The Dell Rapids Quarriers extended their win streak to seven with a win over the Harrisburg Tigers 53-47 Tuesday, February 12th, in Harrisburg.  The Quarriers jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first quarter and led 11-7 after the first quarter.  Harrisburg responded in the second quarter with strong defense, holding Dell Rapids to only eight points in the quarter.  The Tigers took a 23-19 lead into halftime.  Dell Rapids found their offense after halftime, taking the lead back at 41-35 at the end of the third quarter.  The fourth quarter was exciting as Harrisburg cut the lead to 43-32 with 4:20 in the game.  After Dell Rapids extended the lead, Harrisburg again cut the lead down to one, this time at 46-45 with 3:10 to go.  The Tigers would tie the game at 47-47 with just 1:30 left, but Dell Rapids hit six free throws down the stretch for the win.

Dell Rapids was led by Cole Langer with 18 points.  Bryce Koch had 14 points, and Zach White tossed in 10 points.  Harrisburg was led by Gunar Rang with 17 points.  Justin Jacobson had 14 points, and Andrew McCuen finished with 12 points for the Tigers.

Dell Rapids improves to 13-5 on the year.  The Quarriers will host Lennox on Friday, February 15th.

Highlights:

JV Results:
The Dell Rapids boys JV team defeated Harrisburg 51-40 on Tuesday night.  The Quarriers scored 16 in the first quarter, 0 in the second quarter and 35 in the second half in the win.  Leading scorers were Zane Schumaker with 11 points, and Cody Nielsen with 10 points.  Ben Hammer added nine points.  Dell Rapids got 3-pointers from Riley Schmidt, Zach Schroeder, and Schumacher.  The Quarriers were 5-7 from the line.

The Dell Rapids Quarrier boys basketball team won their sixth game in a row in exciting fashion over the Spearfish Spartans, 55-52, on Saturday, February 9th, at the DWU Classic in Mitchell.  Spearfish held a slight 18-16 lead after the first quarter, and pushed that lead to six at halftime, 33-27.  Dell Rapids would have the lead 42-40 at the end of the third quarter.  The final quarter was back and forth as both teams traded baskets.  With the scored tied at 52-52, Ty Hoglund hit the game-winning three-point shot from the right side wing to give the Quarriers the win.

Head coach Jason Fersdahl said, “We faced a major challenge against a tough and physical Spearfish team…facing them the day after defeating a quick and aggressive Dakota Valley team.  Facing a six point halftime deficit and perhaps some fatigue as well, I was happy to see our team respond to the adversity by coming out and playing outstanding in the third quarter to take a two point lead.  The final quarter was back and forth as it seemed Spearfish answered every bucket we scored with either a 3 pointer or a putback basket off of a rebound.  Fortunately, we were able to secure the possession at the end of the game and, we were able to work for a final shot which Ty Hoglund calmly knocked down. This was a great win as Spearfish had been very hot lately, defeating two “AA” schools (Huron and Mitchell) just the previous week.”

Dell Rapids was led by Bryce Koch with 16 points, nine rebounds, and four blocked shots.  Cole Langer added 11 points, Zach White had 10 points, and Hoglund finished the game with seven points.  The Spartans were led by Dillon Orth with 17 points, and Ryan Olson with 15 points.  The Quarriers shot 54% (25-46) from the field and 50% (7-14) from the free throw line in the game.  Spearfish shot 35% (27-77) from the field and 50% (5-10) from the free throw line.

The Quarriers improve to 12-5 on the year.  Dell Rapids will travel to Harrisburg to take on the Tigers on Tuesday, February 12th.

The Dell Rapids Quarrier boys basketball team cruised past the Dakota Valley Panthers, 66-53, for their fifth straight win on Friday, February 8th, in Dell Rapids.  The Quarriers never felt a threat on their lead the entire game.  Dell Rapids jumped out to a 14-7 first quarter lead and extended that lead to 35-20 at halftime.  Dakota Valley was able to cut the lead to 49-38 at the end of the third quarter, but that was as close as the Panthers got as the Quarriers were able to knock down the free throws in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

Head coach Jason Fersdahl said, “This basketball game really had the feel of a post-season game, and I felt our team responded very well.  We had an outstanding defensive effort, especially in the first half, and we really made Dakota Valley work for any good scoring opportunities they got.  To hold a team like Dakota Valley to 20 points in the first half really shows how locked in we were on defense, and we dominated the boards by limiting them to one shot attempt on nearly every possession.  Offensively, we were aggresssive and we were able to score in transition as well as in the half court.”

Dell Rapids was led by Cole Langer with 22 points and four assists.  Bryce Koch added 14 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots.  Spencer Kerzman added seven points for the Quarriers.  Dakota Valley was led by Blake VanGinkel with 20 points.  Isaac Faldmo added 11 points.  The Quarriers shot 56% (25-44) from the field and 72% (16-22) from the free throw line.  Dakota Valley shot 33% (18-53) from the field and 62% (10-16) from the free throw line.  Dell Rapids only committed eight turnovers in the game.

“We did a good job of taking care of the basketball, and we did a great job of working the ball inside and not settling for perimeter shots.  We were able to finish the game by converting free throw opportunities in the fourth quarter, led by Cole Langer and Jacob Morris, who each went 4-4 from the line down the stretch,” said Fersdahl.

The Quarriers improve to 11-5 overall and finish second in the Big Sioux Conference with a 5-2 conference record.  Dell Rapids will face Spearfish in Mitchell at the DWU Classic at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 9th.

Highlights:

JV Results:
The Quarrier JV team defeated Dakota Valley 67-33.  Riley Schmidt and Cody Nielsen led the Dell Rapids squad with 12 and 11 points, respectively.  Schmidt was 6-8 from the line.  The Quarriers led at all quarter breaks.  Kahler Berven (2), Zane Schumaker, and Spencer Kost all had 3-pointers for Dell Rapids.  Kost and Alec Riswold combined for 13 points in the fourth quarter.

The Dell Rapids Quarriers won their fourth game in a row, beating the Tri-Valley Mustangs 48-34 on Friday, February 1st, at Tri-Valley High School.  The Quarriers led at every quarter break, leading 10-8 after the first quarter, 29-22 at halftime, and 42-30 after the third quarter.

Dell Rapids shot 57% (19-33) from the field, 45% (5-11) from three-point area, and 55% (5-9) from the free throw line.  Tri-Valley shot 33% (12-36) from the field, 22% (4-18) from three-point area, and 100% (6-6) from the free throw line.  Jacob Morris led Dell Rapids with 15 points in the game.  Cole Langer had 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals in the game.  Matt Kolbeck added eight points.  Tri-Valley was led by Brett Page with 16 points.

Head coach Jason Fersdahl said, “Defensively, I thought we really controlled the game, especially in the second half.  Our goal going into the game was to try to keep Brett Page from penetrating into the lane, and for the most part we were able to do that.  We really controlled the boards and limited Tri-Valley to one shot attempt on nearly every possession.  Offensively, we were able to hit some perimeter shots which loosened Tri-Valley’s zone defense with Jacob Morris and Cole Langer leading the way.  We had more turnovers versus Tri-Valley than we had in our previous two games, and we need to shore up our ball handling and interior passing to limit these turnovers.”

Dell Rapids improves to 10-5 overall and 4-2 in the Big Sioux Conference.  The Quarriers will host Dakota Valley on Friday, February 8th.  The game will be webcast on Big Sioux Media.

JV Results:

The Dell Rapids JV team defeated Tri-Valley 39-29 after leading 20-11 at halftime.  Cody Nielsen led the Quarriers with 14 points.  He was 8-9 from the free throw line.  Riley Schmidt had eight points, while Kahler Berven had seven.  Zach Schumaker had several assists to go along with four points.

The Dell Rapids Quarrier boys basketball team earned a hard-fought win over the Vermillion Tanagers 55-52 on Thursday, January 24th, in Dell Rapids. The Quarriers led 15-11 after the first quarter, but Vermillion was able to tie the game at halftime, 29-29.  Dell Rapids held a slight 42-40 lead after the third quarter on the way to the victory.

Head coach Jason Fersdahl said, “We knew going into the game that we would have to play well to defeat an experienced Vermillion team.  It was nice to finally play in front of our home crowd in the first time in more than a month and I felt our players were energized by the crowd and we were able to get out to a quick start.  Vermillion came back by getting hot from the outside and they were able to continue to hit some tough shots throughout the game.”

The Quarriers were led by Bryce Koch with 18 points, eight rebounds, and five blocked shots.  Cole Langer was also in double figures with 14 points in the game.  Spencer Kerzman also pulled down eight rebounds for Dell Rapids.  Vermillion was led by Tanner Anderson with 15 points, Austin Krier had 12 points, and Carter Andre added 10 points.

“Bryce Koch scored eight of his game high 18 points in the first quarter to really spark our offense.   Cole Langer did an outstanding job of taking over the game in the 4th quarter by scoring nine of his 14 points down the stretch and making key plays for his teammates as well,” said Fersdahl.

The Quarriers shot 44% from the field in the game, 27% from three-point area, and 71% from the free throw line.  The Tanagers shot 42% from the field, 53% from the three-point area, and 73% from the free throw line.

“We did a much better job of taking care of the basketball, finishing the game with just seven turnovers compared to 14 team assists.  We showed much more consistency on the offensive and defensive ends, and I look forward to our team continuing to develop intensity and consistency on every play throughout the game as we prepare for the stretch run of the season,” said Fersdahl.

Dell Rapids improves to 8-5 on the year.  The Quarriers will host Canton on Tuesday, January 24th.  The game will be webcast on Big Sioux Media.

The Dell Rapids Quarriers defeated the Aberdeen Roncalli Cavaliers 72-65 at the Hanson Classic in Mitchell on Saturday, January 19th.  The Quarriers held a 12-8 lead after the first quarter, and extended that lead to 34-25 at halftime.  Dell Rapids was able to extend the lead further to 50-35 at the end of the third quarter, and hung on for the seven point victory.

Head coach Jason Fersdahl said, “It was great to get a win against a very good Aberdeen Roncalli team.  Offensively, I thought we showed much more patience, and we were able to get the high percentage shot attempts that we are looking for in our offense.  We were able to get the ball inside consistently to Koch and Langer and they both did a great job of either scoring when the opportunity was there or finding open teammates cutting to the basket when they were cut off.  Ty Hoglund did a nice job of pushing the ball in transition when the opportunity was there and running our half court offense when we did not have a break opportunity.  We got a little ragged in the 4th quarter and turned it over more than we had throughout the game and Roncalli got hot at the same time, but we were able to hit 18 of 25 free throws in the final quarter to secure the win.”

The Quarriers shot 50% (22-44) from the field, 33% (2-6) from the three-point area, and 70% (26-37) from the free throw line.  Langer recorded a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.  Koch finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, and seven blocked shots in the game.  Hoglund added 14 points for the Quarriers.  Roncalli shot 33% (21-64) from the field, 31% (8-26) from the three-point area, and 83% (15-18) from the free throw line.  Zach Schaefbauer led the Cavaliers with 13 points.  Kory Schwan added 12 points, Kendal Deutsch had 11 points, and Locus Lorenz had 10 points.

Dell Rapids improves to 7-5 on the year, and will host Vermillion on Thursday, January 24th.

The Madison Bulldogs used a huge 3rd quarter run to beat the Dell Rapids Quarriers 63-45 in boys basketball on Thursday, January 17th.  Madison jumped out to a 20-9 lead after the first quarter.  Dell Rapids used a big 2nd quarter run to take the lead towards the end of the quarter, but Madison would end the first half ahead 31-29.  The two teams traded baskets early in the 3rd quarter.  With the game tied 33-33 at the 6:30 mark of the 3rd quarter, Madison went on a 20-4 run to take a 53-37 lead on their way to the win.

Head coach Jason Fersdahl said, “We had to fight extremely hard to get back into the game.  Unfortunately, we were unable to continue our strong 2nd quarter play into the 2nd half as Madison went on a big run to start the third quarter, and we were unable to recover.  I thought we played some of our best basketball of the season in the 2nd quarter against a tough Madison team, but once again, we turned the ball over too much throughout the game, ending the game with 18 total turnovers.  Also, we did not shoot the ball as well as we are capable of and we had a number of high percentage attempts in the pivotal third quarter that we just did not convert.  We need to become focused and locked in on every possession on both offense and defense to begin playing more consistently as we have now passed the half-way point of the season.”

Dell Rapids was led by Cole Langer with 14 points and eight rebounds in the game in the game.  Zach White and Ty Hoglund each added eight points, and Matt Kolbeck had seven points.  The Quarriers were 11-14 from the free throw line in the game and shot 39% from the field.  Madison had three players with 12 points each, Braxton Olson, Trae VandeBerg, and Jesse Brown.  Preston Nordling had nine points in the game.  The Bulldogs shot 4-10 from the free throw line and shot 45% from the field.

The Quarriers fall to 6-5 on the year.  Dell Rapids will play Aberdeen Roncalli on Saturday, January 19th, at the Hanson Classic in Mitchell.

Highlights:

JV and Freshmen Results:

The Dell Rapids Quarrier JV team team suffered a 36-52 loss to Madison. Ty Hoglund led Dell Rapids with 11 points, Riley Schmidt had eight points, and Cody Nielsen had siz. Ben Hammer had five blocked shots. The Quarriers had five three-pointers and was 3-6 from the free throw line. Hammer and Nielsen had five and four rebounds respectively.

The freshmen team was defeated by Madison 16-47. Dell Rapids trailed 8-26 at halftime. Sam White led all scorers with six points.  Cordell Wright had four points; Brett Mogen, Henry LaCoursiere, and Josh Parrott each had two points.

The Dell Rapids Quarrier boys basketball team erased a first quarter deficit in Garretson on Tuesday, January 15th, on their way to a 60-51 win over the Garretson Blue Dragons.  Garretson led 16-10 after the first quarter, but Dell Rapids took the lead into halftime 32-29.  Garretson was able to cut the lead down to two, trailing Dell Rapids 44-42 after the third quarter.  The Quarriers were able to hang on for the nine-point victory.

Head coach Jason Fersdahl said, “Garretson shot the ball extremely well to start the game, hitting four 3-point field goals in the first and early second quarter to jump out to an 18-10 lead.  I was pleased that our team was able to respond to this early adversity as we really buckled down on both the offensive and defensive ends.  Jacob Morris kept us in the game in the first half by hitting four 3-pointers and we were able to get high percentage shots against their zone defense once we attacked it from the middle.”

Bryce Koch and Cole Langer each recorded a double-double in the game.  Koch had 17 points and 10 rebounds while Langer had 13 points and 10 rebounds.  Morris added 15 points and five assists in the game.  Matt Kolbeck came up with four steals on the defensive side of the ball.  Garretson was led by Patrick Whetham with 13 points.  The Quarriers shot 50% (23-46) from the field, 33% (6-18) from three-point area, and 61% (8-13) from the free throw line.  The Blue Dragons shot 44% from the field, 36% from the three-point area, and 72% from the free throw line.

Fersdahl also said, “Our seniors really stepped up tonight as Jacob, Bryce and Cole led us on the offensive end and Matt Kolbeck and Spencer Kerzman helped harass Garretson’s shooters throughout the game.  Offensively, we moved the ball much better against Garretson, and we ended the night with 16 assists on 23 made field goals.”

Dell Rapids improves to 6-4 on the year.  The Quarriers travel to Madison to take on the Bulldogs on Thursday, January 17th.