North Dakota Class A State Preview: First Round Matchups
The North Dakota Class A State Tournament tips off Thursday. Here are the matchups for the first round: Game 1: Devils Lake vs. Williston Devils Lake has been one of the surprise teams in the state this season. The Firebirds…
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Continue ReadingThe North Dakota Class A State Tournament tips off Thursday.
Here are the matchups for the first round:
Game 1: Devils Lake vs. Williston
Devils Lake has been one of the surprise teams in the state this season. The Firebirds were supposed to be good. But they’ve been more than that. They’ve been dominant. With just one loss on the year, Devils Lake won the EDC regular season and conference tournament titles and now gets a shot against the top shelf competition of the WDA.
This one feels like a nightmare matchup for Williston. The Coyotes struggle to score – 34 percent shooting from the field – while the Firebirds have four girls averaging double figures and scoring and push the tempo as much as any team in the state.
Game 2: Mandan vs. West Fargo Sheyenne
A rematch from the first week of the season, Mandan is probably hoping to shake off a 30-point drubbing at the hands of Bismarck Century while West Fargo Sheyenne is probably hoping to exact some revenge on the Braves who beat them by 23 in the first go-round.
Few teams have the kind of talent Mandan has. Megan Zander and Kennedy Harris are two of the best players in the state and this team is still the only one that’s truly challenged the Patriots this season. The Mustangs have some really talented players, namely Yasmina Dokara, and have been playing excellent in recent weeks.
Game 3: Bismarck Century vs. Grand Forks Red River
This one has a chance to be entertaining given the Roughriders’ ability to score but Bismarck Century has been the best team in the state by a fairly wide margin all year (multiple years) and it would be an absolute shock if the Patriots didn’t win this one going away.
Century plays outstanding defense, so it’d be a bit of a surprise if Grand Forks Red River was able to play to its pace and continue scoring at the rate it has in recent weeks.
Lauren Ware is going to be the best player on the floor. Lilly Keplin can dominate a game too. The Roughriders have really good players but they don’t have that kind of firepower.
Game 4: Fargo Shanley vs. Bismarck Legacy
The best game on paper is the last one as Fargo Shanley and Bismarck Legacy are both top five teams in Class A and would likely get seeded fourth and fifth if the tournament were to seed rather than take teams based on conference tournament results.
The Deacons are powered by star guard Reile Payne who puts up video-game like numbers while Bismarck Legacy has excellent balance with five players averaging better than eight points per game.
Given the strength of the WDA this season, this one seems to favor Bismarck Legacy. The Sabers have been tested hard throughout the year, facing elite competition and while the Deacons have been excellent too, the depth and balance of Legacy gives them a slight edge.