Way-Too-Early Preview: Langdon/Edmore/Munich
The Langdon/Edmore/Munich Cardinals went into last year with state title hopes and left little doubt that they were the best team in the state, going undefeated on their way to a state championship. The Cardinals graduate two multi-year starters including…
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Continue ReadingThe Langdon/Edmore/Munich Cardinals went into last year with state title hopes and left little doubt that they were the best team in the state, going undefeated on their way to a state championship. The Cardinals graduate two multi-year starters including the Player-of-the-Year in Class B, Callie Ronningen. Despite those losses, LEM will head into next year likely ranked in the top-five.
Go-To Girl: Morgan Freije
Freije averaged better than 12 points and five rebounds per game as a sophomore and emerged as a legitimate second go-to scorer as the team advanced through to winning a state title. She’s got excellent length, strength, athleticism and skill and she’s capable of scoring in a multitude of ways. With two double-figure scorers gone to graduation, Freije will be expected to take her game to another level as an upperclassman. And she’s good enough to be a 20 point-per-game scorer.
Breakout Candidate: Jaya Henderson
Henderson cracked the rotation for the Cardinals as an eighth grader, as the top scorer off the bench, averaging better than four points and two rebounds. She’ll have a big opportunity to step into starter minutes as a freshman and while she won’t have as much offensive responsibility as the departing seniors or the returning starters, her shooting, athleticism and defensive prowess will be needed if the team is going to keep winning. She’s long, athletic and skilled, and it wouldn’t be surprising if she’s one of the best players in the region as early as next winter.
Question: Will the Cardinals score enough to win at the highest levels?
Replacing Callie Ronningen and Kaitlynn Scherr is going to be a challenge on a lot of levels. Perhaps the greatest one will be the simple shot-making ability that those two possessed and when things bogged down in the halfcourt, the Cardinals could count on those two to generate something positive. With those two gone, who fills that void? Freije figures to take on a bigger role all around. Kaylee Lowery and Lexi Olson should as well.
The defense is going to be good enough for this team to win a lot of games even if the offense never gets to what it was last year. But against good teams, they’ll need a changeup to go with the fastball that is their defense.
Outlook
There is little doubt that despite graduating two terrific players, LEM is going to be one of the elite teams in Class B again next winter. With Freije, Olson, Lowery and Henderson plus Marlee Hetletved all back, there’s enough talent and experience to win a bunch of games and contend for a region title. There’s an established high floor in the form of a top-10 team. If Freije takes another step in development and some of the young talent comes forward, the ceiling is there for a team that can contend for another state title.