The Garretson Boys' Basketball team played their hearts out in the final home game of the regular season, and took home the win after a come-from-behind play in the fourth quarter last week Tuesday, February 13.
The boys team faced off with Parker and Sioux Valley in two double headers last week, and ended their regular season in a game with Dell Rapids on Monday, February 19. Though they were victorious against Parker, they were unable to overcome Sioux Valley and Dell Rapids as the two teams denied the Dragons another win.
When taking on Parker, the home team took their opponents by surprise as they came from behind. The Pheasants had the lead through the first quarter as Garretson fought to sink its shots, but the team played some solid defense and kept the Pheasants from charging ahead. The teams went into the second quarter 3-10, where the Dragons had a better time finding the net. They gathered 15 points to go into the half 18-25.
The third quarter saw both teams work hard to pick up steam, as Garretson ratcheted twenty points to Parker's seventeen. Now 38-42, the home team was determined to take home the win, and mere minutes into the fourth quarter, Garretson's Blaine Trower tied up the game 42-42 despite being tripped on the layup. The Dragons pulled ahead when senior Tyler Edmundson successfully found the net, and Ian Buettner and Ramsey Schweitzer cinched the lead with two three-pointers.
Not to be out-done, Parker worked hard to sneak past the Dragons' defense, and managed to tie the game back up 52-52 with 1:45 left in the game. The Dragons didn't let that stand, and answered back with three more points right after, and a few fouls with successful free throws brought their score to 61-52 and only seconds left in the quarter. Seniors Trower and Schweitzer were the recipients of three of those end-of-game fouls, and converted all eight of their free throws. They ended the game 63-58.
The team had a harder time against the Cossacks in their game on Thursday, as the team traveled to Volga. Despite playing a solid game, the Dragons just couldn't keep up with the Cossacks' offense, and they took the loss 45-97.
As a team, Garretson had 25 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block, with a free throw percentage of 58%.
On Monday, the Dragons finished their regular season in a match against Dell Rapids. It was a tough game, with the Dragons grabbing the lead early, but they were unable to maintain it. The Quarriers responded by going on a 14-point run, and didn't look back. They went into the half 16-42, and ended the game 33-69.
Again, Garretson shone in their free throw conversions with 44%, and got 22 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal.
The first game of the postseason will be held next Tuesday, February 27. As of press time, Garretson was seeded 8th with a win loss score of 4-16, and preliminary brackets pit them against #1 seed Sioux Falls Christian on their turf.
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