KROX Radio conducted our annual Section 8AA Girls Basketball coaches poll and season preview. We have had responses from 14 of the 16 coaches and didn’t receive anything from Frazee or Breckenridge.
Roseau is the almost unanimous favorite and the Rams have won the last four Section 8AA championships and it looks like the are the extremely heavy favorite and everybody else is fighting for second place. A couple teams that most coaches think will have a good year is the East Grand Forks Green Wave under the direction of Jay Frydenlund and the Hawley Nuggets under Coach Bill Gottenborg. The guys know how to coach, and the Green Wave and Nuggets are looking to get back to the next level to make a push. Section 8AA lost a boatload of talent to graduation leaving a lot of question marks going into the season. The teams that are able to fill the holes and the teams that were young last year will have an advantage coming into this season. We know this much, Roseau is the early favorite, but don’t be surprised if some teams close the gap and knock them off during the regular season this year. We will see!
We did the coaches poll a little differently with so many first-year head coaches. We split the vote into the North sub-section and South sub-section and I asked the coaches to name the top five teams. So, the results of all three are below along with the team previews –
All coaches responded except for Frazee and Breckenridge. Thanks to the 14 coaches that responded, I appreciate it!
Top 5 teams – Points
1. Roseau – 59
2. Hawley – 32
3. East Grand Forks – 28
4. Dilworth-G-F – 22
5. Barnesville – 12
Crookston – 12
North Sub-Section
Team Points (first place)
1. Roseau – 8 (6)
2. East Grand Forks – 17 (2)
3. Hawley – 19
4. Crookston – 27
DGF – 27
6. Thief River Falls – 34
7. Warroad – 45
8. Bagley – 47
South Sub-Section
Team Points (first place)
1. Park Rapids – 7 (3)
2. Barnesville – 8 (3)
3. Perham – 12
4. Breckenridge – 25
5. Long Prairie-GE – 26
6. Wadena-Deer Creek – 28
7. Frazee – 29
8. Staples-Motley – 32
TEAM PREVIEWS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER-
BAGLEY FLYERS- Coach Brett Nordquist- 1st year
Bagley is coming off a 1-25 season and they lost to DGF in the first round of the playoffs last season. They will return some experience and will look to pick up a few more wins this season.
Top returners – Seniors Alex Syverson, McKenzie Halverson, Carley Lewis, and Kara Bowman. Alex is the best and most experienced player. Many other underclassmen will contribute.
Top newcomers – Kylie Anderson, Kyra Frank, Kelby Fultz, and Sadie Spaulding among others.
Season outlook according to Coach Nordquist – “Our goal is to try and get a little better each time out. We are trying to stay positive. We have been working hard at improving the basics. We probably won’t win a ton of games however we think we can be more competitive than the past few years.
BARNESVILLE TROJANS – Coach Ryan Bomstad – 7th year at Barnesville and 13th overall
Barnesville is coming off a great season last year with a 22-6 record and a 61-53 loss to Roseau in the section semi-finals last year. They lose some very good players to graduation and will look to reload this year. They will be a team that will be there at the end of the year with the solid coaching of Coach Bomstad.
Top Returners – Elora Passa 5 ppg, 4 rebounds; Claire Meyer 6 ppg, 2 rebounds; Wylie Lewis 2 ppg
Top Newcomers: Lauren Halverson, Emily Bredman, Lexi Bolgrean, Sam Passa, Kim Maesse, Olivia Sorenson
Season outlook according to Coach Bomstad – “The Trojans will be young with a lot of potential. It is a group of players that seem to get along very well on and off the court. This team will continue to grow as the season goes on. The Heart O’Lakes Conference is so difficult night in and night out and balanced that it prepares you for all kinds of styles you will see in the post season. Hopefully with a little luck and if we can stay healthy we could be in the mix come late February and early March.”
BRECKENRIDGE COWBOYS – Coach Austin Imdieke 1st year
Breckenridge was 11-17 on the year last year and lost to DGF in the second round of the playoffs. They lose some solid players with two all conference honorable mentions and a handful of girls from last years team. They will also have a new coach and their is a possibility they could have a new look this year. We didn’t receive any information from coach Imdieke.
CROOKSTON PIRATES – Coach Darrin Zimmerman – 4th year at Crookston and 7th overall
Crookston is coming off a 13-14 season with a loss to East Grand Forks in the first round of the section tournament. They lose two of their top offensive players (shooters), but they return some very good talent. They have some of the top Sophomores and Freshman in the section and they will be a team that will be tough to beat, especially if they are able to make some outside shots.
Top returners – Kylie Solheim Sr. 5.4ppg 2.8rpg; Rachel Hefta Sr. 5.7ppg 7.2rpg; Emma Borowicz So.11.4 ppg 3.0apg; Dani Boyle Jr. 1.0 ppg; Hayden Winjum Fr. 5.5ppg 3.4rpg; Gretchen Theis Jr. 1.2 ppg; Kasey Cwikla Jr. 4.2 ppg 2.3rpg
Top newcomers – Emma Boll Soph.
Season preview according to Coach Zimmerman – “We figure to be a very competitive team this season with a high ceiling. As in years past, we will need to defend well and take care of the ball, as the north subsection should be a competitive with many good teams. If we continue to improve as the season unfolds, we will be in the conversation come tournament time.”
DILWORTH-GLYNDON-FELTON REBELS– Tom Critchley 7th at DGF and 22 years overall
DGF, like most teams, were hit hard by graduation last year and they lose some very good players. The also return some very solid players and I think DGF has a very good chance of being one of the teams taking on Roseau at the end of the year. They were 24-5 last year and lost to East Grand Forks in the semi-finals last year.
Top returners – Katlyn Brenna – HOL All-Conference, 11 ppg – a very good player who can score and defend. plays much bigger than her size on both ends of the floor; Allie Critchley – HOL honorable mention 8 ppg, 4 assist and 4 steals per game. Will step in for Natalie Steichen at the point and will create the pace we want to play with on the defensive and offensive end. Signed with Valley City State; Maria Watt – Excellent athlete, is a sophomore but this will be her 3rd year on varsity. We expect her to take a big step forward and she had a great summer; Peyton Wilson – Another very good athlete who is long and has put in the time needed to be a successful varsity player. Athletic post who can guard a point guard; Jocy Cyr- senior captain will provide some toughness in the post and on the glass; Olivia Feigum – junior wing/post who also had a very good summer and can guard any position
Top newcomers – We have a bunch on younger girls who are ready to step up and run with the older girls. Really excited with our sophomore and freshmen class.
Season outlook/preview of your team – We have 4 very good returning players (would have been 5, but we lost Ally Freir to an ACL injury this summer while she was playing AAU) and have some younger girls who have the potential to step up and provide quality minutes. We are going to be a little bit bigger than we have been in the past which should help us on the boards. We have excellent guards who know how to play the game and are great leaders. This is a motivated group and they want to continue the success we have had the past few years.
EAST GRAND FORKS GREEN WAVE- Coach Jay Frydenlund- 4th year as girls coach, 32nd year overall
The Green Wave are coming off one of their better seasons in several years when they finished 24-6 and lost in the section championship game to Roseau. They will lose three pretty solid players to graduation, but they return a good core to build off of last years run. You know they will be well coached and will be one of the favorites to give Roseau a run for their money this season.
Top returners – Sr Mackenna Aitchison 10 ppg, Sr Macy Skyberg 7.5 ppg, Jr Haley Burger- 8 ppg, Soph Chloe Torgerson 5 ppg, Sr Breanna Olson 4 ppg.
Top newcomers – Jr Brynn Hillman, Soph Kadynn Melquist, Jr Emmy Heisler, Soph Hanah Selnes, Soph Caitlin Hovde, Fresh Anina Gehrls, and Jr Delaney Aaker
Season outlook according to Coach Frydenlund – “We are optimistic with our experience returning but we have some holes to fill especially inside-we will be a much smaller team this season-we will try to get up and down the floor and play full court defense and hope to improve each and every day.”
FRAZEE HORNETS – Coach Jason Reierson
Frazee was 11-16 last season with a first round loss to Breckenridge. Frazee loses five players to graduation, but they will return Paige Oswald after she averaged 12 points per game last year. They will have some good upper classman to work with and they should be able to hit double figure wins again this season.
We didn’t receive any information from Coach Reierson.
HAWLEY NUGGETS – Coach Bill Gottenborg 36th year
Hawley was 16-10 last year and lost to Barnesville in the second round of the playoffs. What can you say about the Dean of Section 8AA Girls Basketball, Coach Bill Gottenborg? He is a legend and will have some outstanding athletes to work with again this year. Paige Thompson will be one of the toughest match-ups for teams and I really like how she plays on both ends of the court. Hawley is another team that will be ready to make a run in March.
Top returners – Rianna Lilleby Sr. 7.5 ppg a very good spot up shooter, she is working to improve her shot off the dribble and footwork on defense; Paige Thompson Jr. – 9.3 ppg, 7.7 rebounds/game a skilled on offense and defense – 6’2 height will give opponents a problem as she can play both on the perimeter and in the post; McKenzie Koenig Jr. – 3 ppg, she had a great offseason and has improved her confidence on offense – we will look to her to be a stopper on the defensive end of the floor; Aby Rux 10th grade– 4.2 ppg, very strong, physical, and aggressive. She plays really hard. She is working to improve her defensive positioning and footwork.
Top newcomers – Kylie Crabtree 9th grade – 2.6 ppg, skilled offensive ballhandler and shooter – look to improve aggressive and physical play on defense; Kaylie Crabtree 9th grade – 2.4 ppg, skilled offensive ballhandler and shooter – look to improve aggressive and physical play on defense
Season outlook according to Coach Gottenborg – “The nuggets will be competitive and will work hard on doing the little things it takes to be successful such as playing hard, smart, together, and having fun.”
LONG PRAIRIE-GREY EAGLE THUNDER – Coach Jonathan Young 5th year as head, 12th overall.
The Thunder are coming off an 11-14 season last year and lost to Park Rapids in the first round of the tournament. They lose four players to graduation from last years team, including two all-conference players. They went 2-1 in the section last year and we still don’t know if they will be in the section next year so changing the schedule too much might not be the best thing to do.
Top returners – Emma Liebsch, Hannah Middendorf, Kaitlin Welters, Diana Salazar
Season outlook according to Coach Young – “We are returning varsity experience, but are replacing two three-year starters from last year’s team that were are top performers on both ends of the court. Looking to stay competitive and improve upon our record in the section 8 tournament.”
PARK RAPIDS PANTHERS – Coach Jeff Overmeyer – 7th year
Park Rapids was 14-12 last year and lost to Roseau in the second round of the playoffs. They lose four players to graduation including all conference honorable mention Jaiden McCollum. They have three players that received all-conference honors back and will have a solid core to work with. The Panthers could be one of the top teams in the south sub-section and it will be fun to see how they do throughout the season.
Top returners – Kaisa Coborn (Sr) All Mid-state conference, Kendra Coborn (Sr) All Mid-state honorable mention, Rilee Michaelson (Jr) All Mid-state, and Paige Johnson (Jr)
Season outlook according to Coach Overmeyer – “I think we will be at least a .500 team and be very competitive in the section as well as our conference.”
PERHAM YELLOWJACKETS Coach TJ Super 7th year at Perham and 13th overall (6 years at Cook County)
Perham was 14-14 last year and lost to East Grand Forks by three points in the second round of the tournament. They lose some solid players, but return a solid nucleus and some good shooters. They will be one of the top teams in the south and I am guessing will be one of the top three teams in the south.
Top returners – Sr. Mesa Schultz 8 ppg, 6.2 rpg,, Sr. Rachel Muer 7.5 ppg, 50 threes made, Sr. Lisa Meader 6 ppg, 43 made threes, Sr. Lacy Richter 5.2 ppg, So. Katie Johnson 5.5 ppg,
Top newcomers – So. Grayce Mickelson, Fr. Sydney Anderson, Fr. Mallory Belka, Fr. Bradlyn Gniffke, Jr. Katie Zepper, Jr. Grace Minten, So. Lily DeBoer, So. Stella Raser
Season outlook/preview of your team according to Coach Super– “We have good senior leadership and then a lot of talented younger players. It’ll be interesting to see how our team comes together and which girls step up. Right now, we have a lot of girls fighting for varsity playing time! Our goal is to get one of the top seeds in the subsection and fight for a section title.”
ROSEAU RAMS – Coach Kelsey Didrikson 6th year at Roseau – 11th year overall
Roseau was 26-6 last year and they were a slow start away from winning another state championship last year. Roseau has won the last four section championships and they are the heavy favorite to win again this year in a section that lost a lot of great talent to graduation. Roseau graduates two very good players with Victoria Johnson and Mya Hough. Mya might have been one of the most under-rated players to the casual basketball fan. She was solid and I was always impressed with the way she played and found ways to be successful. Speaking of successful, Roseau has All-State selection Kacie Borowicz (committed to play next year at UND) back for her senior year. She is the real deal and really gets the Rams going and Katie Borowicz, one of the best sophomores in the state. That is the top 1-2 combo in the section and one could say in the state in Class AA. After losing six to graduation, how will the Rams fill the holes? That will be the question mark, but I have a feeling it will be answered sooner than later. Roseau is the top team until somebody in the section proves otherwise.
Top returners – Kacie Borowicz – UND commit (26.5 ppg, 6.5 rb, 4.2 assists, 3.9 steals), Katie Borowicz (18.9 ppg, 5.2 assists, 5.5 steals, 5.4 rb), Emma Waling (4.3 ppg, 2.3 rb), Julia Braaten (3.1 ppg)
Top newcomers – Coach Didrickson said “That’s the big question mark! Hanna Mooney is a freshman who is looking to see some big minutes…from there we need girls to step up.”
Season outlook according to Coach Didrickson – “We graduated six seniors who had been around for a long time – there are lots of minutes to replace and question marks about who will fill those spots. In many ways, we are very young and will need the process of the whole season to improve and grow into those roles. It’s exciting to see how it will all play out!”
STAPLES-MOTLEY CARDINALS – Coach Brian Smith 1st year (13th year coaching)
The Cardinals are coming off a tough season with a 2-23 record and a loss to Perham in the first round of the section tournament. The loss of Claire Wolhowe will be tough for Staples-Motley, but with a solid core returning they will look to pick up some more wins. Coach Smith will have some bumps early with his young squad, but I am guessing they will get a few more wins this season.
Top returning players – Kaitlyn Smith (Jr.) Guard, Haley Cichos (So.) Guard, Jenna Dvorak (So.) Forward, Tab Allen (So.) Post
Top newcomer – Addy Lorber (Fr.) Guard
Season outlook according to Coach Smith – “We are a young team (no seniors on the roster). We lost our top 2 scorers and rebounders from last season, so we will need all of our players to step up and increase in those areas. We will be more athletic this season than last year and will try to use that athleticism to create some turnovers and get up and down the floor. I feel we have gotten better defensively and on the offensive side, we are focusing on the things we can do well and building on those. I think our girls got a lot of great experience last season and are looking forward to getting things rolling this season!”
THIEF RIVER FALLS PROWLERS – Coach Brian Loe – 1st year (12th year overall)
The Prowlers were 15-11 last year with a loss to Hawley in the first round of the playoffs. They suffered the biggest loss to graduation last year with Tiahna Nicholson (playing at UND) and Kylea Praska (playing at UM-Crookston) along with five other girls. It will be tough to find a new identity and with a “new” coach, it might be a good time to start over. It will be interesting to see how TRF ends up this year. They are probably the biggest unknown coming into the season.
Top returners – Seniors Alexa Rogalla 9.1 PPG, Hailey Rosendahl, Becca Leier
Top newcomers – Juniors: Annika Dalager, Carley Johnson, Camryn Schwab, Brea PrickettSeason outlook according to Coach Loe – “We have three Seniors, eight juniors, and one Sophomore on our Varsity team. We are going to have to work to replace a lot of lost scoring from last year. We will take pride in playing tough defense, rebounding hard, and working together to give us a chance to be successful. Our team works very hard, and they are a lot of fun to coach. We have high expectations for ourselves, in what most will call a rebuilding year. We look forward to being competitive in a VERY tough section!”
WADENA-DEER CREEK WOLVERINES- Coach Jordan Cresap- 1st year
The Wolverines were 7-19 last year and lost to Barnesville in the first round of the playoffs last year. They only lost two players to graduation and have some pretty good players returning. With first year coach Jordan Cresap at the helm expect good things from the girls, especially by the end of the year. It will be fun to see how the girls progress throughout the season.
Top returners – Ashley Adams (Sr), Kennedy Gravelle (Jr.) 10.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.7 APG), and Mackenzie Carsten (Jr)
Top newcomers – Madison Carsten (8), Madison Packer (9), Lauryn Gravelle (9)
Season outlook according to Coach Cresap – “We lost two valuable seniors last year in Casey Volkmann and Ellie Miron. We will have a good mix of veteran leadership and young girls who will need to step up into varsity roles. We have good size and athleticism and hope to use that to our advantage. This will be a team that will need some time to mesh and improve together. We hope to become a good rebounding team as well as a team that limits turnovers. This group will be fun to coach because they compete and work hard!”
WARROAD WARRIORS – Coach John Larson- 2nd year as head coach at Warroad. 9th year overall.
The Warriors were 4-23 last season and lost to Park Rapids in the first round of the playoffs. Warroad will have expectations of some more wins this year with a good crew coming back, but they lost a good one to graduation in Bailey Kleinshcmidt. Coach Larson is doing a good job with the girls and they will be more competitive and the season opening loss won’t deter them.
Top returners- Anna Holter, Sky Boucha, Lexi Syverson, Madi Pickar, Nikki Dalen
Promising players- Catherine Thompson, Lydia Tessier, Laci Kennedy
Season outlook according to Coach Larson. “We are a team with some older leadership that can hopefully continue to turn the program around. We also have some incoming underclassmen that will push for significant playing time. We will be improved in the win column and on the floor this year. I am very hopeful and optimistic.”
