By Tad Heitkamp, Coach
Blue Dragons Pick Up 1st Win!
On February 22nd, 2025, the Blue Dragons C Team participated in a three team jamboree event down in Parker, which included Parker, Freeman, and the Garretson teams . The Blue Dragon took on the Flyers from Freeman in their first game of the day, which started off very well as they jumped out to a 14-4 lead after the opening quarter. Unfortunately, the Blue Dragons weren’t able to keep that momentum going the rest of the game as they were defeated 40-20.
“I’ve never seen a team go ice cold in a matter of moments,” explained Heitkamp. “We were getting solid looks at the basket, but nothing was falling. I was overall pleased with our defensive play, but scoring on the offensive side just didn’t happen.”
Ethan McGregor had a solid game netting 7 points, while Isaiah Coburn and Casen Smith added 4 more points each. Cooper Smith collected 3 points and Jackson Collins rounded out the scoring with 2 points.
In the final game of the day the Blue Dragons took on the host team Parker Pheasants. The Blue Dragons came out struggling again to get the basketball through the hoop as they faced a 20-12 deficit going into the final 6 minutes of play.
“We couldn’t find any consistency with regards to our offense the first three quarters of play,” Heitkamp stated. “We were again getting quality looks, but nothing was dropping for us.”
The Blue Dragons came out fired up the final quarter as they erased an 8 point lead from the Pheasants and pulled out a 25 to 21 victory giving them their first victory of the season.
“I have no idea what clicked, but something happened that they were not going to be denied,” exclaimed Coach Heitkamp. “We were knocking down big shots and played unbelievable defense only giving up one point in the final stanza. The also went 4 of 6 from the charity strip sealing the victory.”
Ethan McGregor had another nice game as he was the games leading scorer with 12 points. Isaiah Coburn added 5 point of his own, which included 3 free throws at the end securing a victory for the team. Cade Risty collected 3 points, as Myles Hanson and Michael Hanisch netted 2 points each. Casen Smith finished the night with 1 point.
JV Team Falls To Dells
On February 24th, 2025, the JV team stepped on the court for the final time in the 2024/2025 season as they played host to the Dell Rapids Quarriers. The opening quarter was back and forth with Dells holding a slight 8-6 lead after the first 6 minutes of the game. The Quarriers put the clamps down on the home team in the 2nd quarter holding the Blue Dragons to just 1 point, while extending their lead going into the locker room at halftime 16-7.
“We couldn’t throw the ball into the ocean that second quarter,” Heitkamp mentioned. “We were getting unbelievable looks at the hoop again, but we just couldn’t finish. Thank goodness we were playing solid defense, which keep us in the game.”
The Blue Dragons came out the 2nd half playing motivated basketball, but were not able to cut into the lead as Dell Rapids led 26-15 going into the final 6 minutes. The Blue Dragons had an offensive explosion the final stanza denting the nets for 14 points, but unfortunately fell a little short as the Quarriers snuck out a 32-29 victory.
“I can’t complain about our efforts the second half,” stated Coach Heitkamp. “The kids did everything asked of them, but it just wasn’t meant to be when the final buzzer sounded.”
Colton Buchholz was the games leading scorer this evening leading the Blue Dragons with 14 points. Ethan McGregor was able to drop down 10 points of his own, while Isaiah Coburn added another 5 points to the score column. The JV Team finished the season with a 10-8 record. The coaching staff once again wants to thank the family and fans for the support all season…see you all next year, so keep hooping!!
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