Welcome to our 2020-21 season preview series. This year we’ll start with the girls’ previews and we’ll drop our 2020-21 Preseason Power Rankings after we preview all eight Regions and then move into the boys’ previews. Every other day a Region preview will be published at nodakbasketballhub.com. You can also find all the previews under the 2020-21 Season Links tab on the home page of our website. 

Click here to find all the girls’ Region previews.

Also, here’s the schedule for the upcoming previews:

Region 8 – Sunday, Nov. 15
2020-21 Preseason Power Rankings – Monday, Nov. 16

Region 7 will be the most competitive region in Class B this season as there’s a handful of teams that are talented enough to compete for a title. But who are those teams? Let’s dive in to the Region 7 2020-21 season preview.

12. New England

2019-20 record: 10-13

After losing seven seniors last season, New England will have a young squad in 2020-21. The Tigers return five letter winners that include senior Elli Rettinger and junior Jersey Binstock. Rettinger is one of the leaders for New England and can get it done at both ends of the court. Last season she averaged 6.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, while Binstock added 4.1 points and 5.1 rebounds. Binstock is 5-foot-9 and is one of the better rebounders in Region 7. Head coach Jason Jung will also call on juniors Emma Bock and Grace Dinius to help out this season. Bock is a strong ball-handler, while Dinius provides a post presence for New England. I’m excited to see where sophomore Hannah Frank improved this offseason as she’s a student-athlete that has the potential to have a breakout year.

11. Richardton-Taylor

2019-20 record: 2-20

Richardton-Taylor brings back 12 letter winners from last season, however, eight of those student-athletes are underclassmen. Seniors Skylar Crow averaged 12.1 points per game in 2019-20 and Carly Diede added 6.1 points. Both student-athletes will lead this Raiders squad in 2020-21 and need to be more consistent offensively and defensively in order for R-T to see improvement from 2019-20. One of the strengths of Gary Ballard’s squad is their height. Along with Crow and Diede, the Raiders welcome back juniors Alayna Dressler and Jayne Krank along with sophomores Gracee Kuntz and Ckaure Diede, who all stand 5-foot-8 or taller. R-T will have a lot of underclassmen depth this season and will lean on Crow and Carly Diede to lead them.

10. Killdeer

2019-20 record: 4-18

Killdeer lost four seniors to graduation but welcome back three talented student-athletes in seniors Myranda Reiss and Kelly Bang along with sophomore Gracie Doe. Doe is one of the top players in the 2022-23 class and will look to build off a successful freshman season where she averaged 12.1 points per game and knocked down 43 3-pointers. Reiss and Bang combined for close to 10 points per game in 2019-20 and eight rebounds. Both student-athletes are strong outside shooters for the Cowboys and have been around for awhile. Bang is also a solid rebounder and is eager to get the 2020-21 season started as she missed some time late last season with an injury. Killdeer will have to find some other student-athletes to fill holes this season. Juniors Liza Stahl and Shelbie Schmidt will both see an increased role in 2020-21, while head coach Chad Dahlen will call on senior Hannah Kisse and sophomore Sadie Stahl to bring the energy every night. Killdeer has some holes to fill from last year but if they can string some momentum together early this season, they should be able to use that to help them win more than four games in 2020-21.

9. Hazen

2019-20 record: 8-14 

Hazen returns four starters from 2019-20, however, will have a very young bench this upcoming season. Senior Paige Erhardt is the leader for this Region 7 team and averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals last season. The 5-foot-10 forward has a nice inside out game and is one of the better players in Region 7 at getting to the rim. The Bison also welcome back senior Sydney Mosset (7.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.5 spg), who is the team’s best 3-point shooter. The two other starters Hazen brings back are junior Laini Carr (3.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg) and 5-foot-11 sophomore Makenna Brunmeier (3.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg). The Bison return eight letter winners but will need some underclassmen to step up for them to have success in 2020-21.

8. Mott-Regent

2019-20 record: 6-16

Mott-Regent brings back nine letter winners from 2019-20, however, they don’t have a senior on its roster this season. The Wildfire are a young squad but return four juniors that have played a lot of varsity minutes. Junior Madison Rafferty was an All-Region player last season and averaged 10.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game. She’s a talented guard and the Wildfire get two more years of her. Sara Seidler’s squad also welcomes back two strong players in junior Hailee Olson (8.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and sophomore Jenessa Zentner (7.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg). Freshman Jazlyn Ottmar (1.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg) and eighth-grader Samantha Greff (2.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg) feature a group of underclassmen that will see more minutes this season as well. M-R is a strong defensive team but needs to continue to grow together and be more confident night in and night out.

7. Heart River

2019-20 record: 15-7

Heart River returns nine upperclassmen letter winners. Senior Caylee Wilke is back after an All-Region season where she averaged 12.1 points per game and 5.4 rebounds. The Cougars lost three seniors from 2019-20 but with Wilke along with senior Jersey Filkowski (7.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and junior Lelani Privratsky (7.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg) back, this team should have another strong season. Heart River will need to get more play out of juniors Meg Silbernagel (3.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg) and Taylar Fagerberg (2.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg) as they’ll both be excited to play more in 2020-21.

6. Glen Ullin-Hebron

2019-20 record: 11-12

Glen Ullin-Hebron is one of the more interesting teams this upcoming season. The Bearcats bring back nine letter winners that include six sophomores. GU-H doesn’t have a senior on its roster and started four freshmen for its opening game in the 2019-20 Region 7 tournament. Sophomore Taylor Christensen earned All-Region honors last season and averaged 11.1 points per game and 4.1 rebounds. The Bearcats will also be paced by sophomores Kaley Schatz and MiKayla Schneider, who combined for 15 points per game in 2019-20 and 11 rebounds. The three upperclassmen on GU-H’s roster include juniors McKenzie Gerving (2.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg), Alyssa Duppong (3.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg) and Landree Glass. Sophomore Courtnee Soupir averaged 4.1 points per game and 3.1 rebounds and started to play strong towards the end of the 2019-20 season. After hopefully having a good grasp on their starting lineup, the Bearcats have a talented group of student-athletes that will be competitive this season. Watch out for this team in the coming years.

5. Bowman County

2019-20 record: 12-10

Bowman County returns 11 letter winners that includes All-Region player in sophomore Ellie Powell. Powell is a top player in the 2022-23 class and is coming off a sophomore season where she averaged 14.7 points per game and 8.1 rebounds. The Bulldogs don’t return a ton of scoring from last season as junior Andrea Rodakowski and sophomore Bailey Peterson combined for just 8.3 points per game and return as their second and third leading scorers. However, head coach Jaden Shoch will have this team ready to go when the season begins. After Powell, BC will need to find more consistent scoring to have success this year.

4. Beulah

2019-20 record: 15-10

Beulah returns 13 letter winners from its 2019-20 team that won two games at the Region 7 tournament. Kinsey Zuroff is back for her junior season after earning All-Region honors a year ago. She averaged 12.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in her sophomore season and will look to take another step forward in 2020-21. Beulah has a balanced roster that features nine upperclassmen and a nice crop of underclassmen that features 6-foot-0 sophomore Harys Beauchamp. Last season, Beauchamp averaged near a double-double (12.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg) and added 2.6 blocks. Beulah has a lot of talented passers on its roster as Zuroff along with senior Olivia Martens and juniors Allyson Walcker and Paige Miller all recorded 48 assists or more in 2019-20. If the Miners can find some depth and improve from beyond the arc, they’ll have a shot at playing for a Region 7 title.

3. Beach

2019-20 record: 17-6

Beach was one of the better defensive teams in Class B last season as they held four teams to under 30 points and allowed a total of 40 points per game. The Buccaneers will lean on their upperclassmen this season that includes two All-Region players in senior Megan Rising and junior Madi Wilhelmi. Rising averaged 8.1 points per game last season and 7.1 rebounds, while Wilhelmi was a passing machine in 2019-20. She averaged 4.4 assists per game and added 10.1 points and 6.1 rebounds. With six seniors back, the Buccaneers have a lot of experience on its roster heading into the upcoming season. Seniors Kennady Myers, Molly Farstveet and Alyvia Braden are all talented post players that can do everything from run the fast break and defend. Beach is one of the deeper teams in Class B as head coach Mark Golberg will play up to 12 student-athletes in close games. That depth, the post play and two leaders in Rising and Wilhelmi, Beach is has its eyes on a Region 7 championship.

2. Hettinger-Scranton

2019-20 record: 18-9

Hettinger-Scranton has to replace its all-time leading scorer in Alyssa Andress and two other starters from its 2019-20 roster. The Night Hawks have to find a way to replace close to 600 shot attempts from last season, however, they bring back a Top 3 player in the 2020-21 class in senior Samantha Oase and a lights out shooter in junior Bailee Pierce. Oase recently signed with Black Hills State University and is coming off a junior season where she averaged 17.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.3 steals per game. Pierce made 48 3-pointers in 2019-20 and averaged 9.7 points and 2.1 assists per contest. With four returning student-athletes with varsity experience, H-S is primed for another strong season. However, the Night Hawks will need other inexperienced players to step in and contribute this season.

1. Dickinson Trinity

2019-20 record: 14-10

Dickinson Trinity returns all five starters and its top bench scorer from its 2019-20 roster that includes North Dakota State commit Abbey Kubas. Eight of the 10 letter winners that return for the Titans are upperclassmen and Kubas along with senior Kara Wanner and junior Kali Kubas all averaged seven points per game or more last year. Abbey Kubas led the Titans in scoring and rebounding as a junior with 19.8 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. Wanner chipped in 9.3 points per contest along with 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals. Kali Kubas is the Titans best passer and while she did average 7.5 points per game as a sophomore she had a team-high 75 total assists. With the experience D-T brings back and the upperclassmen leadership, Trevor Ernst’s squad is built to compete and win a Region 7 championship in 2020-21.