BV Can't Dull the Arrows, drop 2 out of 3

A Game: BV 41, Watertown 46

(Brandon, SD)--In a match up to decide who would take over first place in the ESD conference, the sharp arrows of Watertown proved too much for the dull fangs of Brandon Valley. The fans got their money's worth, however, as excitement was the name of the game at Brandon Valley Middle School. The Lynx came out strong, opening a sizable lead midway through the first quarter. As they did all night, Watertown responded, shooting their way back into. Again, in the second quarter, BV went on another run, opening up a double digit lead. Lead by the volatile #10, Watertown again climbed its way back, tieing the game at half time. "It was a game of runs. We would go on a run, then they would answer," stated Coach Bisbee. Consistency was the name of the game for the Lynx in the second half, since that was totally lacking in the first half. Again, each team went on runs, as the back and forth action reached a feverish level. "We played hard, I will say that, we simply turned the ball over too many times," said Bisbee. In the second half, the normally lethal Trevor Tobin couldn't seem to find his shooting touch, as two of his shots went way right, missing everything. "Yeah, there was a stiff cross breeze in the gym tonight. It kept blowing my shot to the right," said Tobin. Chase Marso was quick to point out, "It was not windy. There is a roof on this gym." A rather heated exchange between Tobin and Marso ensued, each arguing their point of whether it was windy or not in the gym. Coach Klumper had to step in once the argument reached who could text message faster. "I had to step in, it was getting pretty ridiculous," said a relieved Klumper. The fourth quarter saw two teams desperately fighting for the victory. In the end, it was the Arrows who outlasted the pressure defense of the Lynx, holding on for a 6 point victory. Marso led BV in scoring with 10. Tony Tripp and Adam Bauer each had 9, respectively. The Lynx will travel to Sioux Falls to face undefeated O'Gorman in the opening game of the Sioux Falls League.




A- Game: BV 53, Watertown 26

(Brandon, SD)-- In the most anticipated game of the year for the GOATS, BV showed why they are in first place in the ESD conference. Before the game started, players, coaches, and fans were treated to a very special performance by Trevor Tobin singing the National Anthem. "I thought he did a great job singing," said Klumper, "however, he missed a few notes in the middle and sounded a little pitchy towards the end." Tobin was satisfied with his performance, however: "It felt good. I have a passion for singing that is unparalleled by anything else, though the wind carried my voice a little bit, I think."
The first half saw close action, both teams finding success offensively. The Lynx found themselves in unfamiliar territory--a close game. They had to dig in and rise to the occasion as the Watertown Arrows would not back down. The Lynx played their style of basketball as usual, but Watertown had some kids that could play as well. At the half, the score was 21- 18, Lynx holding a slight advantage. A half-time speech that was without jokes, emphasized the need to play even harder. The Lynx came out for the second half with a different strategy for the pesky Arrows. The Lynx employed a trapping style of defense that gave the Arrows fits all third quarter. Rarely did the Arrows even get the ball inside the three-point line before a BV steal would be going the other way for a fast break lay-up. The defensive pressure applied to Watertown was the most intense it has been all year. On one occasion, the Lynx were fast-breaking led by Jared Mulder, who spied a wide open Garrett Martinmaas under the basket. Mulder hit Martinmaas with a pass that went through the defender's legs. The crowd went wild with excitement. Girls were screaming as Mulder ran past the crowd, waving to his adoring fans. "Our guys just flew around the court. They trapped Watertown everyone. It was an impressive display of defense," commented Coach Klumper. The defense of the Lynx broke the game wide open in the third quarter and the Lynx did not look back, finishing the game with an exclamation point. They totally dominated the second half. "Everybody played awesome. Their effort was exactly what I was looking for. The game went as I expected it to go," complimented Coach Klumper. Watertown only scored 8 points in the entire second half. Leading the scoring for the Lynx was Jacob Mulder with 11 and Garret Martinmaas with 8. Coach Klumper tried to do something new for this game as he had the mangers try to keep track of steals, assists, and rebounds. "We were trying to get detailed statistics. However, we continued to get so many steals, assists, and rebounds that the pencils wore out and we could not keep up," stated Klumper. Final Statistic line for Team totals: Points: 53, Steals: A LOT, Assists: At least 30, Rebounds: All of Them. The Lynx continued their offensive explosion, reaching the fifty-point mark for the 6th straight game. For Klumper, it was a game of vindication as Watertown beat Klumper in his middle school coaching debut two years ago, 61-6. (despite the large margin of victory, Watertown continued to full court press into the fourth quarter, something that Klumper has not forgotten). "I absolutely love beating Watertown," stated Klumper. The Lynx will face a tough opponent, as they travel to O'Gorman on Friday for a clash of the two most prominent programs in the State.


C Game: BV 40, Watertown 46

Brandon, SD)--The Lynx put their undefeated record on the line against the equally talented Waterown Arrows Tuesday night at Brandon Valley Middle School. In an exciting game from start to finish, Watertown defeated the Lynx by 6 points. The first half was a display of two evenly matched teams fighting hard for the upper hand. Cole Hensley did a great job of pushing the ball up the court, forcing the action, and scoring lay-ups. Kain Koepp controlled the board for the Lynx in the first half. Dylan "The Kaz Man" Kasma displayed strength that is unmatched in 8th grade anywhere in the tri-state region as his defense overwhelmed and frustrated the Arrows. "Dylan did a great job playing defense and going after loose balls," said Klumper, "I was really impressed with his effort." Kasma is no stranger to playing defense, however, as he was unblockable last fall in football. The exciting first half ended with the Arrows holding a slight lead. During half-time, as the Lynx were preparing their second half strategy in the locker room, Trevor Tobin put on a shooting showcase that "wow-ed" the audience and left Bisbee and Klumper wondering where this was during the game. "Mr. Marso asked me if I would do the half-time show for the C game and I was like, 'sure, I'll go out and swish some turn around jumpers, no problem,'" said a giddy Tobin.
As the second half got underway, the Watertown Arrows began to build a sizable lead. However, the feisty Lynx would not go away quietly, storming back in the fourth quarter. The comeback was led by the guard tandem of Forrest Hanisch and Hensley scoring, Kain Koepp getting rebounds and Dylan Kasma getting steals. It was a very exciting turn around for the Lynx, as they came back to cut the deficit from 15 points to only 6 towards the end of the fourth quarter.
With a little under a minute to play, Watertown hit a big three-pointer. Hensley answered with a layup but the Arrows again came up with a bucket on their end. The Lynx turned the ball over with thirteen seconds to go in the game, sealing the victory for the Arrows. Despite the loss, the Lynx did a great job not giving up and continuing to play hard all the way to the end. Kain Koepp led all scorers with 11, while Hanisch chipped in 9. The Lynx will open the Sioux Falls League Friday night at Brandon Valley Middle School.

Important Notice: Due to the format of the Sioux Falls league, I will not be able to watch the C and D games because the A and B teams will be playing at the same time at a different location. As a result, the game write-ups will be shortened due to the fact I will not be able to witness the games.)