by Tad Heitkamp, Head Coach
On January 6th, 2023, the Blue Dragons participated in the annual Big East Conference Tournament. In the opening round the Blue Dragons traveled to Baltic (host site) to battle the Cossacks from Sioux Valley.
The Cossacks showed why they are the #2 ranked team in the state as they defeated the Blue Dragons 80-42.
“The score doesn’t show how well we actually played this evening throughout the game,” mentioned Coach Heitkamp. “We did a lot of nice things throughout the night that shows we can compete at the highest level in Class A basketball, but we need to be consistent for the entire 4 quarters to be there at the end.”
Ramsey Schweitzer (7 rebounds, 5 assists) and Sam Schleuter (7 rebounds) had the hot hand for the Blue Dragons as they knocked down 14 and 13 points each, while Ian Buettner (12 rebounds and 2 steals) dented the nets for 10 points of his own. Blaine Trower had a solid night collecting 8 points, while Cole Jessen and Dylan Jesse rounded out the scoring with 2 and 1 point respectively.
The Blue Dragons didn’t have a lot of time to rest as they were back on the road the following day traveling to Salem (host site) to take on the Flandreau Fliers.
The Blue Dragons and Fliers battled to a 19-20 score at halftime, but the Blue Dragons wouldn’t get any closer as they were defeated 31-44 when the final buzzer sounded.
“I almost feel like a broken record when talking with the guys,” indicated Heitkamp. “We have encouraged them over and over to dig a little deeper and to trust their conditioning to play substantial minutes. We also talk about having that confidence when stepping on the court, which is a must to get ourselves in the win column!”
Sam Schleuter (8 rebounds) was on fire as he scorched the nets for a game high 18 points. Blaine Trower (4 steals) had a nice afternoon dropping down 7 points, as Ramsey Schweitzer (5 assists) and Dylan Jesses added 4 and 2 points.
In the 7th/8th Place game the Blue Dragons faced a familiar foe as they took on the Chester Flyers. This entertaining basketball game was back and forth the entire 32 minutes, but the Blue Dragons were not able to knock down the final shot as they fell 38-37 to the Flyers.
Coach Heitkamp stated, “We once again did a lot of nice things this game, but we still have not put an entire 4 quarters together. When watching the film there were a number of things that could have gone the other way but it wasn’t meant to be this weekend. We will keep grinding at practice and working on the little things to push us over the edge to a victory!!”
Sam Schleuter (6 rebounds) once again had the hot hand for the Blue Dragons as he netted 13 points, while Ramsey Schweitzer (11 rebounds and 4 assists) dropped in 9 points of his own. Dylan Jessen and Brecken Weir contributed with 6 and 5 points, as Blaine Trower (3 assists) and Ian Buettner (7 rebounds) added 2 points each.
The team will next take on Vermillion in a double header tomorrow (Friday), January 20. Varsity game time starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Dragons Lair.
