Class B State Tournament Predictions and Players to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Class B State Tournament begins this week with some great matchups. There are teams that play with speed and teams that like to slow down the pace. Keep reading for my championship game prediction, a couple of sleeper teams, and players to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Round 1 - March 5th - Minot State Dome</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1:00pm - #2 Benson County vs #7 Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2:45pm - #3 LaMoure-Litchville/Marion vs #6 Washburn</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6:30pm - #1 Central McLean vs #8 Linton/HMB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>8:15pm - #4 Lewis &amp; Clark-Berthold vs #5 Flasher</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://ndhsaanow.com/brackets/basketball-girls/913/2026-ndhsaa-division-b-girls-basketball-state-tournament"><strong><em>Full Tournament Bracket - Click Me!</em></strong> </a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='469472' first='Aubrey' last='Kenner'] - Benson County</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1104817' first='Lacie' last='Fautsch'] - Benson County</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1104818' first='Kaitlyn' last='Maddock'] - Benson County</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1125135' first='Addisyn' last='Faul'] - Benson County</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='935279' first='Betsy' last='Huber'] - Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1568849' first='Jaelyn' last='Bertsch'] - Edegely/Kulm/Montpelier</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1220776' first='Addison' last='Smith'] - LaMoure-Litchville/Marion</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='379592' first='Norah' last='DelaBarre'] - LaMoure-Litchville/Marion</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1172427' first='Kesia' last='Boeshans'] - Washburn</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1212049' first='Chevelle' last='Obering'] - Washburn</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='935277' first='Morgan' last='Snyder'] - Central McLean</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sally Heger - Central McLean</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1097252' first='Brooklyn' last='Schumacher'] - Linton/HMB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bobbie Janczewski - Linton/HMB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1136998' first='Addison' last='Neshem'] - Lewis &amp; Clark-Berthold</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shayne Simons - Lewis &amp; Clark-Berthold</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169508' first='Adison' last='Vetter'] - Flasher</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169512' first='Chaskee' last='Schmidt'] - Flasher</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Championship Game Prediction</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a tournament bracket where I see #1 seeded Central McLean getting to the Championship game against #2 Benson County. Having the top two seeds find each other in the Championship game does not always happen, but I think the brackets favor these two squads. Central McLean is led by star player [player_tooltip player_id='935277' first='Morgan' last='Snyder']. She is a prolific scorer and is the Cougars' main offensive piece. She is going to have to continue her excellent play if her team is to advance in the tournament. Benson County brings back nearly their entire team from last season's State Title team. They have one of the top two-way players in [player_tooltip player_id='469472' first='Aubrey' last='Kenner'], a fantastic post in [player_tooltip player_id='1104817' first='Lacie' last='Fautsch'], and an incredible facilitator in [player_tooltip player_id='1104818' first='Kaitlyn' last='Maddock']. They only have two losses on the season and have been very consistent with their play. I predict Benson County repeats as champions in a hard fought victory over the Cougars.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sleeper</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lewis &amp; Clark-Berthold holds the #4 seed but will be an underdog in their first round matchup with Flasher. Flasher has been a top team in the state the entire season, but had to fight their way to the state tournament after a first round regional upset to Washburn. The key to this game will be the pace of play. If Flasher can slow the game down and limit possessions, they will be hard to beat. The Bombers are capable scorers and are looking to push the ball. If they can get running and play fast, I think they could sneak out a victory. The faster game helps them and matches up well in a second-round game against Central McLean.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>All-Tournament Team Predictions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Benson County - [player_tooltip player_id='469472' first='Aubrey' last='Kenner'], [player_tooltip player_id='1104817' first='Lacie' last='Fautsch'], [player_tooltip player_id='1104818' first='Kaitlyn' last='Maddock']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Edegely/Kulm/Montpelier - [player_tooltip player_id='1568849' first='Jaelyn' last='Bertsch']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Washburn - [player_tooltip player_id='1172427' first='Kesia' last='Boeshans'], [player_tooltip player_id='1212049' first='Chevelle' last='Obering']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Central McLean - [player_tooltip player_id='935277' first='Morgan' last='Snyder'], Sally Heger</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Linton/HMB - [player_tooltip player_id='1097252' first='Brooklyn' last='Schumacher']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lewis &amp; Clark-Berthold - [player_tooltip player_id='1136998' first='Addison' last='Neshem']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tournament MVP Prediction</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='469472' first='Aubrey' last='Kenner']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->