The West Central Trojan boys played well on both ends of the floor in a 60-51 win over the Dell Rapids Quarriers on Monday, January 3rd.
Dell Rapids took the early lead getting out to a 7-4 advantage with 4:30 to play in the first quarter. West Central held the Quarriers to just two points the rest of the quarter and led 14-9 at the end of the quarter. The Trojans rolled from there. They pushed the lead to seven points, 30-23, by halftime.
The offense really got going for West Central in the third quarter. The Trojans outscored Dell Rapids 24-12 to take a 54-35 lead into the fourth quarter. The lead grew to a game-high 23 points at 60-37 with 5:45 to play. Dell Rapids finished the game on a 14-0 run, but ran out of time to complete any comeback.
The Trojans shot 46% (26-56) from the field, 28% (5-18) from three-point area, and 43% (3-7) from the free-throw line. The West Central defense forced 17 Dell Rapids turnovers, 13 of those on steals.
Grafton Stroup had 22 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and two assists. Braden Herr finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Jacob Krempges added eight points, seven assists, five steals, and two rebounds. Dillon Jackson had seven points, three rebounds, and three steals. Owen Heath finished with six points and five rebounds.
West Central (4-1) will play Lower Brule at the Sacred Hoops Classic at the Corn Palace in Mitchell on Saturday, January 8th.