Nathan Salscheider - Cass Lake-Bena
by Ryan James
bassgemrj@hotmail.com
 The Cass Lake-Bena Panthers are at it again having another successful season. At 16-3 on the year the Panthers are winning games by an average of 98 to 61 and they recently beat Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 106 to 77. That win is significant because both teams were undefeated in the eight-team Northland Conference before the Panthers were victorious on the road.
The Panthers have several weapons including 6-foot-6 senior forward . Nathan is a three-year starter averaging 18.6 points per game while shooting 62 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc, and 81 percent from the foul line, and he's happy with the year thus far. "The season is going real well," Nate explained. "We are 16-3 with our toughest games behind us. We are currently ranked 2nd in class A."
 The Panthers have lost three games but it's been against elite competition. One of the defeats came at the hands of White Station from Tennessee, and the other two losses were to Hopkins and Crosby-Ironton, schools from Minnesota that have yet to be beaten.
The Panthers have handled all the teams that they should beat and they had a big victory at Badger/Greenbush-Middle River at the end of January. The Gators are a ranked team with a tough homecourt advantage but Nate and the boys were victorious 76-63.
With the big name match-ups out of the way Nate has one focus left. After second, third, and fourth place finishes in recent years Cass-Lake Bena is centered on that one ultimate prize. "Our number one goal is winning a state championship," Nate said.
 But individually Nathan is having a great year statistically all around. "I am averaging a double-double with 18.6 points and ten rebounds a game," Nathan stated. "I am also getting five steals, four assists, and three blocks per game. I got my 1,000th point January 24th while scoring 27 points against Nevis."
Nathan also has a twin brother name Joel who is averaging about 17.8 points per contest and he scored his 1,000 point the day after Nathan did.
At his size and with the ability to play on the perimeter or on the block Nate has interest from a few schools around the nation. "I have had some looks from Bryan College in Tennessee, Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Wisconsin, and some division three colleges, but I am still undecided," explained Nathan.
Nathan has excelled in the classroom as well holding down a 3.81 grade point average. He's also a member of the National Honor Society, and is on the Honor Roll of the Dean's List. He was a member of the Breakdown Top 40, Nathan is one-time AP All State HM, two times All-Region 6, and two times All-Northland Conference. |
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