Eagles Poised for a Strong Year on the Hardwood after 16-5 Season

   The fall’s first snowflakes are starting to fly and the high school football season coming to a close signal the start of basketball season.  The Northland boys enter the 2021-2022 season with high expectations and an experienced group that returns 5 of their top 7 players from a 16-5 team that made a deep run in the section 7A playoffs last year.  

   The Eagles will look to Juniors Aiden Carlson and Liam Wake who provided shooting and hustle off the bench last year to help fill the shoes of seniors Harris Carlson and Carson Johnson that were both key contributors over the last 4 seasons.  “We will miss Harris and Carson’s leadership, but we are fortunate to have two kids with the talent and experience of Aiden and Liam to help fill that gap” stated Eagles Coach Chris Carlson.  The team also has several players from last years JV such as Jace Jackson, Brevon Jackson, Ron Day, Jason Tschida, and Jayden Meyers, along with a new face, Jeff Meyers that will be looking to earn varsity minutes to start out the season.

   The Eagles return 3 starters, Nathan Johnson, Nolan Carlson, and Alec Wake.  Johnson, the team’s only senior, is poised to be a dominant force on the glass and in the post this year.  He averaged 8.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game last season and is poised to improve on those marks.  Junior guard Nolan Carlson, who last season averaged 11.7 points and 4.8 rebounds, looks to be set for a big season.  His ability to shoot from the outside as well as penetrate and get to the rim make him a very difficult player to guard.  Rounding out the returning starters is another junior guard, Alec Wake.  He was the team’s leading scorer at 19.2 points per game and he also led the Eagles in assists and steals.  The two time All Conference selection’s ability to score from outside along with a deadly mid-range game will make him one of the top players in section 7A.

   As a team, the Eagles are built around a philosophy of ball movement, creating high percentage scoring opportunities and eliminating turnovers.  They shot over 47% as a team from the field and committed under 12 turnovers per game.  “We feel we can keep our turnovers to under 10 per game this year”, said coach Carlson. “That gives us more shot attempts and with our shooting ability, that translates into a big advantage for us.”

With fans being allowed to attend games, the Eagles are hoping to pack the gymnasium this winter to create a home court advantage as they look to make a run at the conference championship and make a run at the State Tournament this spring.