by Tad Heitkamp, Head Coach
Blue Dragons fall just short
The Garretson Blue Dragons hit the highway and headed west to Montrose to battle the Fighting Cougars of McCook Central/Montrose on February 3rd, 2023. The two teams traded blows all night, but when the dusted settled the visiting Blue Dragons were defeated 46-51.
“The guys came out and battled all night and that’s exactly what we ask from the coaching staff,” stated Coach Heitkamp. “We did a pretty nice job on both ends of the court executing our game plan, but unfortunately we didn’t leave Montrose with a victory. There were moments throughout the game that each and every player wished they could have back from not boxing out, not finishing at the rim, and/or not hitting an open teammate on a fast break. I was just so proud on how we competed, which will get us in the win column by the end of the year!”
Sam Schleuter (5 rebounds and 2 steals) had a great night as he was the game high scorer with 19 points, while Ramsey Schweitzer (11 rebounds and 4 assists) added 8 points of his own.
Blaine Trower (4 rebounds and 2 steals), Brecken Weir (2 steals), and Ian Buettner (14 rebounds) all collected 6 points, as Dylan Jessen (4 rebounds) rounded out the scoring with 1 point.
The Watchdogs take down the Blue Dragons
The Blue Dragons jumped on the bus February 7th, 2023, to travel down to Beresford to take on the Watchdogs. The home team didn’t take long to show their dominance as they jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as they defeated the Blue Dragons 41-71.
“We were not ready to play from the tip this evening,” stated Heitkamp. “We spoke with the kids on how Beresford was going to play, which was going to be fast and physical and that’s exactly how they came out of the locker. They out-hustled us all night long…and we were never able to match their intensity.”
Sam Schleuter had another solid night statistically as he led the Blue Dragons with 15 points, 3 steals, and 7 rebounds. Blaine Trower (5 steals and 5 rebounds) and Dylan Jessen followed with 6 and 5 points, as Matthew Gilbert and Tyler Edmundson dropped in 4 points each.
Brecken Weir, Treyton Decker, and Sage Solheim all added 2 points apiece, while Michael Olson rounded out the scoring with 1 point.
Blue Dragons fall to the Mustangs
On February 9th, 2023, the Blue Dragons played host to the Tri Valley Mustangs, which was a make-up game from earlier in the season. The Blue Dragons came out of the locker room scorching hot as they dropped down five 3’s in the opening quarter to take an 18-12 lead going into the 2nd.
“We couldn’t miss…everything we threw up that first 8 minutes was nothing but the bottom of the net,” exclaimed Coach Heitkamp.
The Blue Dragons cooled off the 2nd quarter, but did go into the half tied 22-22. The home team wasn’t able to get the momentum back the second half as they were defeated 39-62.
“Tri Valley made an adjustment defensively and switched to a zone the rest of the game, which is typically a good thing for us…unfortunately we couldn’t buy a bucket the final 3 quarters. We were getting quality looks inside and out, but nothing was falling. As the confidence was fading on the offensive end…our effort was non-existent on the defensive side of the court,” stated Heitkamp. “We take a lot of pride on our defensive effort and that just wasn’t the case this evening.”
Sam Schleuter once again led the way in the scoring column with 16 points, while Ramsey Schweitzer added 10 points of his own. Blaine Trower (3 assists) connected for 5 points, as Dylan Jessen (5 rebounds), Matthew Gilbert, Brecken Weir (2 steals), and Cole Jessen all netted 2 points each.
The Elks slip past the Blue Dragons
The Blue Dragons were back on the road February 11th, 2023, traveling to Elkton/Lake Benton to take on the Elks. The Blue Dragons started off a little sluggish and put themselves in a hole they couldn’t get out of as they were defeated 48-61.
“We came out flat, which ultimately cost us an opportunity to get into the win column this afternoon,” stated Heitkamp. “We battled our tails off the final 3 quarters to make things interesting, we just couldn’t get over the hump to make a run in the final minutes. The coaching staff expressed to the guys after the game that they have to come out and play 4 quarters, which means we need to be ready as soon as we step on the court.”
Sam Schleuter (3 steals) continued his hot shooting as he led the Blue Dragons 22 points, while freshman guard Brecken Weir (2 steals) dropped in 13 points of his own. Ian Buettner (2 steals) knocked down 9 points, as Ramsey Schweitzer and Matthew Gilbert rounded out the scoring with 3 and 1 point respectively.
