Marshall makes all-state first team

• Chad Marshall, Alex Wolf

Press Photo by Chris Aarhus Hazen senior Chad Marshall, left, was named to the Class B boys basketball all-state first team while Bowman County senior Alex Wolf, right, made the second team.
• Robbie Morey

Dickinson Trinity junior Robbie Morey was named to the all-state second team.

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MINOT — North Dakota Mr. Basketball Cameron Malzer of Turtle Lake-Mercer leads a group of four seniors and one junior named to the 2008-09 Class B boys basketball all-state first team.

Joining Malzer on the first team, as chosen by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, are 6-foot-4 junior Adam Randall of Kidder County, 6-5 senior Gus Kueber of Dakota Prairie, 6-2 senior Chad Marshall of Hazen and 6-1 senior Kevin Sanford of Watford City.

Malzer, a 6-0 guard, led Turtle Lake-Mercer to a third-place finish at state in 2009 and a runner-up finish in 2008. The Region 5 senior athlete of the year and Class B senior athlete of the year averaged 24.8 points, 5 rebounds and 4.1 assists. He finished his career with 2,017 points, placing him 28th all-time.

“Cameron is the type of kid we always went to at the end of the ball game and about 95 percent of the time he’d come through for us,” head coach Joi Anderson said. “He’s improved every year he’s played for me and this last year he became a better leader.”

Marshall, the Region 7 senior athlete of the year, averaged 20.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Hazen team that lost to Bowman County in the first round of the Region 7 Tournament.

Marshall shot 47 percent from the field, 31 percent from 3-point range and more than 60 percent from the free throw line.

“Chad has a nose for the ball,” Hazen head coach Randy Johnson said. “Offensive rebounding was a huge thing for him, which gave him more opportunities to score. And he scored a lot of points for us.”

Randall has the highest scoring average (26.6 points) of any player on the all-state team.

In leading Kidder County to a runner-up finish to Linton in the District 6 Tournament, Randall averaged 9.8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2.8 steals, while shooting 59 percent from the field.

“He’s great in all aspects of the game,” Kidder County head coach Paul Olson said. “He is a great team player, but he can flat out score. He has the ability to score inside and outside and he understands the game. He does just about anything you ask him.”

One win separated Kueber and his team from a state championship, as Dakota Prairie lost to Linton in the state title game.

A force on both ends of the court, Kueber averaged 14.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.8 blocks and 4 assists per game. He was named the state tournament’s most valuable player and the Region 2 senior athlete of the year.

“He was a pivotal person on our team,” Dakota Prairie head coach Rich Danielson said. “He didn’t stand out points-wise, but he led us in nearly every stat category. He is very unselfish and a great team player. We needed his height and presence in the middle this year.”

Sanford, a 6-1 forward/guard, led Watford City to a fifth-place finish at state in 2009 and a fourth-place finish in 2008. His 18.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game helped Watford City win consecutive Region 8 titles.

“He is ... one of the most athletic players I’ve ever had,” head coach Randy Cranston said. “He’s a leader. He gets kids to follow his hard work ethic, and he is a competitor. He doesn’t like to lose and he hasn’t lost very often in his career. He’s the guy you want at the free throw line or with the ball at the end of the game.”

The second team:

- Robbie Morey, Dickinson Trinity: A junior, Morey averaged 14.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.8 steals for the Region 7 runner-up Titans. He shot 65 percent from the field.

- Lucas Bloms, Lewis & Clark-Berthold: Bloms was named the Region 6 senior athlete of the year. He averaged 18.3 points and shot 42.5 percent from the field.

- Ryan Drevlow, North Sargent: A 6-5 senior, Drevlow led North Sargent to a fourth-place finish at state. He averaged 18.1 points and 8.9 rebounds.

- Jacob Erbes, Richland: The senior forward scored 16.7 points per game, while averaging 10.7 rebounds and shooting 48 percent from the field.

- Zach Grothmann, Hillsboro: A 5-10 junior, Grothmann averaged 17.4 points, 7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.1 steals for the Burros. He also shot 39.5 percent from 3-point range.

- Tanner Komrosky, North Star: Komrosky, a junior, scored 18.3 points per game in leading the Bearcats to a seventh-place state finish. He averaged 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.8 steals.

- Justin Purintun, Linton: The 6-2 senior was the leading scorer on the undefeated Linton team that won the state title. He averaged 17.2 points, 6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals.

- Grant Singer, Turtle Lake-Mercer: A 6-1 junior, Singer scored 20.8 points per game to help the Trojans win consecutive Region 5 titles. He added 11.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

- Mike Smith, North Border: Smith averaged a double-double of 16.6 points and 11.6 rebounds for North Border. The 6-4 senior also averaged 2.9 blocks, 2.3 assists and 2.2 steals.

- Alex Wolf, Bowman County: Wolf was named the District 13 senior athlete of the year. He averaged 14.6 points and 6.5 rebounds, while shooting 61 percent from the field.

- Devin Yellow Wolf, Mandaree: A 6-2 junior, Yellow Wolf averaged 16.5 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists a game in leading Mandaree to a runner-up finish in the Region 8 Tournament.

Tags: sports, preps, class, b, all-state, region, 7