winner-within wrote:winner-within wrote:I think its safe to say also, that after FWM, come March, there will be some wide openness to the entire field of Class B
Went to watch 1 vs 2 last night (RC Tourn).......I am going to take the "come March" out of the above post...
its right now as we speak, tweet, comment, or post....
There is no doubt across the state that Four Winds is the #1 team in Class B, but come tournament time they should get some tests. In their state tourney run last year, their inside presence with Three Irons was spectacular, and this year it'll take a team with an inside/outside combination to beat them. To beat Four Winds, you need terrific guard play that can handle their pressure but you also need a big guy that can take over the middle.
I do believe that Tronis McKay was the best player on their team last year, and last year they had Mr. Basketball on their team. He's one of the best one-on-one players I've ever seen in the state of ND and he should definitely be a finalist for Mr. BB along with Moody, Carr, & Kyjuan.
I certainly respect the Four Winds program for their challenging schedule. To be a top program, you need to play a wide variety of good competition and kudos to their AD Dept. Other programs that want to be at their level should really take note; instead of playing their couple of cupcake games every year.
At this point it doesn't appear that anyone else that they have played this year is in their own league, but it could be a reflection of the "pollsters" being off a bit. Four Winds was tested last year by Northern Cass, and they are a team that would definitely compete again. I believe a couple of other teams from R1 could test Four Winds, among them being Hankinson & MNS. Whoever comes out of Region 1 will be a tough out at the state tournament because it is a difficult region with some great athletes.
On another note, Oak Grove handled Dickinson Trinity for the 2nd year in a row over the weekend, and Trinity is always a top 5 team in the "polls". While Oak Grove is very talented, the Grovers IMO are probably the 4th best team in their own Region. Their victory last weekend over Trinity, coupled with a 1 pt. loss to Shiloh, speaks of the strength of Region 1.
Again, Four Winds is the favorite down the stretch and deservingly so... but time will tell if there is a team that can match up with them this year. They haven't won the title yet and it'll take a great team with the right combination of players to beat them. The "polls" should even out by the end of the year, but we all know they mean nothing at this time.