1st Weekend Notes - Bismarck High vs Sheyenne

The Bismarck High Demons came to town last weekend and picked up two nice victories against the West Fargo Packers and the West Fargo Sheyenne Mustangs. Bismarck beat Sheyenne 55-49 in a typical early season contest filled with a lot of turn overs and teachable moments for both squads. Sheyenne led for much of the game but the Demons' relentless full-court pressure defense allowed them to stick around just long enough to squeak out a late game comeback. Both teams have some quality players that will make both squads competitive throughout the season.   Bismarck High    Taya was a key player in the Demons' victory against Sheyenne. She was the most important defender in her team's press defense. Not only did she record 5 steals, she was also responsible for forcing many of Sheyenne's other turnovers with her on-ball pressure defense. She was quick and made it very difficult for Sheyenne players to get around her. She pressured Sheyenne into throwing the ball away and giving the Demons plenty of additional scoring opportunities.     Kambree is tall and athletic. She has a nice looking shot and made multiple pull-up jump shots. She made an impressive pull-up three pointer during a Sheyenne defensive rotation. She makes great decisions and is a tough defender. Kambree, along with her sister Reagan, are going to be key contributors for the Demons going forward. They are going to be relied upon to play great defense, make great decisions, and score the basketball.     Reagan is also a tall and athletic guard. I was really impressed with all of the little things she does well. She is a good defender with good hands. She keeps people in front of her and does a nice job of anticipating when to jump in their full court press. I was also very impressed with her decision making in the full-court. She did a great job of pushing the ball ahead in transition and pitching the ball ahead across the half-court line. She was instrumental in producing scoring opportunities for the Demons.    West Fargo Sheyenne    Evie led all Mustangs players in scoring with 12 points. She also was one of the few players who played with some poise against the Demons tough full-court pressure. It is tough to not have turnovers against such a good defense, but Evie's turnovers were not catastrophic turnovers that led to immediate layups for Bismarck High. Evie plays with a swagger and confidence that is going to lead to her having many great games for the Mustangs.     Cora had a solid game against the Demons scoring 8 points and recording 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. What was a nice surprise was Cora going 2/2 from behind the arc. This must have been something Cora has worked on in the offseason and will allow Sheyenne to stretch the floor on the offensive end by pulling out opposing teams' centers. Cora has great timing defensively and is very difficult to score on around the rim. She keeps blocked shots in play which allows the Mustangs to go straight into their transition offense game.    Both teams made the most of their early season non-conference games and have some great film to show their athletes. I look forward to seeing how both teams use this game to get better for this week's slate of games.

The Bismarck High Demons came to town last weekend and picked up two nice victories against the West Fargo Packers and the West Fargo Sheyenne Mustangs. Bismarck beat Sheyenne 55-49 in a typical early season contest filled with a lot of turn overs and teachable moments for both squads. Sheyenne led for much of the game but the Demons' relentless full-court pressure defense allowed them to stick around just long enough to squeak out a late game comeback. Both teams have some quality players that will make both squads competitive throughout the season.