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:

2020-21 Preseason Power Rankings – 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16

Note: The Class B boys Region previews begin Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Trenton has dominated Region 8 the last two seasons as they’ve outscored its opponents 333-229 in six tournament games. But teams like New Town, Tioga and Kenmare have the talent to challenge Trenton this season. Are any other teams in the mix? Let’s dive in to our Region 8 preview.

District 15

7. White Shield

2019-20 record: 2-15

White Shield returns eight letter winners that includes three seniors in Lexus Fox, Eatosh Fox and Isley Price.

6. Lewis & Clark North Shore-Plaza

2019-20 record: 1-21

Lewis & Clark North Shore-Plaza returns 11 letter winners that features a group of six sophomores.

5. Williston Trinity-Alexander

2019-20 record: 3-13

WIlliston Trinity-Alexander returns eight letter winners that includes two talented student-athletes in juniors Renee Cross and Ellie Haskins

4. Mandaree

2019-20 record: 19-5

Mandaree will have to find ways to replace All-State second-team student-athlete in Daysha Serdahl. The Warriors bring back 14 letter winners from last season that includes four seniors and three juniors. Mandaree has a strong underclassmen class that is highlighted by six sophomores.

3. Parshall

2019-20 record: 17-8

Parshall returns 12 letter winners from last season that includes eight upperclassmen. The Braves had a strong season in 2019-20 and had two winning streaks of nine and six games. This team has some height on its roster with three student-athletes that are 5-foot-10 or taller.

2. New Town

2019-20 record: 12-11

Junior Ivy Fox had one of the better seasons in Class B last year after she averaged 17.8 points per game, 8.5 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 2.4 assists. The Eagles return eight letter winners that includes one senior in Maralyn Brunelle. New Town has a nice one-two punch with Ivy Fox and Zoe Fox. Zoe Fox averaged 7.7 points per game in 2019-20 along with 3.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds.The Eagles also have a talented sophomore class in Carter Charboneau (5.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Ellasandra Steele (3.7 ppg) that will see more playing time this season. Head coach Chuck Wells will have New Town playing an up tempo style of basketball but will need to improve defensive and be consistent for all four quarters.

1. Trenton

2019-20 record: 27-1

Trenton returns three starters and its top bench player from a team that’s been to two straight state tournaments. Senior Alyssa St. Pierre returns after a junior season where she averaged 14.1 points per game and 9.3 rebounds. The 5-foot-8 scorer earned All-Region honors in 2019-20 and has 1,325 career points. The two other starters Trenton returns are Alexa St. Pierre and junior Jacee Turcotte. Alexa St. Pierre averaged 8.9 points per game last season but will be called on to shoot the basketball more in 2020-21. Turcotte is a strong and physical forward that averaged close to a double-double (9.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg) as a sophomore. Turcotte is the Tigers x-factor heading into the 2020-21 season. She’s a do-it-all type of player that has the skills to be a force in Region 7. The Tigers also bring back sharpshooter senior Raquel Archer. She made 25 3-pointers last season and averaged 8.1 points per game and 2.9 rebounds. Head coach Bob Turcotte is one of the top coaches in Class B and will have his team ready for the upcoming season as the Tigers try to make it three seasons in a row with 20-plus wins.

District 16

7. Bowbells-Burke Central 

2019-20 record: 7-14

Bowbells-Burke Central returns 11 letter winners but will lack depth this season. With only four upperclassmen on their roster, the Titans will need to get improved play out of four freshmen and three eighth-graders on the roster.

6. Ray

2019-20 record: 3-18

Ray will be lead by junior Brooklyn Ray (10 ppg, 9 rpg) and sophomore Addyson Johnson (8 ppg, 8 rpg). Both student-athletes averaged close to a double-double last season but the Jays will need to find more consistent scoring in 2020-21. Ray lost just one senior from its 2019-20 roster and returns 11 letter winners. The Jays have some depth headed into the upcoming season but will need seniors Lydia Hickel (5 ppg, 4 rpg) and Maddy Oster (4 ppg, 2 rpg) to provide some leadership. The Jays have student-athletes that are capable of making an impact, however, those players have to become more consistent offensively and defensively. If that can happen, Ray will see their win total increase from last season.

5. Powers Lake

2019-20 record: 7-16

Powers Lake will have a young but experienced squad this upcoming season. The Ranchers return a top player in the 2022-23 recruiting class with Savanna Fredrickson back. The 5-foot-8 sophomore averaged 15.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in 2019-20. Powers Lake returns eight letter winners that includes two juniors and six underclassmen. Nick Fredrickson’s team won six of their seven games in 2019-20 after January 25, so he’s hoping his squad can start this season where they left off a year ago. The Ranchers lack height as the only student-athlete over 5-foot-8 is junior Ryanne Slemin (2.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg) but this team has a strong underclassmen group with Savanna Fredrickson and sophomores Camryn Rystedt (4.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and Chiara Rystedt (2.2 ppg, 3.1 spg).

4. Stanley

2019-20 record: 13-10 

Stanley enters the Heath Hetzel era this upcoming season as he took over the head coaching duties for Kelly Roemmich. The Blue Jays return seven letter winners that include All-District player in Leevi Meyer. Last season Meyer averaged 7.6 points per game and 5.2 rebounds. Stanley also brings back a talented scorer in senior Raygen Lee as she averaged 6.2 points per game and 3.2 rebounds as a junior. A fair amount of the student-athletes that return for Stanley saw some minutes in 2019-20 but the Blue Jays need to find a point guard and more consistent scoring. Other student-athletes that are looking to make more of an impact this season are juniors Faith Fladeland, Katie Wilhelmi, Leah Hetzel and sophomore Ava Schuster.

3. Divide County

2019-20 record: 9-13

Divide County had an up and down 2019-20 season but started to trend upwards towards the end of the year. The Maroons return nine letter winners that include two All-District student-athletes in senior Faith Johnson and junior Hannah Burtman. Johnson averaged 14.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season, while Burtman added 7.1 points and 5.1 rebounds. Eight players return for Divide County that averaged two points per game or more in 2019-20, so this team has players that have scoring potential. One of the strengths of the Maroons is their height as they have seven players that are 5-foot-9 or taller. Seniors Cashlyn Krecklau and Bailey McCombs are strong post players for Divide County that combined to average five points per game last season and seven rebounds.

2. Tioga

2019-20 record: 11-12

Tioga had one of its better seasons in program history in 2019-20 and will look to build off that success. The Pirates bring back 12 letter winners that include two All-District players in senior Maelyn Sanders and junior Bethany Schmidt. Sanders averaged 7.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game last season, while Schmidt added a team-high 12.3 points per game and 11.1 rebounds. Tioga lost just one senior last season, so Debra DeMoe will have an experienced squad in 2020-21. The Pirates need to continue to improve offensively but have good team chemistry and they play strong defense. Within the last seven seasons, the Pirates have only had one double-digit win season and that came last season. Watch for the Pirates to build off that 2019-20 success and don’t be surprised to see this team make a deep run in the Region 8 tournament.

1. Kenmare

2019-20 record: 19-5

Kenmare returns two top players in the 2022-23 recruiting class with Kate Zimmer and Brenna Stroklund back for their sophomore seasons. Last season Stroklund averaged 16.3 points per game and 7.1 rebounds, while Zimmer added 16.1 points per game and 5.1 rebounds. Zimmer also knocked down 55 3-pointers. The Honkers return 10 letter winners that includes two talented seniors in Sierra Skar (6.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg) and Megan Zimmer (7.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg). This is a team that can beat you from beyond the arc as Kate Zimmer and Skar combined for 101 3-pointers last season but they’ll also play tough defense. With the experience they return, head coach Mike Zimmer and the Honkers have their eyes set on a Region 8 title.