Post by Admin on Nov 21, 2014 8:31:18 GMT -6
via Guy Limbeck Rochester Post Bulletin
www.postbulletin.com/sports/localsports/boys-basketball-three-rivers-conference-season-preview/article_efb329f2-3b24-51ee-b3d9-e886a6a5a638.html
Rushford-Peterson (31-2 overall, 19-1 Three Rivers): The Trojans won the South Division last season, went on to win the Section 1A championship and were the runner-up in Class A. This year the divisions are East and West. R-P has been an elite Class A team in recent years and has finished second, third and third in the past three state tournaments. The Trojans should be a power again this year with three starters and a couple of key reserves back. "We'll be pretty good," said coach Tom Vix, who enters the season with a 587-211 record. A trio of senior guards return as starters in 5-10 Alex Vix 6-1 (11.0 points per game, 2.5 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 1.9 assists), Charlie Krambeer (10.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.3 spg) and 5-11 do-everything Cole Kingsley (8.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.1 spg, 4.8 apg). Senior guards Zach Vix (3.5 ppg) and Jacob Merchlewitz (4.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.7 apg) and cat-quick 6-1 sophomore forward Noah Carlson (2.8 ppg, 1.4 spg) are key reserves returning. Kyle Paulson, a 6-4 senior forward, (2.4 ppg) will play a bigger role this year and 6-8, 300-pound junior Matt Culhane could develop into a force in the middle. Senior forward Tanner Lecy also returns. Coach Vix said guard play also with "quickness and experience" will be the team's strengths as the Trojans will again play uptempo and apply defensive pressure.
Caledonia (29-3 overall, 17-2 Three Rivers): The Warriors are coming off a stellar year in which they won the Section 1AA championship and went on to place third at the Class AA state tournament. Caledonia seems primed for another outstanding season with three starters back and most of its top reserves. "We will be very deep on the bench," coach Josh Diersen said. "Our inside and outside shooting will put pressure on other team's defenses." The Warriors are not only athletic, but big. A trio of double-figure scorers return in seniors Kyle Sorenson (13.2 ppg), a 6-7 forward bound for Bemidji State and 5-10 guard Austin Bauer (11.3 ppg) and 6-0 junior guard Colton Lambert (10.6 ppg). Senior Seth Twite (6-0 guard) is the other starter back while freshman Owen King (6-0, guard) led the team in 3-pointers last year as an eighth-grader. Two other players that will provided solid size inside are senior Justin Burg and junior Gavin Schroeder, both 6-4 forwards. Rounding out a deep rotation are juniors Tanner Gran (5-8 guard), Henry Russert (6-1, guard), Ethan Ducharme (6-0, guard) and Tristen Ott (6-1, guard). Caledonia should be in a heated battle with Rushford-Peterson of the division title and will be among the favorites in Section 1AA.
Winona Cotter (12-15 overall, 9-11 Three Rivers): The Ramblers return two starters and a key reserve from a year ago. Josh Forst, a 6-1 senior guard, and 5-8 junior guard Jonah Spiten return as starters. Both are capable at scoring but they will have to pick up the slack this year as Cotter lost its top three scorers. Marcus Kuhlmann, 6-1 senior guard, is also back. Cotter has eight seniors on is roster but coach Dave Jewison does not have a lot of height to work with. The team features three 6-2 players, senior forward Carter Cunningham , senior guard Henry Killen and junior center Brennan Schaffner.
Lewiston-Altura (5-22 overall, 4-16 Three Rivers): The Cardinals have two returning starters but no key returning seniors. "With no experienced seniors, our youth will need to learn and adapt quickly," coach Brian Menk. Junior Cullin Neeck, a 6-4 forward, averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds a year ago while 5-11 junior guard Peyton Schumacher averaged 6.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists a game. Three others expected to play key roles include juniors Landon Kieffer, a forward, and guard Logan Knutson along with sophomore guard Alex Brown. "We have a fairly deep and athletic team with some good scorers," Menk said. The Cardinals will have to gain experience as the season goes on, however, and also do not have a lot of height. "We are hoping to compete with the stronger teams in our conference, but have a lot of work to do to get there," Menk said.
Fillmore Central (7-21 overall, 3-17 Three Rivers): The Falcons do not have a lot of experience back, but have three key players returning from last year's seven-win team. The team will not feature a lot of size with just one players taller than 6-3. The top players back are 6-0 senior forward Nick Mensink (6.0 ppg), 5-11 senior point guard Jordan Miller (3.0 ppg, 1.5 apg, 1.5 spg) and 5-11 senior guard Kiel Larson (3.0 ppg). Other players back include seniors Bryce Whitehill (5-9 senior guard), Gatlin Woellert (5-11, forward) and Zach Sorenson (6-3, center) and junior Trace Tollefson (6-2, guard/forward). Among the other top candidates is Drew Tienter, a 6-5 sophomore center. "Every night is a battle in the TRC," said second-year coach Aaron Mensink, a Fillmore Central grad. "We want to be competitive and continue to create team chemistry an be playing our best basketball in February and March."
La Crescent (11-15, 8-9 HVL): The Lancers move over from the Hiawatha Valley League to join the Three Rivers Conference this year. The team also has a new coach in Ryan Thibodeau. He inherits a team that has three full- or part-time starters back. Payton McQuin, a 6-1 senior forward, averaged 7.0 points and 2.9 rebounds a year ago, 6-2 senior forward Mario Miller averaged 4.5 points and 4.8 rebounds and 5-9 sophomore guard Mario Miller averaged 3.0 points and 1.2 rebounds. Other key players back are 6-4 senior forward Connor Nelson (1.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg), 6-0 senior guard John Gurholt (2.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg) and 6-1 junior forward Phillip Miller (1.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg). Senior guard Jason Gurholt also saw limited minutes. Depth and balance should be the Lancers' strength. "We have players with different skill sets which will hopefully give us the ability to beat teams in multiple ways," Thibodeau said. Thibodeau said the Lancers could have an adjustment period to start the year. "We have to get used to one another but I'm hopeful this process won't take long," the coach said.
WEST DIVISION
Plainview-Elgin-Millville (22-7 overall, 18-2 Three Rivers): The Bulldogs have been the cream Three Rivers for nearly a decade. P-E-M has either won or tied for the conference or division title the past eight seasons and made four state appearances in that span. P-E-M was the division champion a year ago, but was tripped up in the section playoffs. The Bulldogs hope to continue their strong run but have limited experience back. They lost their top four scorers and 6-2 senior forward Alex McGuire is the lone starter back. He was an honorable mention all-conference pick a year ago. Tanner Hofschulte, a 6-3 senior forward, is the only other letterwinner back. "This will be a very quick group of kids and we look to use our team speed," coach Blake Karas said. "We should be better defensively than (in) recent years." Returning seniors include 6-0 guard Nelson Finne, 5-9 point guard Brandon Ching, 6-3 forward Dalten Fox, 5-10 guard Ethan Hugstad and 6-4 forward Frank Cerar. Karas believes P-E-M will be able to compete for division and section titles. "Inside play and rebounding is something we would like to improve as the season progresses," the coach said.
Chatfield (19-7 overall, 14-6 Three Rivers): The Gophers have one starter back from last year's athletic team. But the cupboard doesn't appear to be bare for coach Tom Bance. "We feel like we can compete with P-E-M in our division," Bance said. Christian Bance, a 6-1 senior guard, is the lone starter back. He averaged 13 points and four rebounds last year. Other seniors back include 6-3 forward Ethan Woltz, 6-2 forward Drew Hurley, 6-3 forward Dan Narveson, 6-0 center TJ Moechnig, 5-10 guard Alex Brat and 6-0 forward Payton Lund. Bance says his team strengths should be "good depth, aggressive, smart" and the team should be a division contender as the season goes on. "We could be very good when the new guys gain that experience," Bance said. The coach could hit a milestone during the year as he enters with 187 career wins. He is 169-146 at Chatfield.
St. Charles (17-9 overall, 12-7 Three Rivers): The Saints graduated nine players off of last year's 17-win team and all of their top scorers are rebounders. Coach Terry Knothe will feature a young squad. Junior Dayton Danielson, a 6-2 guard, is the lone starter back. Other players who will play a key role are 6-2 junior forward Luke Leistikow, 6-3 senior center Harrison Roessler and 5-11 sophomore guard Justin Ruhberg. Knothe was the team needs to cut down turnovers from a year ago and shoot a higher percentage from the floor. The Saints set a single-season school record with 512 free-throw attempts last year, but made a modest 57.4 percent at the line. Other seniors back are forward Ben Dittrich, guard Dillan Zillmer, guard Miguel Aguilar and forward Quinn Roessler. "Our league is going to be very good," Knothe said. "Likely two teams ranked in top five (Caledonia, R-P) at season's start based on their finish last year and what they return this year. Combine that with some really good juniors across the league, and the level of play should be quite high."
Dover-Eyota (8-19 overall, 6-13 Three Rivers): The Eagles have a trio of starters back from a year ago and another big man who saw limited action. Coach Tim Mayer said he and his staff strive to "continue to build the program." The team aims to finish above .500 this season. "Our goal is to push the upper half of the (division) standings," Mayer said. Seniors Brandon Jech and Thomas Pankonin both average nine points a game last season. Jech, a 6-1 guard, also averaged 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals while Pankonin, a 6-2 forward, pulled down 5.0 rebounds a contest. Joe Reiss, a 5-8 senior point guard, averaged 5.0 points and 3.0 assists last year. Jake Borst, a senior forward, has intriguing size and 6-7 and he averaged 2.0 points a year ago. Other players back include guards West Brown, a senior, and junior Garrett Studer.
Wabasha-Kellogg (9-19 overall, 5-15 Three Rivers): The Falcons get a bit of bad news before the season even starters. The team has two returning starters but one, senior point guard Jake Purvis, will be lost for the season due to injury. That leaves 6-0 junior guard Ryan Wolfe (11.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.8 spg) as the lone starter back. "We are thin," coach Michael Malmquist said. "Foul trouble will hurt us." Overall the Falcons will feature a young squad. Other players expected to play key roles include senior Nik Zell (5-10, guard), juniors Michael Guidinger (6-4, center) and Marcus Meyer (6-2 forward), sophomores Jackson Gosse (6-0 forward) and Danny Bauer (5-10, point guard) and freshman Zach Kjeseth (5-10, guard). "We should be a much better shooting team from last year," Malmquist said. "We will play hard and full of energy."
Southland (6-21, 4-15 Three Rivers): The Rebels lost most of their top scorers from a year. Josh Anderson, a 6-2 junior center, is the lone returning starter. He averaged 8.6 points a game a year ago. Southland has nine seniors on its roster but just one, 6-2 forward Brandon Bergene, is over 6-feet tall. The team has a pair of 6-3 juniors in center Collin Mueller and forward Jon Hanson.
Kingsland (6-21 overall, 4-16 Three Rivers): The Knights have some good experience back plus a lot of veterans with 22 seniors and juniors on the squad. The team features a lot of guards 6-1 in under in seniors Trevor Schwarz, Isiah Bubany, Jacob Rindels, Dane Gillespie and Clayton Friemuth along with juniors Quinn Larson, Logan Back and JJ Fenske. The team also features a bit of size in forwards Josh Bradley (6-5 senior), Marcus Plaehn (6-3, senior), Nicek Niemeyer (6-2, senior), Julius Wolf (6-3 ,senior) and Allen Junge (6-2, senior). "We have several players who can score, but we need to find some guys that can score every night," coach John Fenske said. Fenske believes the Knights can be competitive in the conference if his team continues to jell throughout the season. "We should be right in the middle of the thing and hopefully with a chance to make some noise at the end," the coach said.
www.postbulletin.com/sports/localsports/boys-basketball-three-rivers-conference-season-preview/article_efb329f2-3b24-51ee-b3d9-e886a6a5a638.html
Rushford-Peterson (31-2 overall, 19-1 Three Rivers): The Trojans won the South Division last season, went on to win the Section 1A championship and were the runner-up in Class A. This year the divisions are East and West. R-P has been an elite Class A team in recent years and has finished second, third and third in the past three state tournaments. The Trojans should be a power again this year with three starters and a couple of key reserves back. "We'll be pretty good," said coach Tom Vix, who enters the season with a 587-211 record. A trio of senior guards return as starters in 5-10 Alex Vix 6-1 (11.0 points per game, 2.5 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 1.9 assists), Charlie Krambeer (10.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.3 spg) and 5-11 do-everything Cole Kingsley (8.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.1 spg, 4.8 apg). Senior guards Zach Vix (3.5 ppg) and Jacob Merchlewitz (4.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.7 apg) and cat-quick 6-1 sophomore forward Noah Carlson (2.8 ppg, 1.4 spg) are key reserves returning. Kyle Paulson, a 6-4 senior forward, (2.4 ppg) will play a bigger role this year and 6-8, 300-pound junior Matt Culhane could develop into a force in the middle. Senior forward Tanner Lecy also returns. Coach Vix said guard play also with "quickness and experience" will be the team's strengths as the Trojans will again play uptempo and apply defensive pressure.
Caledonia (29-3 overall, 17-2 Three Rivers): The Warriors are coming off a stellar year in which they won the Section 1AA championship and went on to place third at the Class AA state tournament. Caledonia seems primed for another outstanding season with three starters back and most of its top reserves. "We will be very deep on the bench," coach Josh Diersen said. "Our inside and outside shooting will put pressure on other team's defenses." The Warriors are not only athletic, but big. A trio of double-figure scorers return in seniors Kyle Sorenson (13.2 ppg), a 6-7 forward bound for Bemidji State and 5-10 guard Austin Bauer (11.3 ppg) and 6-0 junior guard Colton Lambert (10.6 ppg). Senior Seth Twite (6-0 guard) is the other starter back while freshman Owen King (6-0, guard) led the team in 3-pointers last year as an eighth-grader. Two other players that will provided solid size inside are senior Justin Burg and junior Gavin Schroeder, both 6-4 forwards. Rounding out a deep rotation are juniors Tanner Gran (5-8 guard), Henry Russert (6-1, guard), Ethan Ducharme (6-0, guard) and Tristen Ott (6-1, guard). Caledonia should be in a heated battle with Rushford-Peterson of the division title and will be among the favorites in Section 1AA.
Winona Cotter (12-15 overall, 9-11 Three Rivers): The Ramblers return two starters and a key reserve from a year ago. Josh Forst, a 6-1 senior guard, and 5-8 junior guard Jonah Spiten return as starters. Both are capable at scoring but they will have to pick up the slack this year as Cotter lost its top three scorers. Marcus Kuhlmann, 6-1 senior guard, is also back. Cotter has eight seniors on is roster but coach Dave Jewison does not have a lot of height to work with. The team features three 6-2 players, senior forward Carter Cunningham , senior guard Henry Killen and junior center Brennan Schaffner.
Lewiston-Altura (5-22 overall, 4-16 Three Rivers): The Cardinals have two returning starters but no key returning seniors. "With no experienced seniors, our youth will need to learn and adapt quickly," coach Brian Menk. Junior Cullin Neeck, a 6-4 forward, averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds a year ago while 5-11 junior guard Peyton Schumacher averaged 6.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists a game. Three others expected to play key roles include juniors Landon Kieffer, a forward, and guard Logan Knutson along with sophomore guard Alex Brown. "We have a fairly deep and athletic team with some good scorers," Menk said. The Cardinals will have to gain experience as the season goes on, however, and also do not have a lot of height. "We are hoping to compete with the stronger teams in our conference, but have a lot of work to do to get there," Menk said.
Fillmore Central (7-21 overall, 3-17 Three Rivers): The Falcons do not have a lot of experience back, but have three key players returning from last year's seven-win team. The team will not feature a lot of size with just one players taller than 6-3. The top players back are 6-0 senior forward Nick Mensink (6.0 ppg), 5-11 senior point guard Jordan Miller (3.0 ppg, 1.5 apg, 1.5 spg) and 5-11 senior guard Kiel Larson (3.0 ppg). Other players back include seniors Bryce Whitehill (5-9 senior guard), Gatlin Woellert (5-11, forward) and Zach Sorenson (6-3, center) and junior Trace Tollefson (6-2, guard/forward). Among the other top candidates is Drew Tienter, a 6-5 sophomore center. "Every night is a battle in the TRC," said second-year coach Aaron Mensink, a Fillmore Central grad. "We want to be competitive and continue to create team chemistry an be playing our best basketball in February and March."
La Crescent (11-15, 8-9 HVL): The Lancers move over from the Hiawatha Valley League to join the Three Rivers Conference this year. The team also has a new coach in Ryan Thibodeau. He inherits a team that has three full- or part-time starters back. Payton McQuin, a 6-1 senior forward, averaged 7.0 points and 2.9 rebounds a year ago, 6-2 senior forward Mario Miller averaged 4.5 points and 4.8 rebounds and 5-9 sophomore guard Mario Miller averaged 3.0 points and 1.2 rebounds. Other key players back are 6-4 senior forward Connor Nelson (1.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg), 6-0 senior guard John Gurholt (2.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg) and 6-1 junior forward Phillip Miller (1.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg). Senior guard Jason Gurholt also saw limited minutes. Depth and balance should be the Lancers' strength. "We have players with different skill sets which will hopefully give us the ability to beat teams in multiple ways," Thibodeau said. Thibodeau said the Lancers could have an adjustment period to start the year. "We have to get used to one another but I'm hopeful this process won't take long," the coach said.
WEST DIVISION
Plainview-Elgin-Millville (22-7 overall, 18-2 Three Rivers): The Bulldogs have been the cream Three Rivers for nearly a decade. P-E-M has either won or tied for the conference or division title the past eight seasons and made four state appearances in that span. P-E-M was the division champion a year ago, but was tripped up in the section playoffs. The Bulldogs hope to continue their strong run but have limited experience back. They lost their top four scorers and 6-2 senior forward Alex McGuire is the lone starter back. He was an honorable mention all-conference pick a year ago. Tanner Hofschulte, a 6-3 senior forward, is the only other letterwinner back. "This will be a very quick group of kids and we look to use our team speed," coach Blake Karas said. "We should be better defensively than (in) recent years." Returning seniors include 6-0 guard Nelson Finne, 5-9 point guard Brandon Ching, 6-3 forward Dalten Fox, 5-10 guard Ethan Hugstad and 6-4 forward Frank Cerar. Karas believes P-E-M will be able to compete for division and section titles. "Inside play and rebounding is something we would like to improve as the season progresses," the coach said.
Chatfield (19-7 overall, 14-6 Three Rivers): The Gophers have one starter back from last year's athletic team. But the cupboard doesn't appear to be bare for coach Tom Bance. "We feel like we can compete with P-E-M in our division," Bance said. Christian Bance, a 6-1 senior guard, is the lone starter back. He averaged 13 points and four rebounds last year. Other seniors back include 6-3 forward Ethan Woltz, 6-2 forward Drew Hurley, 6-3 forward Dan Narveson, 6-0 center TJ Moechnig, 5-10 guard Alex Brat and 6-0 forward Payton Lund. Bance says his team strengths should be "good depth, aggressive, smart" and the team should be a division contender as the season goes on. "We could be very good when the new guys gain that experience," Bance said. The coach could hit a milestone during the year as he enters with 187 career wins. He is 169-146 at Chatfield.
St. Charles (17-9 overall, 12-7 Three Rivers): The Saints graduated nine players off of last year's 17-win team and all of their top scorers are rebounders. Coach Terry Knothe will feature a young squad. Junior Dayton Danielson, a 6-2 guard, is the lone starter back. Other players who will play a key role are 6-2 junior forward Luke Leistikow, 6-3 senior center Harrison Roessler and 5-11 sophomore guard Justin Ruhberg. Knothe was the team needs to cut down turnovers from a year ago and shoot a higher percentage from the floor. The Saints set a single-season school record with 512 free-throw attempts last year, but made a modest 57.4 percent at the line. Other seniors back are forward Ben Dittrich, guard Dillan Zillmer, guard Miguel Aguilar and forward Quinn Roessler. "Our league is going to be very good," Knothe said. "Likely two teams ranked in top five (Caledonia, R-P) at season's start based on their finish last year and what they return this year. Combine that with some really good juniors across the league, and the level of play should be quite high."
Dover-Eyota (8-19 overall, 6-13 Three Rivers): The Eagles have a trio of starters back from a year ago and another big man who saw limited action. Coach Tim Mayer said he and his staff strive to "continue to build the program." The team aims to finish above .500 this season. "Our goal is to push the upper half of the (division) standings," Mayer said. Seniors Brandon Jech and Thomas Pankonin both average nine points a game last season. Jech, a 6-1 guard, also averaged 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals while Pankonin, a 6-2 forward, pulled down 5.0 rebounds a contest. Joe Reiss, a 5-8 senior point guard, averaged 5.0 points and 3.0 assists last year. Jake Borst, a senior forward, has intriguing size and 6-7 and he averaged 2.0 points a year ago. Other players back include guards West Brown, a senior, and junior Garrett Studer.
Wabasha-Kellogg (9-19 overall, 5-15 Three Rivers): The Falcons get a bit of bad news before the season even starters. The team has two returning starters but one, senior point guard Jake Purvis, will be lost for the season due to injury. That leaves 6-0 junior guard Ryan Wolfe (11.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.8 spg) as the lone starter back. "We are thin," coach Michael Malmquist said. "Foul trouble will hurt us." Overall the Falcons will feature a young squad. Other players expected to play key roles include senior Nik Zell (5-10, guard), juniors Michael Guidinger (6-4, center) and Marcus Meyer (6-2 forward), sophomores Jackson Gosse (6-0 forward) and Danny Bauer (5-10, point guard) and freshman Zach Kjeseth (5-10, guard). "We should be a much better shooting team from last year," Malmquist said. "We will play hard and full of energy."
Southland (6-21, 4-15 Three Rivers): The Rebels lost most of their top scorers from a year. Josh Anderson, a 6-2 junior center, is the lone returning starter. He averaged 8.6 points a game a year ago. Southland has nine seniors on its roster but just one, 6-2 forward Brandon Bergene, is over 6-feet tall. The team has a pair of 6-3 juniors in center Collin Mueller and forward Jon Hanson.
Kingsland (6-21 overall, 4-16 Three Rivers): The Knights have some good experience back plus a lot of veterans with 22 seniors and juniors on the squad. The team features a lot of guards 6-1 in under in seniors Trevor Schwarz, Isiah Bubany, Jacob Rindels, Dane Gillespie and Clayton Friemuth along with juniors Quinn Larson, Logan Back and JJ Fenske. The team also features a bit of size in forwards Josh Bradley (6-5 senior), Marcus Plaehn (6-3, senior), Nicek Niemeyer (6-2, senior), Julius Wolf (6-3 ,senior) and Allen Junge (6-2, senior). "We have several players who can score, but we need to find some guys that can score every night," coach John Fenske said. Fenske believes the Knights can be competitive in the conference if his team continues to jell throughout the season. "We should be right in the middle of the thing and hopefully with a chance to make some noise at the end," the coach said.