North Dakota Preps

Who is struggling and why? Injuries etc.

Wow nobody wants to admit that there is struggling teams this year.

North Star. They're good, but they're struggling to pick up momentum. They'll be hard-pressed if they want to go back to State.

HammerTime wrote:North Star. They're good, but they're struggling to pick up momentum. They'll be hard-pressed if they want to go back to State.

Totally disagree with this comment

packers21 wrote:

HammerTime wrote:North Star. They're good, but they're struggling to pick up momentum. They'll be hard-pressed if they want to go back to State.

Totally disagree with this comment

Well, explain.

Are they still in the same region as four winds?

Yeah. Which explains why, when they are down an all-state caliber player, they'd struggle.

packers21 wrote:

HammerTime wrote:North Star. They're good, but they're struggling to pick up momentum. They'll be hard-pressed if they want to go back to State.

Totally disagree with this comment

I agree with both of you. They play well n have competed well with good teams. They get Weston back next month they will be right there during tourney.
I was a spectator at the cavalier game n have saw two other cavalier games. They are on one of those low moments in season. Laxdahl is a good coach but needs to find that solid 5 best players to give team best chance down the stretch.
He has a young point guard that with varsity minutes will be a huge asset if used. He is tall n can see the court n drives very well but needs to pick up next level of defense with minutes n backing of his coach he should be fine.
They also have a kid that is a excellent 3 point shooter n defends very well with quick feet moves down court very well. Watching him he looks to be a clutch shooter at the free throw line. He was shooting threes during warm ups that kid can seriously shoot giving them a huge threat from the wing n that is where they are lacking to take pressure off the big guys. Backing from coach n minutes he to will be just fine come tourney.
Seeing these two play together look to be bigger assets to the team than the point guard n wing they are using now that are not an offensive threat to any team.
Then with 5 deep on the bench these boys can be dangerous scoring n running the court all game but until then if I was a team playing cavalier I would pack a tight zone stopping big guys n say fire away boys u are going to beat me from the outside to win n due to no shooters they struggle n hopefully get advantage on defensive rebounds.
When laxdahl gets this groove going things will flow just like when northstar gets Weston back things will free up there also. Good Luck boys

HammerTime wrote:

packers21 wrote:

HammerTime wrote:North Star. They're good, but they're struggling to pick up momentum. They'll be hard-pressed if they want to go back to State.

Totally disagree with this comment

Well, explain.

Here's why IMO-

First off they were gunna be hard pressed to get back to state even before Weston went down, with 4winds in that region.

To say that they are struggling is tough, lost to number 1 team in the state on a neutral court by 10, lost to the number 3 team at their place by 11 and then went on the road and beat the number 8 team by 9. That doesnt really seem like a team thats stuggling that much to me.

They will have another scorer in Weston when he gets back, even if its at 75%. That will give them even more confidence.

packers21 wrote:

HammerTime wrote:

packers21 wrote:

HammerTime wrote:North Star. They're good, but they're struggling to pick up momentum. They'll be hard-pressed if they want to go back to State.

Totally disagree with this comment

Well, explain.

Here's why IMO-

First off they were gunna be hard pressed to get back to state even before Weston went down, with 4winds in that region.

To say that they are struggling is tough, lost to number 1 team in the state on a neutral court by 10, lost to the number 3 team at their place by 11 and then went on the road and beat the number 8 team by 9. That doesnt really seem like a team thats stuggling that much to me.

They will have another scorer in Weston when he gets back, even if its at 75%. That will give them even more confidence.

I agree with packers21. I wouldn't say North Star is struggling. I'd actually say they're playing pretty well. Anytime something like that happens to a team (losing a player like that), it's always hard. You never know how the team will react and bounce back from that. I think they've done a good job of playing hard and trying to get through that and do what they can. It'll be interesting to see what happens toward the end of this season.

I agree and disagree with them struggling. Like usual, North Star has played well in their biggest games specifically against Cavalier, Rugby and Four Winds-Minnewaukan. The team has struggled against average teams winning by small margins against Dakota Prairie, Larimore and Park River/Fordville-Lankin. It takes some time to fit into new roles anytime you lose a player like Weston. They are doing well, but have seemed to not play as well against unranked opponents.

Big Blue wrote:I agree and disagree with them struggling. Like usual, North Star has played well in their biggest games specifically against Cavalier, Rugby and Four Winds-Minnewaukan. The team has struggled against average teams winning by small margins against Dakota Prairie, Larimore and Park River/Fordville-Lankin. It takes some time to fit into new roles anytime you lose a player like Weston. They are doing well, but have seemed to not play as well against unranked opponents.

played well against Cavalier?....the score was 20 to 20 at halftime and it wasn't because of Defense
NS missed a pile of open looks...both teams were severely tight...NS made their free throws down the stretch and won...NS is a solid team and whether they're struggling or not (interesting topic because I think theres an element of every team has ups and downs and this year its more wide spread...just nature of the beast some seasons) they are a contender where ever they go.....

If Seattle or New England lost their qb this week we would agree that team is in trouble. North Star is without their qb n still in the game with top teams. He will bring the driving to the hole they are lacking n also he will bring the outside shots they are missing.
My opinion region championship is North Star vs Four Winds will be a AWESOME gym atmosphere with their history it will be hard to pick the winner.

kingjames101 wrote:If Seattle or New England lost their qb this week we would agree that team is in trouble. North Star is without their qb n still in the game with top teams. He will bring the driving to the hole they are lacking n also he will bring the outside shots they are missing.
My opinion region championship is North Star vs Four Winds will be a AWESOME gym atmosphere with their history it will be hard to pick the winner.

I would say Kvilvang is their QB...Weston and him? definitely a one two punch with big expectations

this is a year where it takes more than a one two punch, and depth will e essential...I'll take the team like lets say like Grafton girls...5 capable of double figures on same night.....thats out there with a Linton or a Fwinds and on down the line with a few teams from just scanning....you cant have a weak spot this year

Teams Struggling Most at Mid-Point of Season by Region (IMO)
Region 1: Enderlin
Region 2: Hatton-Northwood
Region 3: Oakes
Region 4: Not sure if any true top team from preseason is struggling right now.
Region 5: Shiloh Christian
Region 6: TGU
Region 7: Dickinson Trinity
Region 8: Parshall

I agree winner. Weston will take a lot of pressure off of Kvilvang most of the game drawing the double team. A strong run game opens up the passing. Strong passing opens the run. Weston was dunking in his socks before game in cavalier so I assume he is healing well.

Maybe we need to start deflating the air in the balls to slow down these tough teams.

Run4fun2009 HattonNorthwood looked well for a struggling team in cavalier last night.

kingjames101 wrote:I agree winner. Weston will take a lot of pressure off of Kvilvang most of the game drawing the double team. A strong run game opens up the passing. Strong passing opens the run. Weston was dunking in his socks before game in cavalier so I assume he is healing well.

Maybe we need to start deflating the air in the balls to slow down these tough teams.

Run4fun2009 HattonNorthwood looked well for a struggling team in cavalier last night.

my point is that H-N has lost to some teams that I felt they shouldn't have. Maybe they are starting to 'turn the corner'.

Run4Fun2009 wrote:Teams Struggling Most at Mid-Point of Season by Region (IMO)
Region 1: Enderlin
Region 2: Hatton-Northwood
Region 3: Oakes
Region 4: Not sure if any true top team from preseason is struggling right now.
Region 5: Shiloh Christian
Region 6: TGU
Region 7: Dickinson Trinity
Region 8: Parshall

I don't know if I would consider Shiloh and Trinity as struggling teams, but I guess it just depends on your expectations of the teams. Trinity has played an extremely tough schedule and will contiune to play against tough teams because of how deep region 7 is. I think Trinity should be pretty battle tested when it comes tourney time. Shiloh has played some tough teams as well. Shiloh got a nice win over New England who will probably be ranked next week but Shiloh did get upset by Flasher..that little barn is not always the easiest place to pick up a win though. I am very interested in how Shiloh and Solen match up.

I think Trinity will be fine. Region seven is going to come down to Trinity, heart river, or new england. The wheels have fallen off in Beulah. They do not look like the same team that beat Rugby. They've lost to each of the three regional opponents I just mentioned. Heart river v new england should be fun to watch.

I really thought PRFL would have a top team in Region 2 this year. They're struggling to put the ball in the basket. Johnson can only do so much, and teams are able to key on him because, right now, he's their only true threat to score double digits on any given night. They've got some other kids playing well, but nobody who really drops 10-12 or more every night. Josh Ruzicka has shown a ton of promise for next year as a two-way player--his next step is being more assertive on offense. Matt Dobmeier has become their best defender by a pretty wide margin, but he's often chasing perimeter players because of that, which takes him out of the paint and doesn't allow him to rebound like he normally does.

Right now, PRFL's main problem is that they have a bunch of kids who don't have defined positions. They can't get comfortable on offense because they do something different every time they're on the floor. They can claw to within a game of .500 today in a game I'll be at, and if they figure out something--anything--to make themselves better on offense, they'll play well at the end of the season.

I was wrong about them being a surprise team out of the gate, and I think they can improve enough to be competitive, but they certainly need to get a few things sorted out. They'll play great one night, then won't look interested the next. It's too bad. They're a bunch of good kids and I hope the season ends as well as possible, for them.