Two conference opponents squared off for the third time this season when Bancroft-Rosalie/Lyons-Decatur and Howells-Dodge met in the opening round of the Class C2 boys state basketball tournament at Northeast High School Thursday night, as heard on 107.9 The Bull.
BRLD got off to a hot start, taking a 19-9 lead after the first quarter.
Howells-Dodge scored 15 points in the second quarter, cutting their deficit to six points. BRLD led 30-24 at the half.
The Jaguars hit a three pointer on their first offensive possession of the third quarter to cut it to 30-27, but the Wolverines went on to score 18 points in the quarter, leading Howells-Dodge 48-33 after three.
The fourth quarter was high scoring for both teams, and Howells-Dodge made one last run, but BRLD was able to pull away for the 70-51 win.
Blake Sindelar had 23 points for Howells-Dodge, with Josh Brester and Luke Rocheford each adding 11.
Great effort from the Jaguars, I just thought the Wolverines were a step faster.
The Jaguars end their season at 18-10 overall.
It was definitely a huge and tremendous accomplishment for Howells-Dodge to make state in Head Coach Kevin Janata's first season. "Making it to state my first year in Howells-Dodge was certainly satisfying. As a coach, you always dream of a chance to coach in the state tournament, and to achieve that in my first year here was definitely unexpected. Watching this team on film and then working with them this summer, I knew we were talented and had a lot of potential, but you never know if that potential is going to materialize into a state appearance," Janata said.
I have to admit I didn't know if Howells-Dodge would be this good this fast. I knew the Jaguars had the potential, but they were a relatively young team this year.
Janata says the team hung in there and persevered when things got tough. "I couldn't be more proud of this group of kids and what they accomplished this year. At one point, this team was 3-3 and had lost 3 in a row and this season could have gone very differently at that point. The kids did a nice job of staying the course, buying into what the coaches were saying, and believing that they had the potential to be a state tournament team. To make it to state certainly makes the hard work that went into this season worth it."
The Jaguars say goodbye to seniors Josh Brester, Matt Cada, Kade Hegemann, Lane Hegemann, and Cole Stewart.
Janata says all the seniors were big contributors and helped lay a foundation for future success in the program. "This group of seniors was a very special class. They not only were great team leaders, but they bought into a new coaching philosophy and were able to learn a completely new offense in a short amount of time. We are definitely going to miss all 5 seniors who each contributed to the team in their own way. Josh Brester was our defensive specialist, our second leading scorer, and very capable of hitting big time shots. Lane Hegemann was our big enforcer inside, averaging over 7 rebounds a game and bringing toughness to our lineup. Matt Cada and Cole Stewart each came off the bench and gave our team very valuable minutes. And Kade Hegemann, although hurt during the football season and not able to play most of the season, showed up day in and day out, mentoring his teammates and showing how to successfully deal with the disappointment of injury."
Key returners include Charlie Dvorak, Rocheford, Sindelar, RJ Bayer, Darrin Pokorny, Austin Steffensmeier, and Logan Nelson.
Janata says the future is bright. "I am very excited for the future of the program. We have 3 starters returning, 3 role players that saw a lot of varsity time returning, and several other players who are in a position to step up and contribute on the varsity level. This team has seen the hard work and dedication it takes to compete at a high level and make it to state. I think we will have a highly motivated group with the goal of not only making it to state next year, but fighting for a chance to play at PBA."
This was a great season, and now the Jaguars have to build upon it and try and win a game or two at state next year.
That would certainly be a tremendous accomplishment and should be a goal heading into next year.
No comments:
Post a Comment