The Dell Rapids Quarrier boys advanced to the SoDak 16 after a tough Region 3A win against the Baltic Bulldogs at home on Friday, March 7th. The Quarriers held for a 35-32 win over the Bulldogs.
The defenses for both teams played a very strong game. Neither offense could get much going throughout the contest. The Bulldogs held a 5-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. Dell Rapids got on a run in the middle quarters. They outscored Baltic 11-5 in the second quarter for a 13-10 lead at halftime. The Quarriers also outscored the Bulldogs 13-3 in the third quarter to take a 26-13 lead into the fourth quarter.
With out strong the defenses were playing, the double-digit lead seemed like a tall mountain to climb. The Bulldogs offense, however, found their groove in the fourth quarter. Baltic got the lead down to 33-30 with :24 to play. After two missed free throws by Dell Rapids, Kellen Artz had a slam dunk with just over :05 to play to make the score 33-32. Karson Paye made two free throws with :00.4 left to seal the win for Dell Rapids.
Dell Rapids finished the game shooting 31% (12-39) overall, 2-9 on three-point shots, and 43% (9-21) from the free-throw line. Baltic shot 23% (11-48) overall, 1-14 on three-point attempts, and 60% (9-15) from the free-throw line.
Tad Tjaden led the way for the Quarriers with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and six steals. Jack Kloth had six points, seven rebounds, and nine blocked shots. Paye finished with four points, three steals, and two assists. Carson Maeschen and Jackson Peppel both had three points each.
