What Class B girls teams took a step forward in 2019-20?

The 2019-20 Class B girls season wrapped up 23 days ago and Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich capped off an undefeated season with a title. The Cardinals improved by four wins from the 2018-19 season but Rob Scherr's crew wasn't the only team that saw improvement this past season. Let's take a look at teams that took a step forward in 2019-20.

Flasher

2018-19: 9-13

2019-20: 19-5

 Flasher was competitive in all of its losses this season. The Bulldogs started the season 2-2 before winning three straight games in late December. A four-point overtime loss to Rugby brought them into 2020 and seemed to fuel them for the final two months of the season. After the loss to Rugby, Flasher won 14 of its final 16 games. The Bulldogs lost to Shiloh Christian in the Region 5 championship game on a last second shot. In the previous four seasons Flasher had never won more than 11 games. 

Cavalier

2018-19: 3-15

2019-20: 13-12

Its been a rough couple of seasons for Cavalier as they've won four games or fewer dating back to the 2015-16 season. The Tornadoes turned the corner this season and won 13 contests and made it to a Region 2 semifinals for the first time in 27 years. Cavalier finished with two winning streaks of three games and lost three games by six points or less. Sandy Laxdal's team losses Charlee Krieg and Alea Manley but bring back eight student-athletes that will be either juniors or sophomores next season. 

Central Cass

2018-19: 12-12

2019-20: 20-6

It was a season to remember for Central Cass. The Squirrels won 20 games for the first time in the last five seasons, ended Kindred's 36-game winning streak and made it to the state tournament. The Squirrels started the 2019-20 season 6-4 but ended the regular season with 13 straight wins. Jay Bachman had a very young squad this year and losing Emma Lee and Isabelle Linnard will hurt, however, the Squirrels bring back 14 players next year, which includes standout underclassmen Decontee Smith. 

Mandaree

2018-19: 11-9

2019-20: 19-5

Mandaree had an early exit in the 2018-19 Region 8 tournament but got back on track with a third-place finish this season. The Warriors also won 19 games this year, which was their most victories in the last six seasons. Delbert Fry's squad started the season 4-0 before dropping a 84-77 game to New Town. Mandaree finished the year with four winning streaks of six, four (twice) and three games. The Warriors were close to making it to the Region 8 title game but fell to Kenmare 44-41 in the semifinals.

Beulah

2018-19: 7-16

2019-20: 15-10

Beulah spent this past offseason with a sour taste in its mouth after losing nine out of 10 games to end the 2018-19 season. The Miners started the 2019-20 campaign with an 11-3 record and found their stride early. Beulah, however, struggled towards the end of this season and lost six of its final nine games. At the end of the day, the Miners improved by eight wins from 2018-19 and made it to the Region 7 semifinals after upsetting No. 2-seed Heart River 49-44 in the quarterfinals. It was a very solid season for the Miners.

Tri-State

2018-19: 2-18

2019-20: 10-12
After winning just two games a season ago, Tri-State finished with 10 wins this season. The Tigers started the 2019-20 season 3-6 but battled back and even won a Region 1 tournament game against Sargent Central. The Tigers won 16 games in 2016-17 but saw their win totals drop the next two seasons before picking up double-digit wins this season. You love to see teams bounce back like Tri-State did this season.

Our Redeemer's

2018-19: 10-12

2019-20: 17-8

It was a tail of two halves for Our Redeemer's this season. The Knights won 10 of their first 12 games by an average of 18.3 points. However, Scott Peterson's crew was unable to close out games in the second half of the season. In Our Redeemer's final 13 games they lost three games that were decided by a combined eight points. The Knights improved by seven wins from the 2018-19 season and earned a third-place finish in the Region 6 tournament. Their 17 wins was the most since 2016-17 when the Knights finished 22-6.

Northern Cass

2018-19: 9-12
2019-20: 16-7
Northern Cass improved by 38 QRF points from 2018-19 to 2019-20. The Jaguars started the season 11-2 and only suffered losses to Hillsboro-Central Valley (36-34) and Thompson (59-29). Kelli Trudeau's squad defeated Lisbon 55-37 in the Region 1 tournament before dropping its final two games to Central Cass and Richland. The Jaguars lose two seniors in Sydney Anderson and Breana Tretter but bring back the bulk of their lineup as they'll try to improve off a successful 2019-20 campaign. Since the 2017-18 season, Northern Cass has improved its win total each season.

Honorable Mention

Finley-Sharon/Hope-Page

2018-19: 4-18

2019-20: 10-13

Garrison

2018-19: 5-16

2019-20: 11-11

Hazen

2018-19: 2-20

2019-20: 8-14

Sargent Central

2018-19: 5-17

2019-20: 10-11

Larimore

2018-19: 4-17

2019-20: 9-13

Midway-Minto

2018-19: 12-10

2019-20: 17-7

Strasburg-Zeeland

2018-19: 1-18

2019-20: 6-14

Bottineau

2018-19: 4-18

2019-20: 9-14

Drake-Anamoose

2018-19: 1-20

2019-20: 6-16

Tioga

2018-19: 6-15

2019-20: 11-12

2019-20 Class B Boys All-State Teams

2019-20 Class B Boys All-State Teams
First Team

Player Name	Year	Team
Jaden Hamilton	Sr.	Rugby
Carson Henningsgard	Sr.	Hillsboro-Central Valley
Jaden Mitzel	Sr.	Shiloh Christian
Cole Myers	Sr.	Richland
Seth Nelson	Sr.	Carrington

Second Team

Player Name	Year	Team
Bo Belquist	Sr.	New Rockford-Sheyenne
Trey Brandt	So.	Beulah
Andy Freier	Sr.	Kindred
Rhett Hanson	St.	Stanley
Joel Hurlburt	So.	Enderlin
Lucas Schumacher	Jr.	Linton-HMB
Gage Swanson	Sr.	Beach
Avery Thorsgard	Sr.	Hatton-Northwood
Scott Wagner	So.	Ellendale
Jesse White	Jr.	White Shield
Doug Yankton	Sr.	Four Winds-Minnewaukan

What Class B boys teams have had the most 20-plus win seasons since 2013-14?

Editor's note: Records retrieved from http://northdakota-scores.net/. 

Nine teams had 20 wins or more this season. Four Winds-Minnewaukan had the most wins entering the suspended state tournament with 23. Out of the eight teams that made the 2019-20 state tournament, six teams had 20-plus wins this year.

But let's take a look at the teams that have had the most 20-plus win seasons in the last seven years.

Here's what we found:

Four Winds-M: 6

Beulah: 6

Hillsboro-Central Valley: 5

St. John: 5

Shiloh Christian: 5

Oak Grove: 4

Rugby: 4

Bishop Ryan: 4

Our Redeemer's: 3

Dickinson Trinity: 3

New Town: 3

2019-20 Class B Girls All-State Teams

2019-20 Class B Girls All-State Teams
First Team

Player Name	Year	Team
Abby Duchscherer	So.	Kindred
Kaity Hove	Sr.	Trenton
Mackenzie Hughes	Jr.	Thompson
Sam Oase	Jr.	Hettinger-Scranton
Callie Ronningen	Sr.	Langdon-E-M

Second Team

Player Name	Year	Team
Coral Alt	Sr.	Flasher
Isabelle Boyer	Jr.	Grant County
Leah Feland	Sr.	Mohall-L-S
Ellie Holen	Sr.	LaMoure-L-M
Terryn Johnson	So.	Kindred
Abbey Kubas	Jr.	Dickinson Trinity
Megan Roob	So.	Richland
Madelyn Schmidt	Jr.	Kidder County
Daysha Serdahl	Sr.	Mandaree
Carlee Sieben	Jr.	Grafton
Taysha Snyder	Sr.	Underwood

Class B History Database

Class B Boys (click to download PDF)

Class B Girls (click to download PDF)

What Class B boys teams took a step forward in 2019-20?

What a crazy time to be alive right now. Everything is in limbo at the moment. The Class B boys state tournament was suspended last week. Heck, in a perfect world we would know who was crowned the 2019-20 champion today but here we are with no basketball.

But that shouldn't stop us from talking about the greatest sport on the planet. Let's take a look at teams that improved the most from last year to this season:

Beach

2018-19: 9-14

2019-20: 18-5

It was a season to remember for the Buccaneers as their 18 wins was the most reached in the last seven seasons. Beach won its first two games of the 2019-20 season before dropping a 60-48 loss to New Town. After that the Buccaneers rattled off eight straight wins and won 12 of their next 13 games including a 87-82 overtime victory over Mandaree. Beach didn't end the season like they wanted to, however. Al Swanson's squad went 3-3 in their final six games and was bounced out of the Region 7 tournament by Hazen in the quarterfinal round. The Buccaneers, however, shouldn't be disappointed after improving their win total by nine games from a season ago. 

New Town

2018-19: 12-10

2019-20: 21-6

Over the last seven seasons New Town has never had a sub .500 season. The Eagles reached 20-plus wins for the second time in the last three seasons and won Region 8 for the first time since 2014. New Town lost its first game of the 2019-20 season to Beulah and sat at 10-6 on Jan. 27 after back-to-back losses to Shiloh Christian and Killdeer. Jay Hale's crew bounced back and won their final 11 games including a 68-60 win over Lewis & Clark, North Shore in the Region 8 title game.

Enderlin

2018-19: 10-12

2019-20: 18-3

Enderlin was one of the favorites to make it to the state tournament this season but they had an early exit in the Region 1 tournament. The Eagles finished the season with back-to-back losses but had two nine game winning streaks this year. A 71-63 loss on Jan. 24 to Northern Cass stopped Enderlin from putting those two winning streaks together. The Eagles were the No. 2-seed in the Region 1 tournament but lost to No. 7 Tri-State 81-78 in the quarterfinals. As tough of a loss that was for Calvin Kraft's squad, the Eagles improved by eight games from last season. And with twin towers Gustave Hurlburt (6-foot-8) and Joseph Hurlburt (6-foot-10) back the Eagles are in a good spot for the next two seasons. 

Lakota

2018-19: 2-16

2019-20: 10-12

The previous four seasons have been tough for Lakota. The Raiders had a combined record of 10-72 but this season they turned it around. Lakota finished the year 10-12 and improved by eight wins from the 2018-19 season. It was a strong second half of the season that propelled them to 10 wins. Lakota won six of its final games after starting the season 4-10.

Garrison

2018-19: 3-17

2019-20: 11-12
In the last seven seasons Garrison has won 10 or more games five times. The Troopers had a down year in 2018-19 but bounced back with 11 wins this season. Garrison had a much stronger first half of the year than the second half as they won five of its first seven games. The Troopers were competitive in those two losses – losing by four and nine points to Hazen and Nedrose. However, after the McLean County Shootout on Jan. 10-11, Garrison lost 10 of its final 16 games. At the end of the day, the Troopers had a big bounce back from a season ago.

South Prairie

2018-19: 4-16

2019-20: 12-10

Since the 2016-17 season, South Prairie has improved its win total every season. Four seasons ago the Royals had one win. Fast forward to the 2019-20 season and South Prairie finished with 12 wins and won a District 12 tournament game. The Royals started the season 6-3 with wins over Burke County, Velva, Westhope-Newburg, Center-Staton, Nebrose and Kenmare. They also had a three game winning streak in early February before going 2-4 in their final six games. It was a successful season for Jordan Cooper's crew as they reached double-digit wins for the first time in five seasons.

Lewis & Clark, North Shore

2018-19: 11-11

2019-20: 19-6

Lewis & Clark, North Shore has been competitive in Region 8 over the last seven seasons. In 2013-14 the Wildcats reached 18 wins but this season they surpassed that win total by one game. They also had a chance to go to the state tournament but lost in the Region 8 title game to New Town 68-60. After starting the season 3-3 the Wildcats rattled off eight straight wins and finished the season winning eight of their final 10 games. After a .500 season in 2018-19, L & C, NS had season to remember and five of its six losses were by eight points or less.

Honorable Mention

Our Redeemer's

2018-19: 12-13

2019-20: 19-6

Hettinger-Scranton

2018-19: 1-21

2019-20: 8-15

New England

2018-19: 6-16

2019-20: 13-10

Killdeer

2018-19: 1-21

2019-20: 7-15

Medina-P/B

2018-19: 0-20

2019-20: 6-15

How fun would this 64-team Class B boys tournament be?

(Print bracket)

2019-20 Class B Boys State Tournament is Set

8 teams. 3 days. 1 championship. Class B boys tournament is set:
Richland
H-CV
Edgeley-K-M
Four Winds-M
Shiloh Christian
Rugby
Beulah
New Town#NDpreps

— North Dakota Basketball Hub (@ndbasketballhub) March 13, 2020

Ranking the Final 16 Class B teams

Sixteen Class B teams will battle it out Thursday (today) evening for eight state tournament spots. There's a chance the state tournament will see some new teams like Lewis & Clark, North Shore (19-5) and there's a chance Shiloh Christian makes it back to the state tournament for the fifth time in six seasons.

It's one of the greatest nights on the season so let's rank the final 16 teams left in Class B:

16. Lewis & Clark, North Shore 19-5 (2-game winning streak)

15. Flasher 16-7 (2-game winning streak)

14. Strasburg-Zeeland 18-5 (5-game winning streak)

13. Our Redeemers 19-5 (5-game winning streak)

12. Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier 19-4 (3-game winning streak)

11. Central Cass 16-7 (8-game winning streak)

10. New Town 20-6 (10-game winning streak)

9. Richland 17-5 (3-game winning streak)

8. St. John 20-3 (6-game winning streak)

7. Dickinson Trinity 20-3 (6-game winning streak)

6. Hillsboro-Central Valley 19-4 (9-game winning streak)

5. Rugby 21-2 (6-game winning streak)

4. Hatton-Northwood 21-2 (19-game winning streak)

3. Beulah 20-3 (18-game winning streak)

2. Shiloh Christian 17-6 (4-game winning streak)

1. Four Winds-Minneuwakan 22-2 (8-game winning streak)

What makes the Dunseith/St. John rivalry so special?

There's a little bit of history behind one of Tuesday's Region 4 semifinal games. This will be the fourth time this season that Dunseith and St. John face each other. St. John is 3-0 against the Dragons this season with its last win coming in the District 8 tournament. However, Dunseith has been competitive in those three games this season only losing by an average of 6.3 points.

Dunseith senior forward Treagan Azure said his team has to stop three players if the Dragons want to advance to the Region 4 title game on Thursday.

"Keep Bradley Defender from penetrating to the rim and stop Zack Anderson from shooting," Azure said Tuesday morning. "Also, (we have to) pressure Tyreece Gunville when he has the ball."

The Dragons (13-10) knocked off reigning Region 4 champion New Rockford-Sheyenne 58-53 Monday night while St. John (19-3) got passed Dakota Prairie 59-48.

St. John senior Adam Jollie said what makes this rivalry between the Woodchucks and Dragons so special is that the two teams come from the same area.

"This rivalry has been going on for as long as I could remember," Jollie said. "Our teams have so (many) natives that come from the same tribe so it's like a chance to show (who) is the better native team."

"There is always so much pride along with a packed crowd that creates an intense atmosphere, which pressures us to play our best."

Azure added that this rivalry is special because "we're all family and friends, and basically the top two teams in our district."

St. John beat Dunseith 72-65 in December, 68-62 in January and most recently 62-55 on Feb. 29.

Jollie said the Dragons' strength is shooting from the outside.

"They have a couple tall players but their strength seems to be the outside shot," he added. "Defensively, I think just containing them and not giving up open 3-pointers is what we need to focus on."

"Offensively, I think we need to move the ball around and get it into the post. Dunseith can get lazy sometimes on defense so moving the ball will allow us to get open lanes or shots and the post will always be there for us."

The winner of tonight's game will face either No. 1-ranked Four Winds-Minnewaukan or Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich in the Region 4 championship game.

Class B Girls: Top 10 Way-Too-Early Favorites To Win The 2020-21 Class B Title

The 2019-20 season wrapped up yesterday evening with Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich capping off its historic season with its first championship as a co-op. The No. 1-seeded Cardinals finished the year undefeated (27-0) after they defeated No. 2-seed Grafton 52-41.

It was a record setting Saturday evening session at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center with 3, 682 in attendance. And we don't want to leave those fans hanging now that we've entered the offseason so here are 10 way-to-early favorites to win the 2020-21 championship:

10. Shiloh Christian 

Shiloh Christian burst onto the state tournament scene two seasons ago, however, they've gone 1-5 in those games. The Skyhawks are headed in the right direction though as five underclassmen saw action this weekend in Grand Forks. Next season Shiloh Christian will be without three seniors in Kelsey Mischel, Allison Jordan and Keia White Eagle but they have players to replace what they are losing. Notably junior 6-foot-3 center Jacie Hall who is already one of the best post players in the state and led the Skyhawks in scoring at the state tournament. Shiloh Christian also brings back sophomores Grace Kelly and Kennady Walth along with freshman sharp-shooter Aliya Schock. The three of them each played 28 minutes or more in the Skyhawks' final two games of the 2019-20 state tournament. 

9. Kenmare

After Jan. 16, Kenmare only lost one contest and that came to Trenton in the Region 8 title game. The Honkers finished 19-5 and have had back-to-back double-digit win seasons but the Tigers have stopped them along with many other Region 8 teams from reaching the state tournament. Kenmare brings back its entire roster except guard Ashley Bauer. The Honkers don't have a lot of height — freshman Brenna Stroklund and Madison Melin are 5-foot-8 — but Kenmare will have the youth and defense to compete in every game. 

8. Velva 

Velva had a lot of upperclassmen on its roster this season but very few seniors. On the flip side, the senior the Aggies do lose is slasher/post player Kaitlyn Lund. Lund had a very solid career for Velva and she will be missed. But I think Chris Braaten's team brings back enough where they can compete at a high level next season. In a District 11 semifinal game this season, seven Aggies finished in the scoring column and freshman Olivia Passa contributed a team-high 11 points. Next season Velva will have seven seniors but one of its best scorers in Passa will only be a sophomore. 

7. Beulah 

Beulah pulled off one of the bigger upsets this season in its region tournament. The Miners earned the No. 7-seed in the Region 7 tournament and defeated No. 2-seed Heart River 49-44 in the quarterfinals. Rick Miller's crew got bumped out of the tournament by Hettinger-Scranton but most of his roster returns next season. Beulah loses just one senior in Tia Horning but brings back eight student-athletes that are 5-foot-9 or taller. The Miners finished 15-10 on the year and lost four of their final five regular season games. 

6. Linton-HMB

It was not a pretty finish to the 2019-20 season for Region 3 team Linton-HMB. After starting the year 12-2, the Lions lost six of their final nine games. Linton-HMB will have the option to start five seniors next year but 10 of its student-athletes on the roster will either be juniors or sophomores. The Lions lost a 49-48 heartbreaker to Carrington in the Region 7 quarterfinals but with everyone returning I think Linton-HMB can put a full season together next year with second-year head coach Beau Diegel.

5. Central Cass

The deepest team in Class B is going to be a threat again next season. Earning a fourth-place finish at state this year will only give Central Cass more confidence heading into the offseason. The Squirrels do lose important pieces like Isabelle Linnard and Ema Lee but All-Tournament player Decontee Smith is back for her sophomore, yes, sophomore season. The Squirrels also bring back a pile of sophomores including Jaylin Cotton, Kailey McKinnon, Morgan Lee and Rylie Holzer. Twelve Central Cass underclassmen saw minutes at this year's state tournament.

4. Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich 

Yes, I know L-E-M has to move on from state tournament MVP Callie Ronningen but this team is loaded with talent. And when you have the best coach in Class B on your side anything is possible. Along with Ronningen, the Cardinals have to say goodbye to 3-point standout Kaitlynn Scherr. However, Morgan Freije will be back for her junior season and Lexis Olson will be one of L-E-M's two seniors. It'll also be fun to see how eighth-graders Jaya Henderson and Cora Badding improve over the offseason along with sophomore Marlee Hetletved. Losing one of the best players in Class B hurts the Cardinals but they'll be locked and loaded ready to defend the 2019-20 title. 

3. Rugby

Rugby has won 20-plus games in each of the last five seasons. The Panthers have made it to three straight state tournaments and I predict a fourth next season. Jen Brossart's team brings back its top three players in juniors Brooke Blessum and Sarah Blessum along with sophomore Mykell Heidlebaugh. Rugby will have a nice mix of players next season with nine upperclassmen and four underclassmen. I know Brossart and the Panthers are eager to win a state championship especially after playing for one in 2019. 

2. Kindred

Kindred has dominated Class B the last handful of years but its state tournament appearance run came to an end this season. The Vikings finally graduate some student-athletes this year (Jordyn Burner, Alexi Foss and Josie Lundquist) but bring back North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year in Abby Duchscherer and double-double machine Terryn Johnson. Both Duchscherer and Johnson will be juniors and the duo is one of the best one-two punches in Class B. Kindred lost one game this season and I think that loss to Central Cass in the Region 1 championship is really going to motivate the Vikings next year. 

1. Grafton 

Twenty-seven turnovers is going to haunt Grafton and head coach Laurie Sieben this offseason. Luckily, for the Spoilers, the team that earned a 2019-20 runner-up finish will all be back next season. Junior Carlee Sieben has the mentality of a champion and will spend the next handful of months in the gym preparing for the 2020-21 state title game that's just the type of player she is. Juniors Julia Dusek and Cassie Sieben will spend this offseason crafting their skills and will have to take on heavier leadership roles next year. The Spoilers are also going to get tremendous growth out of freshman 6-foot-3 center Walker Demers and sophomores Reagan Hanson and Cassie Erickson. Grafton had the pieces to win a state championship this year but going into next season the Spoilers are the favorites. 

2019-20 Class B Girls State Tournament Power Rankings

March is the greatest time of the year. As much as I love gathering information on every team throughout the regular season there's nothing quite like going to the Class B state girls tournament. Eight North Dakota towns close up shop and there's not a soul to be seen. The support people show for this state tournament is tremendous. To me — these three days (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) are my favorite part of the year. So, what team out of the Great Eight brings home the title this season?

Here are my power rankings for the 2019-20 state tournament:
1. Grafton
2. Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich
3. Trenton
4. LaMoure-Litchville/Marion
5. Hettinger-Scranton
6. Rugby
7. Central Cass
8. Shiloh Christian

2019-20 State Girls Tournament Team Preview: Rugby

Since the 2015-16 season, Rugby has made it to four state tournaments and suffered a devastating 49-47 loss to Kindred in the 2018-19 state championship. But the Panthers are back in the Great Eight and have hopes of winning a state title this weekend.

Rugby (21-3) will play No. 2-seed Grafton at 1 p.m. Thursday and have won three straight games coming into the state tournament. The Panthers are led by junior Brooke Blessum who is averaging 12.3 points per game, 8 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.5 assists this season. Second on the team in scoring is freshman Mykell Heidlebaugh (11.5 points per game). She's become a solid player for Rugby and will only continue to get better as the years go by. Heidlebaugh will go after any rebound and is second on the team averaging seven per game. Junior Sarah Blessum is third on the team in scoring with 7.5 points per game as all five Panthers starters average close to five points a game or more.

Jen Brossart has a fairly deep team as she plays about 10 student-athletes every game. Coming off the bench is sophomore Anna Johnson (3 points per game), junior Gabi Sullivan (3 rebounds per game and 2.6 points), freshman Kendyl Hager (2.1 points per game), junior Riley Grove and freshman Joran Jundt who both average 1.5 points per game.

Interesting note: Ruby was ranked 20th in the preseason poll this season but for 10 straight weeks they were ranked in the top 10. However, the Panthers were unranked in the seasons final poll.

State tournament prediction: Rugby's starting lineup is one of older lineups out of the Great Eight. Which you should know now that I'm a big fan of those teams when it comes to the postseason. Brooke Blessum is the leader and Heidlebaugh is kind of like the spark plug. Rugby has one of the toughest matchups in the quarterfinals as they'll face off against No. 2-seed Grafton. I don't believe the Panthers can get by the Spoilers but I do believe a fifth-place finish is where Rugby will end up. With no seniors on the Panthers roster this won't be the last time they are in the Great Eight. Watch for Rugby to be heavy favorites for the 2020-21 state tournament.

Starting Lineup
Sarah Blessum | Jr. | G | 5-foot-4
Tesha Sobolik | Jr. | G | 5-foot-5
Brooke Blessum | Jr. | F | 5-foot-11
Mykell Heidlebaugh | Fr. | F | 5-foot-10
Bella McCabe | Jr. | C | 5-foot-10

2019-20 State Girls Tournament Team Preview: #1 Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich

The state tournament quarterfinals have not been kind to Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich. The Cardinals have been to now three straight state tournaments but have suffered first-round exits in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Can they break that trend this weekend?

The No. 1-seeded Cardinals are led by senior Callie Ronningen who averages 18.0 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.6 steals. Ronningen had a wonderful state tournament last season and earned All-State honors. She has also scored over 2,000 points in her career and has hauled down 1,132 rebounds as well. When you think of the best players in Class B, Ronningen is on that list. She's a do-it-all type of player and can even play a little inside out. Along with Ronningen, the Cardinals get great play from senior Kaitlynn Scherr (13.2 ppg, 3.4 apg, 3.2 rpg and 2.4 spg) along with sophomore Morgan Freije (12.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.1 apg and 2.1 spg).

Scherr is L-E-M's main outside 3-point shooters and has made 44 percent from beyond the arc while Freije plays more inside with her length and soft touch around the basket. If there was an award for most improved from the 2018-19 season, I truly think Freije would be at that top of the list. The two other starters are juniors Kaylee Lowery and Lexis Olson. Lowery is a great rebounder and defensive threat for the Cardinals and averages a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game. She's also deadly from 10-15 feet away from the basket and averages 7.5 points per game. Olson is listed as a guard but she has some size (5-foot-11), which makes her a tough matchup for the Cardinals opponents.

The Cardinals play about seven student-athletes with their starting five all averaging six points or more per contest. Head coach Rob Scherr brings two underclassmen off the bench in sophomore Marlee Hetletved and eighth-grader Jaya Henderson. Henderson was the first player off the bench for L-E-M last season as a seventh-grader and likes to play fast. Hedlevedt is one of the Cardinals 3-point threats and isn't afraid of getting into the paint.

Interesting note: This will be the fifth consecutive state tournament that Kaitlynn Scherr has been to. She made it to state with Park River/Fordville-Lankin back when she was an eighth-grader and freshman.

State tournament prediction: The Cardinals are scoring 66.1 points per game and allow just 32.9 points per game this season. This is a great defensive team that turns their opponents mistakes into points. Rob Scherr always wants his team to push the basketball up the court and defensively he says he doesn't want the Cardinals opponents walking the basketball up the court against his team. L-E-M is the No. 1-seed for a reason. They've earned that right this season and even though I think the Cardinals have one of the tougher quarterfinals matchups with Hettinger-Scranton I still think L-E-M can make it to Saturday's state championship game. When you have talented players like Ronningen who can take over a game by herself and two players like Kaitlynn Scherr and Freije to run your offense through your team has the ability to play for a state championship. I also like the fact that they start four upperclassmen. My prediction is the Cardinals will be playing for a state title Saturday evening. The last time they won a state championship was in 2005.

Starting Lineup
Kaitlynn Scherr | Sr. | G | 5-foot-7
Lexi Olson | Jr. | G | 5-foot-10
Kaylee Lowery | Jr. | F/C | 5-foot10
Morgan Freije | So. | F | 5-foot-10
Callie Ronningen | Sr. | F/G | 5-foot-11