The Dell Rapids Quarrier boys basketball team earned a victory over the Elk Point-Jefferson Huskies 66-55 on Saturday, January 4th, in Elk Point. The Huskies held a 17-11 lead after the first quarter, but Dell Rapids took a two-point lead into halftime at 28-26. The Quarriers led 47-44 after the third quarter before outscoring Elk Point-Jefferson 19-11 in the final quarter for the win.
Head coach Jason Fersdahl said, “I am proud of our team for coming together in overcoming a rough start in the first quarter by digging in and playing aggressive defense and beating EPJ on the boards on the night. We thought going in to the game that we could use our speed and athleticism to force EPJ into some turnovers and we were able to do that, especially in the second half.”
Dell Rapids finished the game shooting 26-55 (47%) from the field, 3-15 (20%) from three-point range, and 11-21 (52%) from the free throw line. The Quarriers pulled down 39 rebounds, had 11 steals, 12 assists, and turned the ball over 12 times in the game.
The Quarriers had three players in double-figures, led by Cody Nielsen with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Ty Hoglund finished with 17 points, three steals, and two assists, while Zane Schumaker tossed in 11 points, pulled down five rebounds, and had four assists. Ben Hammer finished the game with six blocks.
” Cody Nielsen played a great overall game, leading us in scoring and rebounding and making a ton of hustle plays that often go unnoticed. I also thought our guards pushed the ball well in transition and handled the defensive pressure EPJ applied. Ben Hammer did a good job on the defensive end by controlling the paint and blocking six shots on the night while altering many others,” said Fersdahl. “Every Dakota XII conference game this season will be difficult and we look forward to continuing our strong start in conference play.”
Dell Rapids improves to 3-1 on the year and 3-0 in the Dakota 12 Conference. The Quarriers will travel to Pipestone on Tuesday, January 7th.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | ||
| Elk Point-Jefferson | 17 | 9 | 18 | 11 | 55 | |
| Dell Rapids | 11 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 66 |