Apr. 1—Get to the state tournament and you reap rewards.
For Dawson-Boyd, BOLD and Montevideo, that means multiple members on the 2025 West Central Tribune All-Area Boys Basketball Team.
Dawson-Boyd leads the 15-player squad with three selections: Brayson Boike, Drew Hjelmeland and Gunner Liebl, the spoils after winning the state Class A championship.
BOLD earns two selections after its Class A state tournament appearance: Jack Gross and Will Penkert.
And, Montevideo also picks up two All-Area team members after winning the Class AA consolation championship: Griffin Epema and Gannon Reidinger.
Also placing two players on the squad is Central Minnesota Christian School, led by Asher Wieberdink and Drew Duininck.
Also making their way to All-Area accolades are: Willmar's Avery Christensen, Marcus Forsythe of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, Harold Habben of Benson, Luke Illies of Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Xavier Noble of MACCRAY and Ryan Schrupp of Renville County West.
The team is selected by the West Central Tribune sports staff based on recommendations from coaches of the circulation area's 18 high schools.
The team:
Senior, 6-foot-8 F/G, Dawson-Boyd
He's the undisputed leader of the state Class A champions, averaging 22.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.
He shot 59% from the field, making 54 of 136 3-pointers, good for 39%. He also shot 67% from the free throw line, making 71 of 105.
He's a Southwest Minnesota State University commit who is a four-time All-Camden Conference selection and a three-time most valuable player of the conference. He also earned Minnesota Star Tribune all-state honors and was a top-12 finalist for Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Year.
"(He) impacts the game on both ends of the floor like no other player I have coached," Dawson-Boyd head coach Cory Larson said. "(He) can score in a multitude of ways (and is) capable of defending any position."
So., 6-1 guard, Montevideo
He led the Thunder Hawks with what is believed to be the only quadruple double in the area this season against Redwood Valley and also had 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists vs. Pelican Rapids, along with a 32-point, eight-rebounds, six-steal and three-assist effort against Melrose.
Epema averaged 19.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 6.0 apg and 3.6 spg for the 27-5 Thunder Hawks, who earned the sixth seed in the state Class AA tournament and beat Pequot Lakes 62-39 and Minnehaha Academy 83-80 in overtime after losing to defending state champion Breck 73-49 in the quarterfinals.
He also has 1,099 career points, 430 rebounds, 405 assists and 221 steals after earning All-West Central Conference honors this season. He's the 10th player in school history to eclipse 1,000 points and holds single-season school records for most assists and steals.
He's a National Honor Society member who also plays football and baseball.
"Griffin Epema is a dynamic playmaker on both ends for the Montevideo Thunder Hawks this season," Montevideo head coach Derek Webb said. "Not only does he have all the statistical accolades, but he was also elected a team captain as a sophomore, which was voted on by his peers. Griffin is not only a tremendous player, but he's also a tremendous teammate and leader."
Sr., 6-5 G, BOLD
The leader of BOLD's state Class A tournament team and the school's all-time scoring leader with 2,032 points. He also holds the single-season record with 673 points and 258 field goals, as well as the single-game record of 44 points.
This season, he shot 60% from 2-point range and 32% on 3-pointers, making 72% of his free throws. He averaged 20.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.6 steals per game and 1.3 ...
