The Lady Dragon basketball season came to an end last Thursday after a hard-fought game where the team made a strong comeback play in the final two minutes of the game. Ultimately, they lost to Red Cloud 58-63 in the SoDak 16 game, the first ever played by the Blue Dragons girls' basketball team.
"The post season for the Lady Dragon basketball team was a fun one," said Head Coach Matt Schrank. "All 3 games we played were separated by 5 or fewer points.
"In our first game with Dell Rapids, they gave us a good run for our money. We almost made the game 15 points, but they made some shots and forced us into some turnovers to take a lead. Our girls really didn’t panic at all and took care of business," he continued. They ended the quarterfinal game 58-53.
"In that game, we lit up the stat columns. Logan Bly had 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals. Reagan Altman had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Sydney Olson also had 12 points, and Jordyn Williams had 10 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists."
"In the semifinal game, we hosted West Central. Another barn-burner! The game was back and forth for the entire 32 minutes. After being down late in the game, we had 2 straight possessions when we scored and took the lead," Coach Schrank said. Garretson overcame West Central by one point, 44-43, sending Garretson to the SoDak 16.
Coach Schrank continued, "After 3 straight stops, the game ended with a Sydney Olson rebound, and we were headed to the SoDak16 for the first time since its inception."
Teamwork was the name of the game for the Lady Dragons this season, with all players giving their all each and every game, interacting as a tight group and no one player above another.
"We were gifted again with balanced scoring by the entire team," Schrank said. "Leading scorers were Jordyn Williams with 10, Sydney Olson and Reagan Altman with 8, Logan Bly with 7, Tayler Benson with 6, Kylie Christensen with 3, and Adi Fink with 2. Logan had 9 rebounds and Kylie had 7."
Even though it was the final game of the season, the Lady Dragons had come to play and showed the Blue Dragon spirit to the west river team. Red Cloud was seeded #4 in Class A, while Garretson was seeded #13, and the two teams traded off in quarters.
"In the SoDak16 game, we were off to Winner to face the 19-2 Red Cloud Crusaders. We were very excited for their matchup, we thought they were similar to West Central with their athleticism and quickness," said Coach Schrank. "The game is a tale of 'quarters'. They outscored us 24-14 in the 1st quarter, we outscored them in the 2nd 18-11, they came out in the 3rd with a 21-5 scoring advantage, and we outscored them 21-7 in the 4th."
The Blue Dragons may have had some great scoring in the fourth quarter, but they still found themselves down 16 points with just two minutes left in the game. Undeterred, the team regrouped, shook off the missed baskets they'd been seeing in the first 2/3 of the quarter, and made a comeback play. They reclaimed 11 of those points in less than 120 seconds, the buzzer sounding with the Dragons only 5 points behind the Crusaders.
Red Cloud would be advancing to the Class A State tournament, which starts today (Thursday) in Watertown. Other nearby Class A teams that advanced to State were Flandreau (19-4) and Sioux Falls Christian (22-2).
"Even though our season ended with the 63-58 loss, we had a lot to be proud of in the end," said Coach Schrank. "When most teams see they are down 63-47 with 1:57 left on the game clock, they start to 'pack-it-in'. Thoughts go through your mind, 'well, at least we made it this far.' This group showed how much this season meant to them, how much they cared for each other and this school."
The team will graduate only three players, Raegen Altman, Anna Jones, and Logan Bly, leaving the core available to come back next year and vie for the State tournament again. In all, the season saw the team win 14 games and nearly punch their ticket to State.
Coach Schrank was congratulatory towards the team, acknowledging their great season.
"As coaches, we were real emotional for the loss," he said, "but more emotional because of the character the girls showed throughout the game that night. Congratulate them on a heck of a season, and for showing true pride in being a Garretson Blue Dragon."
[/s2If]
