New Rockford-Sheyenne boys, Benson County girls advance in basketball polls

A pair of local Class B teams rose in the polls Monday, while Devils Lake’s two squads stood pat at No. 2.

New Rockford-Sheyenne boys’ basketball went from No. 9 to No. 7 after beating Harvey/Wells County 62-54 in its season opener. The Rockets are fueled by many of the same kids who helped them win a nine-man football championship in the fall: Bennett Meier, Kage Walford, Easton Simon and Easton Benz, just to name a few.

North Star also received votes after a 61-42 win over Benson County to start its season. In the wake of losing Dane Hagler, Parker Simon and Karsen Simon, Hunter Hagler had 23 points to lead the defending runner-up Bearcats. Last year’s champion, Westhope/Newburg, fell from No. 1 to No. 4 after losing 68-65 to then-No. 3 Wilton-Wing.

Benson County girls’ basketball also rose two spots in the Class B girls’ poll. The Wildcats, who were the preseason No. 6, moved up to No. 4 after a 6-0 start. They received one first-place vote. Benson County beat North Star 44-13 on Monday to improve to 7-0 shortly following the ranking boost. Thursday should be its toughest game yet, as the Wildcats face preseason No. 7 Langdon Area/Munich (which was not ranked after a 3-2 start but did receive votes).

In Class A, Devils Lake remained at No. 2 in both the boys’ and girls’ polls. The boys beat Bottineau 89-40 in their season opener on Friday despite losing Joel Nelson to an ankle injury. Mason Palmer, Oliver Wirth and Parker Brodina all had big nights in the scoring column. They still only received five of the 18 first-place votes, with the remaining 13 going to Kindred, last year’s runner-up. The Vikings have yet to play a game, as of Monday’s poll announcement.

It’s a similar situation for the girls. Last year’s champion, South Prairie-Max, remains at No. 1 after a 4-0 start. The Royals received 14 of the 18 first-place votes this week after a 4-0 start. Devils Lake received the remaining four after a 2-0 start, ahead of its victory over Carrington Monday night.

Killdeer replaced Wahpeton at No. 5 in the Class A boys’ poll. Four Winds/Minnewaukan also received votes after a season-opening 77-69 win. In the girls’, Valley City replaced Shiloh Christian, which fell from No. 3 out of the top five after losing 56-42 to Carrington. Devils Lake’s region foe Thompson moved up to No. 3.

The full polls are listed below. First-place votes are in parentheses.

Class A boys’ basketball

1. Kindred (13) – 84 points (Previous: 1)
2. Devils Lake (5) – 74 points (Previous: 2)
3. Shiloh Christian – 52 points (Previous: 3)
4. Grafton – 38 points (Previous: 4)
5. Killdeer – 14 points (Previous: NR)

Received votes: Four Winds/Minnewaukan, Thompson, Stanley

Class A girls’ basketball

1. South Prairie-Max (14) – 86 points (Previous: 1)
2. Devils Lake (4) – 74 points (Previous: 2)
3. Thompson – 38 points (Previous: 4)
4. Kindred – 30 points (Previous: 5)
5. Valley City – 22 points (Previous: NR)

Received votes: Carrington, Shiloh Christian, Central Cass

Class B boys’ basketball

1. Wilton-Wing (9) – 176 points (Previous: T-3)
2. Bishop Ryan (8) – 168 points (Previous: 2)
3. North Border (1) – 142 points (Previous: T-3)
4. Westhope/Newburg (1) – 127 points (Previous: 1)
5. Hankinson – 98 points (Previous: 6)
6. Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier – 81 points (Previous: 5)
7. New Rockford-Sheyenne – 62 points (Previous: 9)
8. Our Redeemer’s – 54 points (Previous: 7)
9. Bowman County – 35 points (Previous: 8)
10. Velva – 27 points (Previous: NR)

Received votes: Glen Ullin/Hebron, Midway/Minto, North Star, LaMoure-Litchville/Marion, Linton/HMB, Central McLean, Garrison

Class B girls’ basketball

1. Central McLean (14) – 185 points (Previous: 1)
2. Bowman County (4) – 167 points (Previous: 2)
3. Sargent County – 141 points (Previous: 4)
4. Benson County (1) – 124 points (Previous: 6)
5. Maple River – 118 points (Previous: 3)
6. Kenmare/Bowbells – 108 points (Previous: 5)
7. Tioga – 67 points (Previous: 10)
8. Grant County/Mott/Regent – 53 points (Previous: 8)
9. Berthold – 30 points (Previous: NR)
10. Garrison – 19 points (Previous: NR)
11. T-10: LaMoure-Litchville/Marion – 19 points (Previous: 7)

Received votes: Langdon Area/Munich, Linton/HMB, Hatton/Northwood, Park River/Fordville-Lankin, Oakes