Four Winds/Minnewaukan moves up to No. 2 in latest Class A boys’ basketball poll

The Class A boys’ basketball poll is a bit of a mess right now.

There were multiple changes to the latest ranking released Wednesday, as voted on by the NDAPSSA. Results for the top teams have been all over the place lately.

Devils Lake had been the majority No. 1 for several weeks. But the Firebirds, after squeaking out a win over then-No. 2 Beulah, have since taken losses to No. 5 Wahpeton and No. 4 Four Winds/Minnewaukan. They dropped to No. 5 in the poll, with zero first-place votes and 15 points.

After a 6-0 start, Devils Lake has fallen to 6-2.

FW/M moved from No. 4 to No. 2, with five first-place votes and 78 points. The Indians (5-1) had fallen out of the top five after losing by 20 to then-unranked Wahpeton, but they’ve since recorded wins over then-No. 2 Beulah, No. 3 Central Cass and No. 1 Devils Lake.

The Indians beat the Firebirds 86-61 on Monday. They’re riding high right now with a versatile group of scorers.

Wahpeton, despite beating both Devils Lake and FW/M by double digits, sits at only No. 4.

That’s because the Huskies lost in overtime to Central Cass on Monday, two days after FW/M edged out Central Cass on a go-ahead triple by Joran Lohnes. Central Cass is ranked No. 3 for the second straight week.

Despite Central Cass being ranked ahead of Wahpeton by 17 points, the Huskies received a first-place vote while the Squirrels didn’t.

Kindred is the new No. 1, essentially by default. The Vikings were the preseason No. 1. But they haven’t played many games; their record is 3-0, as of Wednesday, which includes barely beating Hillsboro/Central Valley in overtime. They’re yet to play a game in 2026.

But with Devils Lake, FW/M, Central Cass and Wahpeton all taking various losses, defending state champion Kindred makes the most sense as a No. 1 pick right now. The Vikings had been No. 2 in the previous poll, with three of the 16 first-place votes. This week, they received 13 out of 19 first-place votes and 86 points.

Beulah is out of the picture for the time being. The Miners took close losses to Devils Lake and FW/M over Christmas break, which was enough for voters to boot them out of the top five entirely. They still received votes.

In the girls’ Class A poll, Thompson took over for Kindred at No. 5. The Tommies beat the Vikings 78-47 since the last poll.

Devils Lake and Four Winds/Minnewaukan each received votes in the girls’ poll. It’s the first time this season that the FW/M girls have received votes. They won just four games all of last season, but they’re off to an 8-1 start. They beat May-Port-C-G 67-65 in a two-point region game on Tuesday, improving to 4-0 in region play.

Devils Lake was the preseason No. 4, but fell out of the poll after losses to current No. 2 Valley City and No. 3 Turtle Mountain. The Firebirds have gotten going a little bit with three consecutive wins. They’re still yet to begin region play.

There were no significant changes in Class B.

New Rockford-Sheyenne is ranked No. 5 in the boys’ poll after being tied for No. 5 the previous week. The Rockets are 3-1.

Defending girls’ state champion Benson County remained at No. 1, although it wasn’t unanimous this week with 16 out of 18 first-place votes. LaMoure-Litchville/Marion got two first-place votes and trails Benson County by 16 points. Both teams are 9-0.

Class A boys’ basketball

1. Kindred (13) – 86 points (Previous: 2)
2. Four Winds/Minnewaukan (5) – 78 points (Previous: 4)
3. Central Cass – 49 points (Previous: 3)
4. Wahpeton (1) – 32 points (Previous: 5)
5. Devils Lake – 15 points (Previous: 1)

Received votes: Killdeer, Shiloh Christian, Beulah

Class A girls’ basketball

1. South Prairie-Max (18) – 94 points (Previous: 1)
2. Valley City (1) – 75 points (Previous: 2)
3. Turtle Mountain – 51 points (Previous: 4)
4. Watford City – 32 points (Previous: 3)
5. Thompson – 18 points (Previous: NR)

Received votes: Hazen, Kindred, Oak Grove, Devils Lake, Four Winds/Minnewaukan, Wahpeton

Class B boys’ basketball

1. Central McLean (18) – 90 points (Previous: 1)
2. Our Redeemer’s – 63 points (Previous: 2)
3. Hankinson – 49 points (Previous: 3)
4. Ray – 43 points (Previous: 4)
5. New Rockford-Sheyenne – 14 points (Previous: T5)

Received votes: Wilton/Wing, Midway/Minto, Oakes, Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier

Class B girls’ basketball

1. Benson County (16) – 87 points (Previous: 1)
2. LaMoure-Litchville/Marion (2) – 71 points (Previous: 2)
3. Flasher – 55 points (Previous: 4)
4. Central McLean – 22 points (Previous: 3)
5. (T5) Hatton/Northwood – 16 points (Previous: NR)
6. (T5) Maple River- 16 points (Previous: 5)

Received votes: Kenamre/Bowbells, Tioga