The 2019-20 Class B girls season wrapped up 23 days ago and Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich capped off an undefeated season with a title.The Cardinals improved by four wins from the 2018-19 season but Rob Scherr’s crew wasn’t the only team that saw improvement this past season. Let’s take a look at teams that took a step forward in 2019-20.
Flasher
2018-19: 9-13
2019-20: 19-5
Flasher was competitive in all of its losses this season. The Bulldogs started the season 2-2 before winning three straight games in late December. A four-point overtime loss to Rugby brought them into 2020 and seemed to fuel them for the final two months of the season. After the loss to Rugby, Flasher won 14 of its final 16 games. The Bulldogs lost to Shiloh Christian in the Region 5 championship game on a last second shot. In the previous four seasons Flasher had never won more than 11 games.
Cavalier
2018-19: 3-15
2019-20: 13-12
Its been a rough couple of seasons for Cavalier as they’ve won four games or fewer dating back to the 2015-16 season. The Tornadoes turned the corner this season and won 13 contests and made it to a Region 2 semifinals for the first time in 27 years. Cavalier finished with two winning streaks of three games and lost three games by six points or less. Sandy Laxdal’s team losses Charlee Krieg and Alea Manley but bring back eight student-athletes that will be either juniors or sophomores next season.
Central Cass
2018-19: 12-12
2019-20: 20-6
It was a season to remember for Central Cass. The Squirrels won 20 games for the first time in the last five seasons, ended Kindred’s 36-game winning streak and made it to the state tournament. The Squirrels started the 2019-20 season 6-4 but ended the regular season with 13 straight wins. Jay Bachman had a very young squad this year and losing Emma Lee and Isabelle Linnard will hurt, however, the Squirrels bring back 14 players next year, which includes standout underclassmen Decontee Smith.
Mandaree
2018-19: 11-9
2019-20: 19-5
Mandaree had an early exit in the 2018-19 Region 8 tournament but got back on track with a third-place finish this season. The Warriors also won 19 games this year, which was their most victories in the last six seasons. Delbert Fry’s squad started the season 4-0 before dropping a 84-77 game to New Town. Mandaree finished the year with four winning streaks of six, four (twice) and three games. The Warriors were close to making it to the Region 8 title game but fell to Kenmare 44-41 in the semifinals.
Beulah
2018-19: 7-16
2019-20: 15-10
Beulah spent this past offseason with a sour taste in its mouth after losing nine out of 10 games to end the 2018-19 season. The Miners started the 2019-20 campaign with an 11-3 record and found their stride early. Beulah, however, struggled towards the end of this season and lost six of its final nine games. At the end of the day, the Miners improved by eight wins from 2018-19 and made it to the Region 7 semifinals after upsetting No. 2-seed Heart River 49-44 in the quarterfinals. It was a very solid season for the Miners.
Tri-State
2018-19: 2-18
2019-20: 10-12
After winning just two games a season ago, Tri-State finished with 10 wins this season. The Tigers started the 2019-20 season 3-6 but battled back and even won a Region 1 tournament game against Sargent Central. The Tigers won 16 games in 2016-17 but saw their win totals drop the next two seasons before picking up double-digit wins this season. You love to see teams bounce back like Tri-State did this season.
Our Redeemer’s
2018-19: 10-12
2019-20: 17-8
It was a tail of two halves for Our Redeemer’s this season. The Knights won 10 of their first 12 games by an average of 18.3 points. However, Scott Peterson’s crew was unable to close out games in the second half of the season. In Our Redeemer’s final 13 games they lost three games that were decided by a combined eight points. The Knights improved by seven wins from the 2018-19 season and earned a third-place finish in the Region 6 tournament. Their 17 wins was the most since 2016-17 when the Knights finished 22-6.
Northern Cass
2018-19: 9-12
2019-20: 16-7
Northern Cass improved by 38 QRF points from 2018-19 to 2019-20. The Jaguars started the season 11-2 and only suffered losses to Hillsboro-Central Valley (36-34) and Thompson (59-29). Kelli Trudeau’s squad defeated Lisbon 55-37 in the Region 1 tournament before dropping its final two games to Central Cass and Richland. The Jaguars lose two seniors in Sydney Anderson and Breana Tretter but bring back the bulk of their lineup as they’ll try to improve off a successful 2019-20 campaign. Since the 2017-18 season, Northern Cass has improved its win total each season.
Honorable Mention
Finley-Sharon/Hope-Page
2018-19: 4-18
2019-20: 10-13
Garrison
2018-19: 5-16
2019-20: 11-11
Hazen
2018-19: 2-20
2019-20: 8-14
Sargent Central
2018-19: 5-17
2019-20: 10-11
Larimore
2018-19: 4-17
2019-20: 9-13
Midway-Minto
2018-19: 12-10
2019-20: 17-7
Strasburg-Zeeland
2018-19: 1-18
2019-20: 6-14
Bottineau
2018-19: 4-18
2019-20: 9-14
Drake-Anamoose
2018-19: 1-20
2019-20: 6-16
Tioga
2018-19: 6-15
2019-20: 11-12
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