The Dell Rapids Quarriers boys basketball team opened up their season with a win over West Central on Friday, December 7th, 60-37. Dell Rapids led for most of the game as they held a 16-12 lead after the first quarter and a 31-20 lead at halftime. The Quarriers shot 45% from the field and 86% from the foul line. Dell Rapids also out-rebounded the Trojans 39-33 in the game. Cole Langer paced the Quarriers with 15 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals. Zach White, Bryce Koch, and Matt Kolbeck each had eight points apiece. Jacob Morris and Ty Hoglund each had seven points. Koch also had 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in the game.
West Central was led by Mitchell Brockhaus and Cody Bussel with eight points apiece. Dylan Haggerty had 11 rebounds and Brockhaus had 9 rebounds in the game.
Head Coach Jason Fersdahl said, “It was great to start the season on a winning note by defeating an always strong and physical West Central Trojan team. Our players were perhaps a little over-excited as we started the game committing too many fouls, but as we got into the flow of the game I thought we played with great defensive intensity throughout the rest of the game. We were able to pressure their guards and we really made it difficult for West Central to score inside by getting good help on defense. We were able to neutralize their big post player (Brockhaus) and make him work for every attempt he got. We were able to force 19 turnovers in the game by utilizing our athletic ability and quick hands on defense. Where we need to improve is turning these opportunities into transition baskets at the other end. Offensively, we were able to get some high percentage shots inside and some good open looks from the perimeter. We will work to continue to improve our shooting from the perimeter as this will be a big key for us going forward in the season. I thought our seniors did a great job of leading us in our first game and we got some major contributions from players off our bench.”
The Quarriers will travel to Beresford to take on the Watchdogs on Tuesday, December 12th.
JV Results:
The Dell Rapids defeated the West Central Trojans 48-19. Leading all scorers was Ty Hoglund with 21 points, followed by Ben Hammer and Riley Schmidt with seven and six points respectively. The Quarriers held West Central scoreless in the first quarter as they jumped out to a 13 point lead in the first half. Hitting 3-pointers were Zane Schumaker, Kahler Berven, and Tanner Solberg. Dell Rapids shot 5-11 from the line. Riley Schmidt had five assists and Ben Hammer had six rebounds and six blocked shots in the contest.
Freshman Results:
In the first game of the season, the Quarriers freshman team had an impressive 38-22 win against West Central. This was a total team effort in which eight of the nine players scored. They were even more dominant on the defensive side, where they only allowed five points in the second half. Justin Riswold and Ryan Geraets did a great job stopping the opponents’ best players. We had very balanced scoring with Brett Mogen, Justin Riswold and Cordell Wright scoring eight points and Sam White six. These nine young men played great team basketball and we will look for more of that style of ball when we play Beresford on Tuesday, Tea area on Friday, and at Wakonda’s tourney on Saturday.
