North Dakota Class B Preseason Top 10

Basketball season is right around the corner. Teams are firing up practice this week and games will be starting in less than two weeks. With that in mind, it’s time to unveil my preseason top-10 rankings. Kindred The reigning state champs, the Vikings return arguably the best player in the state in sophomore forward Abby Duchscherer. The 6-foot-1 All-Stater averaged better than 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Kindred was extremely young last year, starting and relying on a number of underclassmen. Watch out for Tarryn Johnson inside and Kristina Freier to make improvements as well. Langdon/Edmore/Munich LEM was one of the elite teams in Class B last year and there’s no reason to think the Cardinals won’t be one again this year. With all five starters back including all-state guard Callie Ronningen, this team is the ideal combination of talented and experienced. Kaitlyn Scherr and Morgan Freije are also upper-echelon players in the area. Thompson The Tommies reached the state tournament last year and return a number of talented pieces including all-state guard McKenzie Hughes, Macy Jordheim and Kyra Sorby. Jada Welke is a breakout candidate too. Kidder County The Wolves won 25 games a year ago, reaching the state tournament. With all five starters back, including all-state guard Madelyn Schmidt, who averaged 16 points and four assists, Kidder County has state title contending talent. Brittany Rath gives the Wolves a viable interior presence. Grafton/St. Thomas The Spoilers looked like a title contender last year before getting picked off by Thompson. The good news for them is they return four starters and five of the top sx players in the rotation from a year ago. All-State guard Carlee Sieben is one of the best in Class B. Julia Dusek and Cassie Sieben join her to form a dynamic trio. Hettinger/Scranton The Night Hawks got to state last year and return two all-staters in point guard Alyssa Andress and forward Sam Oase. That inside-outside combo is as good as it gets and with the way Hettinger/Scranton defends, it’ll be a team to be reckoned with all winter. Velva The Aggies were one of the best teams in the state last year but were stuck in an absolutely loaded Region 6. They should be the favorite to come out of the region this winter, as all-state forward Emma Passa is one of the best players in Class B. The Aggies will once again lean on a dominant defense as well. Four Winds/Minnewaukan The Indians seem to beat everybody except Langdon/Edmore/Munich but they’ve got the talent to contend for a state title this winter. Latasha Bellile is a steady lead guard and the complementary players like Myona Dauphinais, Riah Littleghost and Ezura Rainbow give the Indians a balanced group that excels on both ends of the floor.  Trenton The Tigers won 25 games last year, reaching the state tournament. Similar success can be expected this winter as the Tigers return one of the best guards in the state in Kaity Hove, who averaged 16 points, better than eight rebounds and nearly 10 assists plus more than five steals. The St. Pierre sisters are back to give the Tigers two more capable scorers and the defense was elite in 2018-19. Carrington The Cardinals are one of the contenders in Region 3 thanks to an elite defense. Addison Hoornaert is one of the best players in the region and gives them a legitimate shot-creator on the perimeter. Bella Hone is a rock-solid post player and the Cardinals have a solid host of young talent ready to step into new roles.