Blue Jay Boys Win Two
Stanley’s varsity boys’ basketball team had two games on their schedule last week. On Tuesday, Jan. 21, they were on the road facing Dunseith, earning the 63 to 45 victory. On Thursday, Jan. 23, they were at home posting the 78 to 74 win in overtime.
Stanley vs. Dunseith
In their first game of the week, the Blue Jays were on the road to face the Dunseith Dragons. Dunseith got out to a five point lead at the end of the first quarter, with the Blue Jays taking a one point lead at the half. A strong third quarter put the Blue Jays ahead by fifteen on their way to the 63 to 45 victory.
Head coach Kory Anderson said, “We started the game off slow, but as a coaching staff we felt we were getting good looks in the paint, we just weren’t finishing our shots. After a slow first quarter, we were able to win every quarter the rest of the way. Ben Hynek made 4 three pointers in a row that allowed us to get a good lead. Overall, our defense was high energy versus a good offensive team. Bennett Larson was able to get paint touches and found his teammates well to take advantage of double teams.”
As a team, Stanley made 19 of their 43 two point and 6 of their 21 three point attempts. They converted 7 of their 13 free throw attempts. Dunseith made 11 of their 32 two point and 6 of their 19 three point attempts. They made 5 of their 15 free throws.
The Blue Jays had 12 offensive and 23 defensive rebounds. They had 17 assists, 7 steals and 2 blocks while committing just 3 turnovers. The Dragons had 15 offensive and 27 defensive rebounds. They had 10 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and committed 15 turnovers.
Drake Schlosser led the team with 26 points, followed by Ben Hynek with 20, Jevon Johnson with 7, Austin Kanenwisher and Bennett Larson with 4 each, and Jacob Roses with 2.
Drake Schlosser had 12 rebounds, followed by Kade Snyder with 7, Ben Hynek and Jevon Johnson with 5 each, Bennett Larson with 3, and Austin Kanenwisher and Jacob Roses with 1 each.
Austin Kanenwisher, Jevon Johnson and Bennett Larson each had 4 assists, followed by Drake Schlosser with 2, and Ashton Peterson, Ben Hynek and Kade Snyder with 1 each.
Austin Kanenwisher had 4 steals, followed by Bennett Larson with 2 and Drake Schlosser with 1.
Bennett Larson had both of the team’s blocks.
Stanley 9 14 21 19 - 63
Dunseith 14 8 7 16 - 45
Stanley vs. Turtle Mountain
At home on Thursday, Jan. 23, the Blue Jays faced the Turtle Mountain Braves. The Braves started out hot, taking a 24 to 12 lead. The Blue Jays cut the lead to eight at the half. The teams battled hard in the second half, with the Blue Jays tying the game at the end of regulation. The Blue Jays played strong in overtime to seal the 78 to 74 victory.
Head coach Anderson said, “Again, we started slow, but we were getting the ball in the paint. But again, we didn’t finish well enough to close the gap in the first quarter. Credit to Turtle Mountain as they shot the three ball extremely well the first quarter and with us missing our in the paint shots early, they were able to get a 12-point lead. At the quarter break, we reminded the boys that they needed to just keep fighting and trusting the inside out game. We were able to claw away the rest of the way and win each quarter. Ben Hynek hit a big three to tie the game and in overtime we scored well and were able to hold off a fast well-rounded Turtle Mountain team. Drake Schlosser stayed aggressive and had a game high 32 points and 4 assists with Bennett Larson controlling the paint and finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Overall, we were pleased with the number of points we were able to score in the paint. We always strive for over 30 points in the paint, and we were able to do that in both our games last week. We continue to work on rebounding as we feel it’s a problem with the number of offensive rebounds our opponents are getting.”