by Tad Heitkamp, coach
The Garretson Blue Dragon Basketball team took to the home court twice last week, facing off against Beresford on Tuesday, February 8 and Elkton/Lake Benton on Saturday. They faced off against Parker at home on Tuesday, February 15 (results unavailable at press time) in their third-to-last game of the regular season.
Blue Dragons Blast the Watchdogs
The Blue Dragons kept their winning streak intact as they took care of the Beresford Watchdogs on February 8th, 2022, 59-27.
The Blue Dragons came out of the locker clicking on all cylinders as they dropped down 32 first half points, while holding Beresford to just 12 points.
“This was the best overall game we have played this season as a team,” exclaimed Coach Tad Heitkamp. “We were getting balanced scoring from a number of guys, but what we really did, is took care of business on the defensive end of the court. We didn’t give them any second-chance scoring opportunities and had a number of steals the put away the game early."
Dylan Kindt (8 steals and 5 rebounds) and Cooper Long (5 assists) were the games high scorers with 19 and 14 points. Rhett Kloth (9 rebounds and 6 blocks) and Sam Schleuter (3 assists, 3 steals, and 5 rebounds) also had solid nights with 9 and 8 points each. Clay Lardy added 4 points of his own, while Isaiah Gnadt (4 rebounds) and Dylan Jessen dropped in 2 points. Cadyn Ockenga (5 rebounds) rounded out the scoring with 1 point.
Elkton/Lake Benton Slips Past the Blue Dragons
On February 12th, 2022, the Blue Dragons played host to the Elks from Elkton/Lake Benton. The Blue Dragons struggled to get things going much of the day as they were defeated 48 to 44.
“We were not mentally ready to take the court this afternoon, which was evident on how we played. We didn’t play as a team and had no rhythm offensively,” stated Coach Heitkamp. “We also had an opportunity to lock down the 4th position in Region standings this afternoon, which would keep us on our home court the first round of tourney play. Now we need to win at least 1 or 2 of our remaining three games and get some help.”
Cooper Long had a solid game for the Blue Dragons as he connected for 20 points. Dylan Kindt (4 assists and 6 rebounds) and Rhett Kloth (11 rebounds) knocked down 12 and 7 points, while Sam Schleuter (7 rebounds) and Cadyn Ockenga (5 rebounds) added 2 points apiece. Clay Lardy rounded out the scoring with 1 point and 10 rebounds.
The next game will face the Sioux Valley Cossacks tonight (Thursday) in Volga, and the final game before regions will be in Dell Rapids on Monday. The Region 3A tournament will be held March 1 and 4.
