The Dell Rapids Quarriers and Worthington, MN Trojans played the longest game of the day at the Dak12/NEC Conference Clash in Madison on Saturday, February 1st. The game lasted nearly three hours because of a power outage early in the game that lasted over an hour.
The Trojans started the game on a 3-0 run only to have Dell Rapids respond with a 7-2 run for a 7-5 lead with 5:30 to go in the quarter. The Trojans then went on a 7-2 run of their own for a 14-9 lead. With 3:29 on the clock, Carter Nelson stepped to the line for two free throws. He made the first one to make the score 14-10. Moments later the power went out at the gym.
The northeast part of Madison lost power. Not knowing how long the outage would last, the two teams engaged is more pre-game warmup drills to stay loose as enough light entered the gym for that. Twenty to twenty-five minutes into the outage, the two teams got together to engaged in a an epic battle of “Lightning”. The boys decided that the three-point shot was too easy of a starting point and moved it back to half court. The battle lasted for nearly thirty minutes and was won by a Worthington player. After one hour and three minutes, the power returned, and the game was able to resume.
From the time the game resumed until the end, the game was tight. The Trojans ended the first quarter leading 17-13 nearly an hour and a half after it started. The Trojans grew their lead to a game-high eight points at 21-13 with 6:10 to play in the first half. The Quarriers battled back and took the lead at 29-27 after a three-point basket made by Ramsey Heinecke. Dell Rapids held a 31-29 lead at halftime.
The second half was back-and-forth all half long. Neither team was able to get out to much of a lead. Every time one of the teams got a lead, the other responded. The third quarter ended with the score tied 46-46. Neither team led by more than two points in the fourth quarter. Dell Rapids took a 61-60 lead after two made free throws by Colin Rentz with 1:51 to go in regulation. The Quarriers missed three free throws leading by a point, and then the Trojans tied the game at 61-61 with just over a minute to play. Regulation ended with the game tied 61-61.
The Trojans took the early advantage in overtime by scoring the first three points for a 64-61 lead with 2:45 to play. Dell Rapids tied the game at 66-66 with 1:42 to play on a free throw made by Colin Rentz. The Trojans took a 68-66 lead with :25 to play. The Quarrier pulled within a point on a free throw made by Drew Van Regenmorter with :11 to go. After two made free throws by the Trojans with :08.4 to extend the lead to 70-67, the last second shot by the Quarriers was no good, and the Trojans took the three-point win.
Dell Rapids finished the game shooting just 28% (23-81) from the field, 19% (5-26) from three-point area, and 44% (16-36) from the free-throw line. They had 38 team rebounds, 13 assists, and only turned the ball over six times.
Rentz had a game-high 25 points along with seven assists and six rebounds. Logan Ellingson had 15 points. Van Regenmorter added 12 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists.
The Quarriers (7-3) will host Flandreau on Tuesday, February 4th. The game can be seen on Big Sioux Media.