The Dell Rapids Quarriers rode a 13-point swing in the third quarter to a victory over the Madison Bulldogs on Thursday, January 21st, in a packed Dell Rapids High School gymnasium.
Both teams struggled to knock down shots early in the game as the game was tied 7-7 after the first quarter. Madison went on a little run in the second quarter and took a 28-22 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Bulldogs extended their lead to 35-26 with 5:30 to go in the third quarter, but that’s when Dell Rapids started their run. The Quarriers closed out the third quarter on a 22-6 run and held a 48-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Dell Rapids was able to make their free-throws down the stretch in the fourth quarter, never losing the lead, for a 67-58 victory.
“We talked about it at halftime, we have to play with a lot more confidence. That was one of our big keys coming into the game, to play with a lot of confidence. We did that in the second half. We played a lot stronger,” said head coach Jason Fersdahl.
The Quarriers finished the game shooting 41% (20-49) from the field, 33% (7-21) from the three-point area, and 80% (20-25) from the free-throw line. Dell Rapids had a total of 32 team rebounds, 12 assists, and seven steals.
Ty Hoglund led the Quarriers with 30 points and five assists. Sheldon Siemonsma had 16 points, four rebounds and five blocked shots. Mason Peter also finished with 11 points and six rebounds. Sam White pulled down 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. Jeffrey Schuch also grabbed five rebounds.
“We got contributions across the board, and honestly that’s how we’re going to keep being successful. Everybody’s doing their job, flying around on defense. It’s gotta be a team effort every night. Our stats kind of reflect that,” Fersdahl added.
Dell Rapids (9-1) will travel to Elk Point on Monday, January 25th, to take on the Elk Point-Jefferson Huskies.