tasked with leading the charge on both sides of the ball and setting the tone. Ella Witt is a quality forward who averaged 6 rebounds a game last season. Witt along with fellow junior Ava Schmidt will need to increase their scoring and rebounding production, something I am confident they will do. Freshman Elliana Nicholson and Riley Saylor were contributors last season as eighth graders and are excited to increase their roles this season.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>This might be my one opportunity to give a shout out to Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier for having arguably the best mascot logo I've seen in the state - excellent job to whoever designed the <em>Rebel</em>. The Rebels are looking to follow up last year's solid season with another. They will be a youthful team that will rely on a couple veterans to steady to the storm early, but will be very competitive come tournament time. Jaelyn Bertsch is an All-District returner who will have a chance at also making the All-Region team this season. Last year she averaged 11 points per game and I am looking at her increasing that number this year. [player_tooltip player_id='935279' first='Betsy' last='Huber'] is a 6' forward who gained valuable varsity experience last season. She is ready to increase her scoring production to become a steady second option. She has the length to also be an effective rebounder. Seniors Elli Lloyd and Anna Schlect are each 5'7 guards who are going to be steady role players this year. EKM has a lot of younger prospects who will be battling for varsity minutes, which should create a competitive environment at practice. Look out for the Rebels come March.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->