North Dakota Preview: Kidder County
Kidder County didn’t lose a game until the state tournament last season, winning 24 games in a row. The Wolves went 1-2 at the state tournament, losing to Rugby and Langdon/Edmore/Munich in nip-and-tuck affairs. With a talented core of young…
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Continue ReadingKidder County didn’t lose a game until the state tournament last season, winning 24 games in a row. The Wolves went 1-2 at the state tournament, losing to Rugby and Langdon/Edmore/Munich in nip-and-tuck affairs. With a talented core of young players back for another year, Kidder County is equipped to enjoy similar success this upcoming winter.
GO-TO PLAYER: Madelyn Schmidt
The engine in the Wolves attack, Schmidt earned all-state honors last season, averaging just less than 16 points and better than four assists per game. She’s a threat to score from pretty much anywhere on the floor, which puts immense stress on opposing defenders and her ability to balance finding her own shot with getting her teammates involved is rare for such a young player. She also sets the tone on the defensive end, and has great instincts, as evidenced by better than four steals per game.
KEY RETURNERS: Brittany Rath, Kennedy Harter, Teanna Binder, Hailey Pfaf
Kidder County is much more than a one-player outfit. Rath is arguably the team’s best scorer, serving as the team’s interior presence. Her ability to create for herself in the low and mid post areas make the Wolves so difficult to defend because she abuses single coverage but is smart enough to get the ball to talented perimeter players when extra defenders are sent her way.
Harter earned a starting spot as just an eighth-grader last season and had some big moments especially late in the season. She’s got huge potential and could give this team a legitimate third go-to scorer on the wing.
Pfaf started last year and is one of the team’s best 3-point shooters while Binder saw regular minutes after returning from an injury. She’s more than capable of stepping into a starting role this upcoming year and providing solid defense and shooting.
QUESTION: How much better can the Wolves get?
After going 25-2 last season, the Wolves will head into the 2019-20 season with high expectations. State title contending aspirations. After enjoying as much success as they did last year, combined with how much returning talent there it, it’ll be interesting to see if there’s any sort of letdown this winter. They were elite on the defensive end of the floor last year and efficient enough offensively to get to state and compete. Can they take the next step?
OUTLOOK
Kidder County is good enough to win the state championship this year. The Wolves have the guard play, the interior presence, the defensive equity and experience that few other teams can bring to the table. There aren’t a lot of unknowns for them. If they stay healthy, and continue on the progression track they’ve been on, there are no limits for them this winter.