North Dakota First Look: Devils Lake
The Devils Lake Firebirds were the far-and-away second best team in North Dakota a year ago, starting the year 20-0 before dropping the season finale. They ran through the EDC Tournament to secure a state berth and crushed Williston and…
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Continue ReadingThe Devils Lake Firebirds were the far-and-away second best team in North Dakota a year ago, starting the year 20-0 before dropping the season finale. They ran through the EDC Tournament to secure a state berth and crushed Williston and West Fargo Sheyenne in the first two games of state before losing in the state championship to an juggernaut Bismarck Century squad. With two starters and several rotation players back, the Firebirds should be in the mix at the top of Class A again.
GO-TO SCORER: Jes Mertens
Mertens led a balanced scoring attack a year ago, averaging 13 points per game to go along with five rebounds. She converted on better than 50 percent of her field goal attempts and with a pair of double-figure scorers gone to graduation, Mertens will be even more heavily featured in the offense. One of the best two-way players in the EDC, Mertens averaged nearly five steals per game a year ago and she’s as good as anybody scoring ahead of set defenses.
BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Jailyn Martinson
Martinson missed a lot of time last year after a promising freshman season in which she averaged nearly six points per game but gave the Firebirds a boost late in the year off the bench. Now an upperclassmen, Martinson should move into the starting lineup and she’ll have an opportunity to put up solid numbers in a complementary role to Mertens, Ramsey Brown and Abby Johnson.
QUESTION: Who steps up?
The Firebirds lose a couple of really good seniors in Mattea Vetsch and Taylor Windjue plus good contributors in Chiara Olson and Averi Ziegler. Vetsch and Windjue are going to be extremely difficult to replace as they formed one of the best backcourts in the state on both ends of the floor. How does Devils Lake fill those shoes? There is still talent in house and after two years of state tournament runs, the culture in the program is certainly strong. But there’s a lot of minutes out there to be had.
OUTLOOK
There’s little doubt Devils Lake will be among the best teams in the state again next winter despite graduating several excellent players. Will the Firebirds be the high-powered, overwhelming outfit they were a year ago? That remains to be seen. But Mertens and Brown give them two all-league players who can produce at a high level and there is no shortage of varsity-hardened talent in the system still.