Bismarck vs Mandan - Predictions and Why!

[pbhoopsters]

What do you Class A folks think on this one. I saw Bismarck play against West Fargo but did not think it was a good game to judge how good the Bismarck girls really are. There is no doubt they have size and athleticism but I did not think this particular game allowed one to judge the players on their basketball skills.

They seemed to play good defense but at the same time I thought West Fargo had alot of needless turnovers. Bismarck seemed to be getting alot of baskets off steals, put backs and back door cuts. I was hoping to be able to see more of how they would handle pressure, how well they shoot off the dribble and what type of low post game they have. I know that A. Feeney has a reputation of being a good low post player but with WF playing a zone she did not have alot of opportunities. I left the game not knowing how to evaluate them with the other top teams in Class A. Of course I was impressed with their athleticism but that alone won't always win you basketball games.

Can they handle pressure? If you make them put the ball on the floor do they have an outside game? If they double down on A. Feeney does the opposition take away their inside game? What do you folks think when Bismarck faces a good defensive team like Mandan on Thursday? How do you see Bismarck matching up with Jamestown?

[EDC]

Prior to the WF game I was ready to hand the State A title to Bismarck but now I think Bismarck is still the best but are not unbeatable though they have a good chance of going undefeated. I don’t know the answer to most of your questions. Bismarck has skills, are smart, athletic, motivated, can go to the basket if turned loose. They pride themselves in drawing fouls which they do very well.

Bismarck posts know how to use their body very well to shield the ball. Good jumpers and quick. What puzzles me is very few posts have learned to just turn around and face the basket and keep the ball high and shoot the 5 to 10 foot jumper. Kipliski (sp?) did that. It allows the post to stay in the game against zones. That is how Paulson is scoring many of her points along with taking a few dribbles and then shoot the jumpshot.

I don’t see Jamestown beating Bismarck. Mandan has a chance till proven otherwise.

[roughrider125]

That is a very good point that EDC makes...there are very few posts who spot up shoot like Paulson I've not seen much of the Feeney's but I would have thought that would be one of their moves especially after playing with Paulson all summer. Paulson has really only been doing that since Jacobson and this year she has perfected it. It has been killing teams because they either come out and she burns them on the dribble or they sag and she shoots a "free throw." It is a skill that all posts should develop. Andstadt from South shoots it occasionally and it works for her as well

[EDC]

I think the better players from the better teams are fairly competitive. I don’t see one standout head and shoulders better player in Class A. What makes Bismarck so tough is their depth. This is a team game and Bismarck just has more quality veteran players. This is why it will be hard to beat Bismarck this year especially when their “better” players are very good.

[pbhoopsters]

Prior to the WF game I was ready to hand the State A title to Bismarck but now I think Bismarck is still the best but are not unbeatable though they have a good chance of going undefeated. I don’t know the answer to most of your questions. Bismarck has skills, are smart, athletic, motivated, can go to the basket if turned loose. They pride themselves in drawing fouls which they do very well.

Bismarck posts know how to use their body very well to shield the ball. Good jumpers and quick. What puzzles me is very few posts have learned to just turn around and face the basket and keep the ball high and shoot the 5 to 10 foot jumper. Kipliski (sp?) did that. It allows the post to stay in the game against zones. That is how Paulson is scoring many of her points along with taking a few dribbles and then shoot the jumpshot.

I don’t see Jamestown beating Bismarck. Mandan has a chance till proven otherwise.

I am familar with Jamestown. I do know they have some basketball skills. They know how to work the high low well with Dale and Ramlo. They work hard at sealing their defenders and reversing the ball to where the low post is in good position to catch and score. They are not as athletic as Bismarck but they have a basketball savy that seems to help them get the job done. I have alway been a Morgan Dale fan. She can hurt you so many ways. She can handle the ball, spot up for the jumper or put the ball on the floor and take the ball to the hoop. If teams pay too much attention to her she has the vision and good sense to get the ball to the open player. They have two quality wins over Mandan and South so barring any injuries I think they could make a match up with Bismarck interesting.

[dgfsuperfan1]

Prior to the WF game I was ready to hand the State A title to Bismarck but now I think Bismarck is still the best but are not unbeatable though they have a good chance of going undefeated. I don’t know the answer to most of your questions. Bismarck has skills, are smart, athletic, motivated, can go to the basket if turned loose. They pride themselves in drawing fouls which they do very well.

Bismarck posts know how to use their body very well to shield the ball. Good jumpers and quick. What puzzles me is very few posts have learned to just turn around and face the basket and keep the ball high and shoot the 5 to 10 foot jumper. Kipliski (sp?) did that. It allows the post to stay in the game against zones. That is how Paulson is scoring many of her points along with taking a few dribbles and then shoot the jumpshot.

I don’t see Jamestown beating Bismarck. Mandan has a chance till proven otherwise.

A good coach tries to get his post player to be well rounded and then tries to use their abilities. Most girl coaches just want their big girls to take one step back then shoot. Unfortunate that most big girls are not given the encourgement to develop other skills. Jocabson at Sharnley has done a great job of getting his big girls to learn ball handling and shooting skills.

[Baller]

You are right about skill development, but I think you are giving the credit to the wrong person. Pretty sure it is Plecity working with those posts and making them better more than Jacobson.

[Eminence]

BHS and Mandan will be a battle between the post and the guards. Mandan always brings a lot of pressure on the ball and shoots the 3 point shoot well. BHS should control the boards and the lane. BHS is deeper than Mandan but will BHS be able to handle the pressure?

[Baller]

BHS and Mandan will be a battle between the post and the guards. Mandan always brings a lot of pressure on the ball and shoots the 3 point shoot well. BHS should control the boards and the lane. BHS is deeper than Mandan but will BHS be able to handle the pressure?

I heard Finley got hurt pretty bad in Gillette. That will hurt Mandans depth even more.

[Eminence]

Is it serious??

[Baller]

This is from the Gillette Paper:

Mandan may have lost more than the game, however. The Braves, who face the hometown Camels at 1 p.m. Saturday in the third-place game, played the second half without senior Marlee Finley, who went down with a right ankle injury.

She left the training room on crutches in the fourth quarter to join teammates on the bench and then went to the Campbell County Memorial Hospital. The extent of her injury was unknown the second day of games concluded, but it likely will put her out of action on Saturday as well.

Brittany Knighton led Oregon City with 16 points, followed by guard Kenna Borgmeier with nine.

Ali Collins, who fouled out in the fourth quarter, earned 11 points for Mandan. Paige Jensen added nine.

[Eminence]

Hopefully nothing is broken or torn and it's not an ACL like Privasky. I wonder if she will play against BHS and what the impact will be to the Braves?

[Carl08]

You are right about skill development, but I think you are giving the credit to the wrong person. Pretty sure it is Plecity working with those posts and making them better more than Jacobson.

According to Shanley parents it's mostly Jacobson.

[baseball18]

BHS leads 54-45 with 9 min left

[Baller]

BHS leads 54-45 with 9 min left

Bismarck won by 10 74-64....anyone have a rundown of who played how??

[EDC]

The spell is broken

[Dynasty]

I was there. Very good game. Mandan took a quick lead by 7 I believe, and things were looking good. The tides quickly changed though..., Hats off to BHS, they worked hard and earned the win. I think one point that had to come out of that game and the boys game was that BHS is not a shoe in for a championship in either. Not saying they won't win one or both, but it's not a gimme.

A few quick observations..Finley played well, but did sit more than usual, the ankle had to be bothering her a bit. One of the Feeney girls stuck to Collins all night...she did an excellent job defending Ali. Ali had an off night, going 3 for 11 I believe, but a lot of that is due to Feeney and help. As expected, BHS had control of the boards, however, Mandan held there own considering the BHS height advantages. Strandemo played pretty well for her first game back from injury. She was limited in time, and a little slower than normal, but she'll get back to speed soon from the looks of it. Mandan's press is not what it used to be, at least at this point in the season. They just don't seem to be as quick as past years, I guess I'm used to seeing Mic Kraft flying around out there! I couldn't tell if MHS is slower or BHS is quicker than I expected, maybe a little of both. I thought Mandan would have a few more steals and fast break points, but BHS kept pace and did a nice job breaking press and handled the ball well.

If Mandan can figure out how to hold thier early leads, they'll be real dangerous. They held the lead vs. JHS and BHS. I expect them to be in the mix at the end, I think Coach A will have them ready.

Nice job by both teams, they played their hearts out and look to be contenders!

Hang in there MHS, keep working hard, a few possessions here and there have made the difference.....

[Eminence]

Mandan had it's stats for the game on their WDA site for all you stat junkies:

http://www2.edutech.nodak.edu/edcbb/Gir ... smarck.htm

Good games last night. Both teams did good things and bad things. It will be fun watching the two teams the rest of the season.

[Eminence]

Mandan has the boards BHS 41 and Mandan 29 which seemed to be more realistic than the tribunes box score.