The Sioux Valley Cossacks defeated the Dell Rapids Quarriers 59-52 at the Boys Entringer Classic in Brookings on Saturday, December 28th.  Sioux Valley had a first quarter lead of 16-11, but the Quarriers erased that lead to tie the game at 26-26 heading into halftime.  A tough third quarter for the Quarriers gave Sioux Valley a 43-33 lead after the third quarter.  The Quarriers pulled to within four points a couple of times in the fourth quarter, but the Cossacks were able to knock down enough free throws in the final quarter to hang on for the win.

Dell Rapids shot 22-51 (43%) from the field in the game.  They were 2-12 (17%) from three-point range and 6-10 (60%) from the free throw line.  Meanwhile, Sioux Valley went 18-46 (39%) from the field, while shooting 5-17 (29%) from three-point range and 18-25 (72%) from the free throw line.  Sioux Valley also out-rebounded the Quarriers 30-24 in the ball game.

The Quarriers were led by Ty Hoglund and Ben Hammer who each had 12 points in the game.  Riley Schmidt finished with nine points, and Zach White had eight points.  Cody Nielsen had a team-high six rebounds in the game.  Tayt Vincent had a game-high 19 points for Sioux Valley.  Spencer Hanson finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Head coach Jason Fersdahl said, “I thought we played pretty well in the first half as we battled to a 26-26 tie.  We had good ball movement on offense, and we played very aggressively.  Sioux Valley made a big run on us in the 3rd quarter as they hit some perimeter shots, and we missed some shots we usually make.  I am proud that our team fought back in the 4th quarter, and we had some good opportunities to cut it to a one possession game late, but credit Sioux Valley for consistently hitting their free throws down the stretch and maintaining their lead.  We gave up too many second chance opportunities on offensive rebounds in the second half and good teams really make you pay for those mistakes.”

Dell Rapids falls to 2-1 on the year.  The Quarriers will travel to Elk Point-Jefferson for a Dakota 12 Conference game on Saturday, January 4th.

	1	2	3	4		Final
Sioux Valley	16	10	17	16		59
Dell Rapids	11	15	7	19		52

Highlights

The Dell Rapids Quarrier boys basketball team picked up a win over the Tea Area Titans 65-57 on Friday, December 20th, in Dell Rapids.  Dell Rapids jumped out to a quick early lead and led 17-11 after the first quarter.  Tea was able to close the gap by two points by halftime at 32-27.  The Titans chipped away at the lead, before taking a 38-36 lead late in the third quarter, but the Quarriers regained the lead at 43-41 after the third quarter.  The Quarriers were able to pull away at the end by hitting free throws late in the game for the win.

Dell Rapids was led by Ben Hammer with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and seven blocked shots.  Cody Nielsen finished with 13 points, and Riley Schmidt and Ty Hoglund each had 12 points in the game.  Hoglund also finished with seven assists, and Zane Schumaker had six assists.  Shumaker also had 10 steals in the game.  Tea was led by Tarin Smallfield with a game-high 22 points.

Head coach Jason Fersdahl said, “This was a total team victory! Tea is a good team that plays very aggressive defense, and I thought we did a good job of moving the ball to find good scoring opportunities. We were able to work the ball inside to our post players who were able to finish strong at the basket. We knew that Tea would make a strong run at us, and I am proud that our guys responded with a strong 4th quarter; we were able to hit clutch shots down the stretch. We didn’t shoot free throws very well for the night, but Zane hit 5 -6 down the stretch to finish the game.”

The Quarriers improved to 2-0 on the year.  Dell Rapids will take on Sioux Valley at the Entringer Classic in Brookings on Saturday, December 28th, in their next game.  The game will be webcast on Big Sioux Media.

	1	2	3	4		Final
Tea Area	11	16	14	16		57
Dell Rapids	17	15	11	22		65

Highlights

The Dell Rapids Quarrier boys basketball team picked up a season-opening win against the West Central Trojans on Friday, December 13th, in Hartford by a score of 67-45.  The Quarriers led at every break in the game.  Dell Rapids led 18-9 at the end of the first quarter, 30-19 at halftime, and 49-35 after the third quarter.

Ty Hoglund and Zane Schumaker both scored 18 points in the game.  Schumaker also hit four 3-point field goals.  Cody Nielsen added 10 points, and Ben Hammer finished with eight.  Schumaker had a team-high six assists in the game, and Hoglund dished out five assists.  Zachary Schroeder finished with nine rebounds followed by Hammer who had eight.  Hoglund also finished the game with four steals.

Dell Rapids out-rebounded West Central as a team 35-22.  The Quarriers also had 17 total team assists, 11 team steals, and only turned the ball over 12 times.

Head coach Jason Fersdahl said, “Offensively, we were able to move the ball pretty well to find some good scoring opportunities and we were able to free up some of our perimeter shooters for open looks at the basket.  Our guards did a good job of pushing the ball in transition and our post players ran the floor well.  I was very pleased that we outrebounded West Central as team rebounding has been one of our main early season points of emphasis; Zachary Schroeder and Ben Hammer in particular hit the boards very hard.  Defensively, we were able to put good pressure on the ball at times and Hammer was able to patrol the lane well, finishing the night with 3 blocked shots while altering numerous others.  We need to continue to improve our half court defense and I know our players will keep working hard on that end of the floor all season.”

The JV team also picked up a win against the Trojans by a score of 36-28.

The Quarriers will host Tea in their next game on Friday, December 20th, as part of a girls-boys double header.  Both games will be webcast on Big Sioux Media.

The Dell Rapids Quarrier boys basketball team’s season came to an end at the Elmen Center on Tuesday, March 5th, in the Region 3A Championship game.  The Quarriers fell to the Madison Bulldogs 69-52.  The Quarriers entered the game on an 11-game winning streak.  Their last lost was to the Madison Bulldogs on January 17th in Madison.  The Bulldog defense was too much for the Quarriers to over-come in the ball game.  Dell Rapids jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the opening tip, and that was the only lead they had in the game.  The Bulldogs went on an 8-2 run from that point, and held a 21-15 lead after the first quarter.  Madison then went on a 10-2 run in the second quarter to lead 31-17 with 2:06 left in the half.  The Bulldogs held Dell Rapids to just one field goal in the second quarter and lead 34-22 at halftime.  Dell Rapids made a run late in the third quarter, cutting the lead down to 46-39 with just :20 left, but Madison scored four straight points before the quarter ended to go up 50-39.  The Bulldogs carried the momentum into the fourth quarter on the way to the win.

Dell Rapids were led by Cole Langer with 18 points in the game.  Bryce Koch finished with 13 points and seven blocked shots.

The Quarriers end their season with a 17-6 record.

Highlights:

The Dell Rapids Quarriers boys basketball team won the District 6A Championship by defeating the Sioux Falls Christian Chargers 67-63 at the Elmen Center on Friday, March 1st.  The game was exciting from the opening tip as it was back-and-forth throughout the game.  Sioux Falls Christian jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter and led at the quarter’s end 13-8.  Dell Rapids came storming back in the second quarter and took the lead into halftime at 26-24.  The Chargers found knocked down the three-point shot in the third quarter as they took the lead back at 47-43 with only one quarter to play.

The Chargers continued to build their lead to 52-45 with just 5:40 to go in the game.  That is when the Dell Rapids Quarriers went on a 13-0 run to take the lead they would never lose.  Dell Rapids held Sioux Falls Christian scoreless over almost four minutes.  The Chargers finally broke the run with two free throws to cut the lead to 58-54 with just 1:47 left in the game.  The two teams would trade made baskets and free-throws down the stretch, with the Quarriers holding on to win the District 6A title.

Dell Rapids had three players in double-figures on the night.  Bryce Koch had 24 points, Cole Langer had 15 points, and Jacob Morris finished with 11 points.

The Quarriers improve to 17-5 on the year and will take on the Madison Bulldogs in the Region 3A Championship game on Tuesday, March 5th, at the Elmen Center.

Highlights:

The Dell Rapids Quarrier boys basketball team advanced to the District 6A Championship game by defeating the Garretson Blue Dragons in the opening round 65-51 on Tuesday, February 26th, in Dell Rapids.  The Quarriers led at the end of each quarter break, leading 17-8 after the first quarter, 35-18 at halftime, and 51-31 at the end of the third quarter.

Head coach Jason Fersdahl said, “Our players really came ready to play against Garretson.  Our seniors have a lot of postseason experience, and they did a great job of providing leadership throughout the game.  Defensively, I thought we did an outstanding job of contesting perimeter shots, and we needed to because Garretson has some players that can really shoot the ball.”

Dell Rapids was led by Cole Langer with 21 points, five assists, and three steals in the game.  Ty Hoglund added 12 points.  Bryce Koch had eight points and 15 rebounds.  Matt Kolbeck and Jacob Morris each finished with seven points for Dell Rapids.  Garretson was led by Derek Dillon with 11 points.  The Quarriers shot 42% (24-57) from the field, 40% (6-15) from three-point area, and 65% (11-17) from the free throw line.  Garretson shot 35% (18-51) from the field, 32% (6-19) from three-point area, and 90% (9-10) from the free throw line.

“We were able to limit Garretson to one shot per possession as we really dominated the rebounding battle, led by Bryce Koch’s 15 rebounds.  Offensively, we shot the ball with confidence and we moved the ball pretty well against Garretson’s defense.  Cole Langer was able to work his way inside consistently to break down their defense and that really opened some things up for our other players,” said Fersdahl.

Dell Rapids improves to 16-5 on the year and won for the 10th time in a row.  The Quarriers will face the Sioux Falls Christian Chargers in the championship game on Friday, March 1st, at the Elmen Center in Sioux Falls at 6:30 p.m.  The game will be webcast on Big Sioux Media.

Highlights:

 

The Dell Rapids Quarriers boys basketball team picked up a hard-fought win on Friday, February 15th, against the Lennox Orioles, 51-48, in Dell Rapids.  The win was the eighth straight for Dell Rapids.  The Quarriers led the game from start to finish, including leading by 15-8 at the end of the first quarter and 30-16 at halftime.  Lennox was able to chip into the lead in the third quarter and trailed 36-27 at the end of the quarter.  The Orioles made a ferocious comeback in the final minutes of the game.  Lennox trailed 43-34 with 3:07 left to go, but cut that down to 44-40 with just 1:27 left in the game.  The Orioles hit a couple of three-pointers and pulled within two points at 50-48 with just :13 left.  After Jacob Morris hit one of two free throws, Lennox had a chance to tie the game on a last-second three-point shot, but the shot fell away no good, and Dell Rapids hung on for the win.

Head coach Jason Fersdahl said, “Our first half against Lennox was some of the best basketball we have played all year. We really dominated the rebounding battle against Lennox, and that is good because we did not shoot the ball very well, especially in the second half. I was pleased that we continued to work for high percentage shots on offense, but it was just one of those nights where the shots just would not go in. That being said, we came out on top against a pretty good Lennox team by doing some other things very well. We ended the game with only seven turnovers, and I thought our defensive intensity was good throughout the game. Bryce Koch really dominated the paint against a tall and strong Lennox team.”

Koch led the Quarriers with 22 points and 19 rebounds.  Zach White added nine points, and Cole Langer finished with eight points and nine rebounds.   Lennox was led by Alex Lane with 14 points and 10 rebounds.  Tyler Harms finished with 10 points for the Orioles.  Dell Rapids shot 32% (17-53) from the field, 0% (0-7) from three-point area, and 59% (17-29) from the free throw line.  Lennox shot 47% (21-45) from the field, 36% (4-11) from three-point area, and 33% (2-6) from the free throw line in the game.

“We have currently won eight straight games, and I feel we are building some good momentum heading into post season play. We wanted to be playing our best basketball of the season as we approach Districts, and I think we are beginning to do that. Our district and regional competition will be the most competitive of any in Class A, but our players are playing with much more confidence right now and we really believe we can play with any team in the state,” said Fersdahl.

Dell Rapids improves to 14-5 on the year.  The Quarriers will finish their regular season against Pipestone at home on Friday, February 22nd, before district tournament play begins.

Highlights: