Blue Dragons Win Opening Round Against Tri Valley
The Blue Dragons traveled to Tri Valley on March 2nd, 2021, to battle the Mustangs in the opening round of post season play. The game was back and forth the opening half as the visiting Blue Dragons went into the break with a 23-21 advantage.
“We came out and played a little hesitant the opening half,” exclaimed Heitkamp. “We were executing our sets, but we were not finishing at the rim. We also struggled getting out on their shooters, so they got some wide-open looks which they converted. We reminded the kids that there is no tomorrow, so we need to come out the second half with a little more fire and confidence.”
The Blue Dragons did just that as they dropped down 17 points and held Tri Valley to 12 extending their lead to 7 points going into the final stanza.
The Blue Dragons never looked back the final 8 minutes taking down the home team 53-46. Dylan Kindt and Cooper Long had the hot hands for the Blue Dragons as they dented the nets for 23 and 21 points. Josef Zahn (4 assists and 7 rebounds) added 8 points of his own, while Jake Schroeder (7 rebounds) rounded out the scoring with 1 point respectively.
Blue Dragons Fall To The Chargers
The Blue Dragons jumped back on the bus March 5th, 2021, to Sioux Falls to battle the top seeded Sioux Falls Christian Chargers in Region 3A Basketball action. The Chargers came out firing on all cylinders as they defeated the visiting Blue Dragons 65-31.
“We knew that we were going to need to come out and play the perfect game to compete with Sioux Falls Christian, but it just wasn’t meant to be,” stated Heitkamp. “We were settling for some long-range shots and not attacking the rim, which is a bad combination going into the second round of post season against a talented team. The kids never gave up and battled until the final horn, which is something we take a lot of pride in.”
Cooper Long was the teams leading scorer with 13 points, while Dylan Kindt knocked down another 5 points of his own. Brady DeBates and Triston Rekstad each had 3 points on the night. Josef Zhan, Jake Schroeder (3 assists), and Rhett Kloth (4 rebounds) collected 2 points each, while Evan Bly ended the night with 1 point.
The coaching staff would like to thank the seniors (Evan Bly, Jake Schroeder, Josef Zahn, Rave Uhlich, Triston Rekstad, and Brady DeBates) for leading this team all season long. The success we had would not have been possible without their leadership on and off the court. We would also like to thank family, friends, and fans for their continued support all season long, which was so greatly appreciated.
