How Williston State's Teams Prepare For Upcoming Conference Play?

As November closes and the Mon-Dak season creeps closer, Williston State has positioned itself as one of the most dangerous two-program basketball schools in the Upper Midwest.

The Tetons men’s and women’s teams have opened the 2025–26 campaign with a combined 17–4 record, powered by staggering offensive numbers, statement wins, and breakout performances that have turned early heads around the NJCAA.

The women sit at 9–1, riding a five-game winning streak that includes an overtime upset of No. 25 Western Wyoming on the road. The men, at 8–3, have survived one of the more demanding early schedules in the region behind one of the most explosive scoring tandems the college has ever rostered.

Together, they’re rewriting early-season expectations.

Women’s Team: Depth, Defense, and a Signature Win

On paper, Williston State’s women don’t rely on a single star. In practice, they don’t need one. Head coach Bill Tripplit has built a roster where threats emerge in waves, and opponents drown in the undertow.

Through 10 games, the Tetons average 91.1 points, shoot 48 percent, and pull down 42.2 rebounds, while holding opponents to just 53.8 points on 30.9-percent shooting. Their average margin of victory? A staggering +37.3.

The statistical leaders tell only part of the story:

Dani Jordan, a freshman guard from Lame Deer, Montana, has burst onto the scene with 15.5 points per game, blending downhill scoring with a knack for finishing in traffic.

Jersey Berg, a sophomore forward from Bismarck, follows with 14.9 points and a team-best 6.2 field goals per game, anchoring the interior.

Leila Heffernan, a freshman out of Australia, adds 13.9 points and elite efficiency, hitting 6.0 of her 9.3 shots nightly.

Just behind them, Taylah Murtagh (13.6), Kylie Simpson (11.5) and Lucia Bellido (10.6) round out a six-player double-digit rotation—one of the rarest offensive luxuries in junior college basketball.

Their résumé supports the ranking: blowouts over Dakota College at Bottineau (96–17), Minnesota North-Vermilion (113–31) and Turtle Mountain (93–37), come-from-behind gritty road wins against Northwest (88–86), and, of course, the 95–91 overtime thriller against then #25 Western Wyoming.

At 4–0 at home, 4–1 on neutral courts, and 1–0 on the road, the Tetons have traveled well and played better.

However, the Tetons are at a crossroads of sorts, figuring out life without Simpson, who was lost to an injury during the Tetons' OT win against then #25 Western Wyoming.

However, freshman wheelwoman Sophie Barker, who had been platooning the 1 and 2 guard with Simpson, is poised to step in and shoulder the larger responsibility as Williston State seeks a regular season title and the Region XIII crown.

Men’s Team: A Two-Man Inferno Leading a Hard-Earned 8–3 Start

The men’s team, under head coach Alex Herman, has carved an identity rooted in pace and pressure. Williston State scores 91.2 points per game, shoots 48.5 percent, and wins on the margins—plus-4.9 in rebounding, plus-2.7 in steals, and forcing nearly 19 turnovers per game.

The Tetons don’t just score—they surge.

That surge begins with the backcourt of Josiah McDonald and Eden Hobbs, the most dangerous tandem in the Mon-Dak Conference, if not one of the most dangerous one-two punches in the nation.

McDonald, a sophomore from San Antonio, leads the team with 27.5 points, one of the top marks in the NJCAA. He attempts 20.5 shots per game, hits nearly 10, and draws fouls at will, averaging 7.4 free throws a night.

Hobbs, a 6-foot-5 wing from Melbourne, adds 22.1 points, shooting efficiently from all three levels and playing 31.4 minutes per game—the highest workload on the roster.

The third pillar, sophomore guard Carson Haerer, contributes 11.5 points while providing stability, shooting, and pace control in almost 29 minutes per game.

Freshmen like Andrew Sauer (8.3 PPG) and Grantham Milner (5.7) have added steady secondary scoring, while the Tetons’ length—6’10” Milner, 6’7” Charlie McKenna, and 6’6” Joaquin Powell—has fueled their rebounding edge.

The Tetons are looking for more from their bench besides Sauer to provide a punch from the second unit. For that punch, anticipation awaits freshman Bridger Johnson's arrival onto the scene, who has a dynamic offensive game that is just starting to emerge at the college level.

Williston State’s wins haven’t been soft:

They beat NDSCS 74–68, outlasted Lake Region 97–94, punished Rocky Mountain JV and Turtle Mountain by a combined 220–98, and took down Western Wyoming on the road, 77–71. Even their losses—a 104–100 shootout against Miles, a 94–76 setback at Northwest, and a tight 80–73 game vs. Gillette—have been competitive.

The Tetons are 4–1 at home, 3–1 neutral, 1–1 away, and growing stronger by the week.

Shaping the Race to March

The Tetons women sit atop the Mon-Dak at 9–1. The men hold third in a tight cluster behind North Dakota State College of Science (7–1) and Dawson (6–2). But records don’t fully reflect the momentum.

Williston State plays fast, aggressively, and confidently. Both rosters are young, both are deep, and both have already shown the ability to win in different ways—blowouts, comebacks, shootouts, tight finishes, and ranked matchups.

With conference play on deck, the question isn’t whether these Tetons can keep pace. It’s whether anyone else can keep up with them.

What's Next?

Teton Men will be on the road to Casper, Wyoming, this weekend for another non-conference weekend.

On November 28th they will have a rematch against Western Wyoming, followed by a Saturday the 29th matchup against Casper College.

For the women, they will be off until December, when both teams make the trek down to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, for three games apiece.

The next Teton Basketball broadcast will be on December 10th, with the Teton Women take on Turtle Mountain Community College at the Well in Williston.

Williston State College Tetons remains the hottest ticket in town, and the games will just keep getting better as the Teton conference schedule kicks off in January.