North Dakota First Look: Bismarck Century
Bismarck Century was far and away the best team in the state a year ago, going undefeated and winning more games by 30-plus points than single digits. The dominant duo of Lily Keplin and Lauren Ware plus a terrific defensive…
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Continue ReadingBismarck Century was far and away the best team in the state a year ago, going undefeated and winning more games by 30-plus points than single digits. The dominant duo of Lily Keplin and Lauren Ware plus a terrific defensive cast and solid balance made for an absolute nightmare for the opposition. Keplin is gone but don’t expect the Patriots to drop much next winter.
GO-TO SCORER: Lauren Ware
A high-end Division I prospect, Ware is the best player in the state. Her impact goes beyond the box score as her presence on both ends of the floor is unmatched by any one player. Ware averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds in an efficient way despite being at the top of every opposing gameplan. Her length and athleticism allow her to get to spots on the floor where she can do damage and she’s skilled and capable of scoring from all three levels on the floor.
BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Julia Fitterer
Fitterer was the Patriots’ third-leading scorer last year as a sophomore, averaging nine points per game while connecting on 34 percent of her 3-pointers. She’ll have a big opportunity to slide into a second scorer role next year and with teams packing the paint and focusing even more attention on Ware, she could come close to doubling her scoring average next winter.
QUESTION: Can they Patriots run the table again?
Bismarck Century will be the most talented team in the state again and the favorite to win another state title next winter. They were so far ahead of the rest of the field a year ago with Mandan and Devils Lake being the only two teams to provide any sort of challenge to them. Can the Patriots go undefeated again? The likelihood of that is obviously small but they’ve lost just once in the last two years.
OUTLOOK
Things are rolling nicely for the Patriots and with Ware around for one more year, there’s little doubt they’ll contend in the WDA and for another state title. Chloe Markovic, Ashton Kinnebrew and Julia Fitterer all return after playing solid roles a year ago. They are the easy preseason No. 1 team in Class A.