The Dell Rapids Quarriers outscored Milbank 21-8 in the third quarter, and that proved to be the difference on Tuesday, December 28th.  The Quarriers escaped Milbank with a 55-53 win over the Bulldogs.

The first half was a little bit of a struggle for the Quarriers in the first half.  Dell Rapids shot just 23% (6-26) from the field and 27% (4-15) from three-point area in the first two quarters of play.  Milbank held a 14-9 lead at the end of the first quarter and kept that five-point lead at halftime, 25-20.

The Bulldogs extended their lead to 29-22 with 5:26 left in the third quarter.  That’s when Dell Rapids made a big push.  The Quarriers finished the quarter on a 19-4 run to take a 41-33 lead into the fourth quarter.  The lead for Dell Rapids hit double digits, 44-33, after a made three-pointer by Brayden Pankonen to start the fourth quarter.  The Quarriers continued to keep the Bulldogs at bay and still held a 10-point, 49-39, lead after a free throw by Shane Stone with 4:00 to play.  The Bulldogs, however, went on an 8-0 run over the next three minutes to make the score 49-47.  Pankonen made two free-throws to push the lead to 51-47.

With just under a minute to play, a costly delay of game technical foul was called against Milbank.  After a made free throw to make the score 51-48, a delay of game was called against the Bulldogs for hitting the ball after a made shot.  It was the second one of the game resulting in a technical foul.  Pankonen made both free throws to make it a five point lead, 53-48.  Each team scored two points, 55-50, and then the Bulldogs were fouled on a three-point shot with :07 left.  They made all three free-throws to pull within two points, 55-53.  Dell Rapids was fouled, but both free-throws were missed.  Milbank got the defensive rebound, but the last second shot just inside the three-point line hit the back rim and fell away no good.

Pankonen and Jack Henry both had 15 points in the game.  Camden Justice finished with 10 points.  Stone added seven points, and Landon Ruesink and Will Jaton both had three points each.

Dell Rapids (2-1) will play Hamlin at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, December 31st at the Entringer Classic in Brookings.

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley

Dell Rapids jumped out to an early lead, but the Tea Area Titans took the win 67-57 against the Quarriers on Friday, December 17th.

The Quarriers got out to a quick 9-0 lead in the first three minutes of the game.  They led by 10 points by the end of the first quarter, 16-6.  The Titans, however, came roaring back in the second quarter.  Tea scored 23 points in the second quarter and cut the lead to just one point by halftime.  Dell Rapids went to the locker room leading 30-29.

Tea’s defense continued to hold Dell Rapids in check in the second half.  The Titans took the lead in the third quarter and held a 47-44 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.  Tea outscored Dell Rapids 20-13 in the final quarter for the win.

The Quarriers shot 51% (22-43) from the field, but just 30% (6-20) from three-point area.  They were also only 47% (7-15) from the free-throw line.  Titans were 43% (24-56) from the field, 33% (9-27) from three-point area, and 63% (10-16) from the free-throw line.

Brayden Pankonen had 28 points, two rebounds, and two assists to lead Dell Rapids.  Jack Henry had 10 points, seven rebounds, and two steals.  Aiden Boechler added seven points and six rebounds, and Shane Stone had seven points and two rebounds.

Dell Rapids (1-1) will be on a break until Tuesday, December 28th.  The Quarriers will play the Milbank Bulldogs in a girls and boys doubleheader.

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley

After having their season-opening game postponed due to the snow storm, the Dell Rapids Quarriers electrified the crowd with four dunks and earned a 64-40 win over the Baltic Bulldogs in Baltic on Monday, December 13th.  Camden Justice and Jack Henry had back-to-back slams early in the first quarter to give Dell Rapids a 6-0 lead, and the Quarriers never looked back.  Shane Stone added two slams of his own in the second half.

Dell Rapids led 18-10 after the first quarter and pushed that lead to 20 points at 38-18 by halftime.  The lead grew to 27 points by the end of the third quarter, 54-27, as the Quarriers cruised in the second half for the season-opening win.

The Quarriers shot 46% (25-54) from the field in the game, but just 24% (5-21) from three-point area.  Dell Rapids was also 75% (9-12) from the free-throw line and out-rebounded Baltic 33-22.  The Quarrier defense forced 20 Bulldog turnovers.

Three players finished in double figures.  Brayden Pankonen had 21 points, six steals, four assists, and two rebounds.  Justice finished with 11 points, three rebounds, and two steals.  Stone added 10 points and seven rebounds.  Aiden Boechler had five points and four rebounds, and Henry finished with four points and four rebounds.

Dell Rapids (1-0) will host Tea in a double-header on Friday, December 17th.  Both games can be seen on Big Sioux Media.

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley

Even though the game didn’t end in the favor of the Dell Rapids Quarriers, there was still plenty to celebrate for the Quarriers on Saturday, March 20th.  The Quarriers played in their final game of the 2021 South Dakota State A Tournament and season against the Dakota Valley Panthers.  The Panthers  won the game 69-60 giving the Quarriers a fourth place finish in the state tournament.

The Panthers and Quarriers were tied two times early in the first quarter at 10-10 and 13-13.  Dell Rapids took their only lead of the game, 15-13, after a basket by Carter Nelson with 2:23 in the quarter.  The Panthers finished the quarter on a 7-0 run for a 20-15 lead.  Dakota Valley pushed the lead to 12 points, 29-17, with 5:38 left in the half.  Dell Rapids got within five points, 33-28, after a three-pointer by Colin Rentz with 2:26 to go in the quarter.  Dakota Valley ended the half leading 34-28.

The Quarrier fans were brought to their feet early in the third quarter as Colin Rentz surpassed 1,000 points for his career in his final game as a Dell Rapids Quarrier.  Dell Rapids chipped the lead down to three points, 48-45, after a three-pointer by Connor Rentz with 1:23 in the quarter.  The Panthers pushed the lead back to five points, 45-40, heading into the fourth.  The Quarriers again got the lead down to just a single possession, 52-50, this time after a three-pointer by Brayden Pankonen with 7:07 in the game, but that was as close as Dell Rapids could get.  The Panthers extended the lead back to 10 points with 4:08 to go and hung on for the win.

Colin Rentz finished with 29 points, five assists, and three rebounds.  Connor Rentz had eight points and four rebounds.  Carter Nelson finished with six points, three blocks, and two rebounds.  Pankonen had six points, two rebounds, and an assists.  Avery Boechler finished with three points.  Coby Maeschen added two points, three rebounds, and an assist.

Colin Rentz was also named to the All-Tournament team.

Dell Rapids finished fourth in the 2021 South Dakota Class A State Tournament and had a 17-8 overall record.

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley

The Sioux Falls Christian Chargers took advantage of some offensive struggles by the Dell Rapids Quarriers in the middle quarters and defeated the Quarriers 64-52 in the semifinal round of the South Dakota State A Tournament on Friday, March 19th.

The Quarriers found themselves down by six points early in the first quarter, 10-4, but ended the first on an 8-2 run to end the first quarter tied 12-12.  Dell Rapids took their first and only lead of the game, 15-14, after a Landon Ruesink free throw with 6:12 to play in the second quarter.  The Chargers went on a 5-0 run and eventually pushed the lead to nine points, 28-19 with 2:01 to go in the half.  Connor Rentz scored the final two points of the half, and the Quarriers trailed 28-21 at halftime.

Sioux Falls Christian took advantage of the shots not falling for the  Quarriers in the third quarter.  The Chargers extended their lead to as many as 16 points, 46-30, with just under a minute to play in the third quarter.  They led 48-33 heading into the final quarter.  Dell Rapids could not get any closer than 12 points in the fourth quarter.  The Quarriers trailed 50-38 with 5:10 in the game after two free-throws by Connor Rentz, but every time Dell Rapids tried to make a run, the Chargers shut the door and extended their lead.

Dell Rapids shot just 34% (17-50) from the field, only 22% (4-18) from three-point area, and 67% (14-21) from the free-throw line.  The Quarriers were out-rebounded 40-27 by the Chargers.

Colin Rentz had 19 points, five rebounds, and three assists.  Connor Rentz had 13 points and four rebounds.  Coby Maeschen had six points and six rebounds.  Brayden Pankonen had five points.  Carter Nelson and Ruesink both finished with three points each.

Dell Rapids (17-7) will play in the 3rd/4th place game against Dakota Valley on Saturday, March 20th at 5:00 p.m.

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley

One of the best things about March basketball is that anything can happen.  That statement rang true in the opening game of the 2021 South Dakota Class A Boys State Tournament in Sioux Falls on Thursday, March 18th.

The #8-seeded Dell Rapids Quarriers controlled most of the game against the #1-seeded Vermillion Tanagers.  The game was tied only three times and only had four lead changes.  But as expected with these two teams, the final three minutes of the game is what makes March basketball so special.

The Quarriers made the first basket of the game, but Vermillion tied the game after two made free-throws for the first tie.  Dell Rapids went on to shoot 6-11 from the field and 3-4 from beyond three-point area to build a 19-11 lead by the end of the first quarter.  The lead grew to as many as 11 points, 30-19, after two made free-throws by Brayden Paknonen with 2:48 in the first half.  The Tanagers cut the lead back down to eight points by halftime, 32-24.

The third quarter was a grind-out, defensive battle between the two teams.  Vermillion pulled within three points a couple of times in the quarter.  Jake Jensen made a three-pointer with 2:13 to play to cut the Dell Rapids lead to 37-34.  Dillion Gestring’s field goal with 1:32 in the quarter pulled the Tanagers within two points, 38-36, but Dell Rapids ended the quarter on a 3-0 run to push the lead back to five points, 41-36 heading into the final quarter.

Dell Rapids kept about a three-point advantage throughout much of the fourth quarter, but Vermillion took their first lead of the game after a Gestring field goal, 44-43, with 2:48 in the game.  The two teams traded baskets over the next couple of minutes, and the game was tied 48-48 (1:39 to go) and 50-50 with :55 on the clock.

The Tanagers had possession of the ball with :31 to go, and after a timeout, the play went to Gestring.  Gestring drove baseline straight to the hoop and was fouled on his shot attempt.  Gestring missed both free-throws, and Dell Rapids secured the rebound with the game still tied 50-50.  After two Quarrier timeouts, Dell Rapids tried to inbound the ball with :09 only to have the pass stolen by Jakob Dobney.  Dobney sprinted to his basket and laid the ball in with :05 on the clock giving Vermillion a 52-50 advantage.  Colin Rentz took the inbound pass and sprinted down the court.  Colin Rentz found an open Landon Ruesink on the left wing.  Ruesink, staying behind the three-point line, let got of the shot just before the buzzer, sinking the three-point shot to give the Quarriers a 53-52 victory and sending the Quarrier players to a pile on half court.  This was the first loss of the season for Vermillion

Pankonen finished with 15 points, three steals and two rebounds.  Connor Rentz also had 15 points along with three rebounds, and two assists.  Colin Rentz had 10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and four steals.  Ruesink added seven points, three steals, and two assists.  Coby Maeschen had four points and nine rebounds.  Carter Nelson was a defensive force with five blocked shots in the game.

The Quarriers will take on Sioux Falls Christian in the semifinal round on Friday, March 19th.  Tip-off is at 5:00 p.m.

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley

The Dell Rapids Quarrier boys basketball team qualified for the state tournament for the third straight year after two post season wins.  The Quarriers defeated the West Central Trojans 65-52 on Friday, March 5th at home in the Region 3A tournament.  Dell Rapids then traveled to Parkston and defeated the Rapid City Christian Comets 68-54 in the SoDak 16 on Tuesday, March 9th.

The Quarriers used a big first quarter to propel them to the 65-52 win over the Trojans.  Dell Rapids raced out to a 21-5 lead by the end of the first quarter.  The Quarriers led 36-19 at halftime.  That lead was big enough to survive a West Central run in the second half.  The Trojans held Dell Rapids to just seven points in third quarter and cut the lead to 43-37 heading into the final quarter.  West Central got the lead down to 47-43 with 5:27 to play, but Dell Rapids closed out the game on an 18-9 run for the win.

Dell Rapids shot 51% (23-45) from the field, 33% (6-18) from three-point area, and 62% (13-21) from the free-throw line. 

Colin Rentz finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.  Carter Nelson had 14 points, six rebounds, and three blocks.  Brayden Pankonen had 13 points.  Connor Rentz added nine points and four rebounds.

Photo taken and used with permission by Sara Stadem

The Quarriers then hit the road on Tuesday, March 9th to Parkston to play the Rapid City Christian Comets in the SoDak 16 with a trip to the State A tournament on the line.

Both teams got off to a slow start in the first quarter.  Dell Rapids held a 7-4 lead at the end of the first quarter as both teams combined to shoot 5-23 from the field.  Dell Rapids extended their lead to 23-14 by halftime.

Dell Rapids continued to build on their lead in the third quarter.  The Quarriers led 39-24 heading into the final quarter.  Both teams then put on an offensive show in the fourth quarter.  They combined for a total of 59 points in the final quarter.  Every time the Comets looked like they were going to make a run, the Quarriers responded and were able to keep the Comets at bay for the win.

The Quarriers finished the game shooting 43% (21-49) from the field, 35% (7-20) from three-point area, and 73% (19-26) from the free-throw line.  The Comets were 39% from the field and shot only two free-throws in the game.

Pankonen had the hot hand for the Quarriers, making six three-pointers and finishing the game with 27 points.  Colin Rentz had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and five steals.  Connor Rentz had 12 points and five assists.  Nelson added nine points, 10 rebounds, and four steals.

Dell Rapids (16-6) will be the #8 seed in the South Dakota Boys Class A State Tournament.  Their first game will be against #1 Vermillion on Thursday, March 18th at 12:00 p.m. at the Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls.

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley

The Dell Rapids Quarrier boys basketball team played their final regular season game on Monday, February 22nd at Garretson.  The Quarriers ended the season on a three-game winning streak after defeating the Blue Dragons 62-54.

The Quarriers found themselves in another tight battle in their fourth straight road game.  Garretson led by two points, 10-8, with 1:49 to go in the first quarter.  The Quarriers ended the quarter on a 5-0 run to lead 13-10.  They pushed the lead to nine points at 20-11 with 4:00 left in the first half.  Garretson got within three points at 22-19, but Dell Rapids ended the half on a 6-0 run to lead 28-19.

Dell Rapids then led by as many as 11 points, 41-30, with 2:00 left in the third quarter.  The Blue Dragons went on an 8-2 run to in the final minutes of third quarter to make the score 43-38 heading into the fourth.  Garretson scored the first three points of the fourth quarter, but 43-41 was as close as they could get.  Every time the Blue Dragons got within a couple of points, Dell Rapids had an answer.  The Quarriers were able to extend their lead to 10 points, 56-46, after a three-pointer by Brayden Pankonen with 2:30 left in the game to give the Quarriers enough of a cushion for the win.

Dell Rapids finished the game shooting 42% (25-60) from the field, but only 18% (4-22) from three-point area.  They were 57% (8-14) from the free-throw line.

Colin Rentz led the team with 24 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and four steals.  Pankonen had 18 points, three rebounds, and two assists.  Carter Nelson also had double figures with 10 points along with six rebounds.  Coby Maeschen had seven rebounds.

The Quarriers finish the regular season with a 14-6 record.

Another big three-pointer late in the game helped the Dell Rapids Quarriers get a 57-52 win over the Lennox Orioles in Lennox on Friday, February 19th.

Dell Rapids found themselves in another tight battle for the second time in the week.  Lennox had the early advantage in the game and led 15-13 at the end of the first quarter.  The Quarriers took the lead in the second quarter with 4:13 to play on a three-pointer by Brayden Pankonen and didn’t trail the rest of the game.  Dell Rapids led 29-24 at halftime.

The Quarriers held a three-to-six point lead throughout most of the third quarter, but ended the quarter on a 4-0 run to push the lead to nine points at 43-34.  Lennox chipped away at the lead throughout the fourth quarter and got within a point at 49-48 with 2:20 to play in the game.   Carter Nelson, for the second game in a row, hit a three-pointer to give Dell Rapids a four-point, 52-48 lead with 1:30 left in the game.  Colin Rentz followed with a steal and layup with 1:00 left to push the lead to 54-48, which was enough of a cushion to get the win.

Connor Rentz finished with 14 points, two rebounds, and two steals.  Colin Rentz had 13 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals.  Pankonen added 10 points, three steals, and two rebounds.  Avery Boechler and Nelson both had seven points in the game.  Boechler also had three steals.

Dell Rapids (13-6) will conclude their regular season on Monday, February 22nd at Garretson.  The game can be seen on Big Sioux Media.