Week Review: Lynx A and B win two Apiece, Lynx C Comes Up Short

(Pictures/Video Coming Soon....)

This week, all Lynx teams were looking to shake off some rust after yet again a long delay without games. Mother nature unleashed her annoying power and caused more canceled practices and canceled games. Since this season began on December 16th, the Lynx had only played one game all year, which was a dominating performance against Mitchell. So when the week started out with a snow day on Monday, it appeared as if it we were going to get a "here we go again" week with snow and cancellations. Luckily, after the late start on Tuesday, the weather cleared up enough for Yankton to make the trip to Brandon on Tuesday and for Brandon to make the trip to Brookings on Thursday. So with the weather clearing up, the Lynx were able to take on two opponents this week. Below you will find a quick recap of the week.


A Games
Brandon Valley 44, Yankton Bucks 40

(Brandon, SD)—The Lynx A team was the first team to come out and prove to the ESD that the multitude of cancellations have not effected them. Yankton was able to make the trip to Brandon to set up a much needed game for both squads. Cancellation after cancellation did nothing but cause the Lynx to be hungrier than ever to get out and compete. Though in control most of the way, Yankton made a little run at the end, but BV was able to hang on for the victory 44-40.
The game opened up the same way the Lynx first game did: with a strong start for BV. At the end of the first quarter, the Lynx held a solid seven point lead, thanks to tough defense. Though the Lynx didn't portray the level of intensity that is expected, they played well enough in the second quarter to maintain their lead at the half. "At some moments, it appears as if we are going through the motions," said Coach Bisbee, "we need to play to our level, not stoop to the level of our opponent." The Lynx exploded out of the locker room for the third quarter and totally dominated the Bucks. A balanced scoring attack in the third quarter produced the Lynx expanding their lead to fifteen points. Defense improved as well, holding the Bucks to only 2 points in the entire third quarter. As the fourth quarter got underway, the roles were reversed as the Bucks began to find offense and the Lynx began to sputter. The Bucks scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to the Lynx total of 9. Despite the strong fourth quarter by Yankton, the Lynx were able to hold on for a 4 point win, 44-40. "We did not end the game like I would have liked to see," Said Bisbee, "but we got the win. We just need to see how a team can come back if we don't finish games strong." Cole Albertson and Jacob Adams led the scoring for the Lynx, with 11 and 10 points respectively. Defensively, Ryan Immeker and Nic Peterson led the way with 8 steals each. On the boards, Eric Ode and Michael Horst had 10 rebounds apiece.

Brandon Valley 61, Brookings Bobcats 24

(Brookings, SD)--The second game of the week for the Lynx turned out to be a one-sided laugher as the Lynx traveled to Brookings for another ESD match-up. Brandon proved to be way too much for the Bobcats as they turned in a dominating performance, winning 61-24. The only bright spot for the Bobcats was winning the tip, and from there it was all Lynx. Brandon started fast once again, gaining a 19-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was much of the same as the Lynx took a 37-14 lead into the half. Using intense defense and relentless fast-breaking, the Lynx pulled away as the game went on. Brookings failed to score any points in the third quarter, but managed to score 10 in the fourth quarter to bring the final score to 61-24, in favor of the Lynx. It was not a pretty sight, folks, as the Bobcats could not find one thing that worked on offense or defense. Again, a balanced scoring attack was led by Jacob Adams with 14 points, which mostly came from fast break lay-ups. Dominic Nealy made his presence known with a solid 13 point performance. Ryan Immeker was not far behind with 11 points. Cole Albertson made Steve Nash-like passes to tally 8 assists and Trey Lee led the way with 13 rebounds.
Next Game: February 2, 2010 @ Watertown, SD.



B Games
Brandon Valley 44, Yankton Bucks 16

Brandon Valley 44, Brookings Bobcats 12

(Brandon, SD)—After witnessing the A team hang on to a close victory, the B team sought a blow out. After pummeling Mitchell by almost 30 in their first game of the year, these Lynx wanted to prove that the lopsided victory against Mitchell was no aberration. As everyone quickly found out, these Lynx are for real, dominating the Yankton Bucks 44-16. The B team has figured out that the recipe for success is stifling defense and fast break lay-ups. Leading the way for the Lynx against Yankton was Luke Laycock with 7 points and Kevin Peterson with 6. Peterson was also a machine on the boards, totally 17 rebounds. The Bucks were out matched against the Lynx athletically, mentally, and academically. The second game of the week for these Lynx was basically a mirror image of the first, with the Lynx again dominating 44-12 over the Brookings Bobcats at Brookings, SD. "Different opponent, same result: domination," commented Klumper. The Bobcats struggled to do anything offensively and their defense was a sieve, causing them to get blown out. Brookings did not even score in the first quarter. Shutting out an opponent for a quarter is a rare thing in basketball. In the second quarter, the Bobcats only managed to come up with 3 points and from there, didn't get much better. The extremely low point total for the Bobcats is a credit to how hard the Lynx played on defense. It was absolutely swarming. At times, it looked like the Lynx at seven players on the court. In the scoring department, the Lynx were led by Cole Julius with a whopping 14 points and Derek "DJ" Johnson with a solid 6. Luke Laycock and Kevin Peterson led the way on the boards with 6 and 5 respectively. Ryan Sjoberg had 6 assists.
Next Game: February 2nd, 2010 @ Watertown, SD.

C Games
Brandon Valley 17, Yankton Bucks 34
Brandon Valley 21, Brookings Bobcats 23

(Brandon, SD)—While the A and B teams were playing their second game of the year, this C team took the court for the first time all year. Due to high numbers for BV and low numbers for all other ESD opponents, the C teams rotate games. Due to weather issues, this C team had not had a game yet. The Lynx started strong with some aggressive defense, but could not produce enough scoring, falling to the Yankton Bucks 34-17. Leading the way for the Lynx was Mason Mitzel with 5 points and Aaron Hauck and Matthew Pearce with 4 points each. "I thought the kids played hard," said Klumper, "we just had too many missed shots. We have to work to score when we get the ball close to the basket." The Lynx are not making excuses for the loss because of lack of practice time, but they are looking forward to having some time to get some things straightened out. In the second game of the week for the C teams, the other C team traveled to Brookings to take on the Bobcats and try to extend their record to 2-0. However, these Lynx will have to wait until next week to try and get their second win because the Bobcats pulled out a 2 point victory over the Lynx, 23-21 in an absolute nail bitter. The whole way through the game was close, each team would take the lead at one point, only to fall behind the next moment. The teams were evenly matched, which Klumper knew would be the case: "I watched a lot of film on Brookings and new they had some talent," said Klumper. In fact, Brookings had a great deal of size, with three players over 6 feet tall. "Their tall players made it difficult to finish lay-ups which we usually depend on for our scoring," said Klumper. At halftime, the Lynx held a slim 2 point margin, 8-6. As the third quarter opened up, it was Brookings that had the momentum, opening up a 5 point lead. The fourth quarter got underway and the Lynx were looking for a comeback. As time winded down, trailing by 3 points, Jacob Meyers made the steal and drove in for a lay-up. Meyers was fouled on the shot, so he went to the free throw line for two shots. Meyers made the first shot, closing the margin to two points. The only problem was that the Lynx were down by two points and Meyers only had one shot, so even if he made it, the Lynx would still lose because there was only 6 seconds on the clock. Klumper called a time out and put in motion a rare strategical move. He instructed Meyers to miss the second shot on purpose and for the other guys to crash the boards like crazy and get the offensive rebound. So when Meyers took his second shot, he was looking to miss it. It actually worked, Meyers missed the shot on purpose and Luke Nordmeyer got the rebound. Nordmeyer turned to shoot and was hammered by the Bobcats, but the fouls were not called and time ran out. "Very disappointing. Very disappointing," said Klumper, "he was fouled by 3 guys and they didn't call anything. The refs called the game tight the whole way and then just decided to not call anything on the most crucial moment in the game." Leading the Lynx in scoring was Lucas Lunstra with 10 and Jacob Meyers with 5. Nordmeyer did a great job on the boards with 8.
Next Game: February 2nd, 2010 @ Watertown, SD.

Game Summaries and Video coming soon....

To the followers of Lynx Hoops: With two games this week, I will be doing the articles and videos at the end of the week after all games are played. These will be posted Friday or Saturday. Thank you.

Lynx Shell the Kernels with Impressive Three Game Sweep

8th Grade Lynx Vs. Mitchell Kernels from Dan Klumper on Vimeo.

A Game
Brandon 44, Mitchell 19

(Mitchell, SD)—After much anticipation, the 2010 8th grade basketball season officially began with the first game of the season. After having 3 out of 4 football games canceled at the end of the season and the first basketball game of this season canceled, the Lynx were itching to get out and compete in a game. And compete they did. From the tip, the Lynx dominated in every aspect of the game: scoring, rebounding, steals. You name it, the Lynx dominated it. They even dominated in liquid consumption, downing 22 bottles of Gatorade to Mitchell’s 8 bottles. “That really came back to hurt us, actually,” said Coach Klumper, “At halftime, everybody had to go to the locker room and we ran out of time for instruction.” The Lynx indeed controlled the game from start to finish; breaking open the game with a 21-4 first quarter lead. “Even though I expected it,” commented Klumper, “I was amazed at how intense and aggressive we started the game.” The Lynx completely overwhelmed the Kernels early on, swiping steals on what seemed to be every play. “At the start of the game, I told my team to get every rebound and steal the ball every time. That was our game plan,” said Klumper. And wouldn’t you know it, that is exactly what happened in the first quarter. The Lynx indeed stole the ball from the Kernels every time and they indeed got every rebound. As the second quarter got underway, the Lynx showed no signs of let up and took a 34-8 lead into the locker room. A not so subtle sign of the level of defense the Lynx played at was the half time score of the opponent. The Lynx only allowed 8 points, frustrating the Kernels the entire time. As the second half opened up, the Lynx again applied the type of pressure that would suffocate the Kernels, forcing them to turn the ball over time and time again. With limited practice time since the Winter Break due to snow days, the Lynx offense was not as fine tuned as it should be, but the defensive pressure made up for that in a big way. “I was curious to see if the kids would have a let down in the second half with the big lead,” said Klumper, “But they didn’t. They continued to play very tough and aggressive. That was great to see.” The game ended with a score of 44-9 in favor of the visiting Lynx. Leading the way offensively was Cole Albertson with 14 points and Jacob Adams with 8. On defensive, everybody had about a hundred steals and rebounds. Nic Peterson, though he played a great game taking care of the ball, getting steals, and making accurate passes, will be remembered more on this night for the water bottle episode. During the quarter break, someone tossed a water bottle to him, which was dropped and split open. The water began to gush all over the court and Nic decided it would be best to just keep standing there trying to drink it all before it hit the floor. “I’m not exactly sure what all happened with that. All I know is I got my shoes wet,” said Klumper. The Lynx will face these same Mitchell Kernels a week from Saturday on January 23rd at Brandon Valley Middle School.

B Game
Brandon Valley 55, Mitchell 12

(Mitchell, SD)—After the big win by the A team, the B team of Brandon Valley was looking to come out and dominate as well. As time would tell, that is exactly what happened, even more so than the A team. The first quarter started out rather slowly for both teams, with the score 13-4 in favor of the Lynx. As the second quarter opened up, the Lynx turned it up a notch and blew past the shell-shocked Kernels. At halftime, the Lynx had built their lead to 33-11. In that first half, as was the case in the A game, the Lynx used unbelievably tough defense as their offense. Without a solid offensive flow to lean on, the Lynx used their ball pressure to gain steals and push the ball up the court in a fast break. A good defense is indeed the best offense and these Lynx proved that time and time again. Klumper didn’t have a whole lot to tell the kids at halftime because they were playing so well. “I pretty much told them to keep doing what they’ve been doing. After that, we just watched Devan West do Karate moves, being he’s a black belt and all,” said Klumper. As the second half opened up, the Lynx showed that the first half was just a warm up. In the second half, the Lynx allowed 1 measly point. That is it. “I knew we played great defense, but I didn’t realize we only allowed one point, which obviously was a free throw, so they didn’t even score against our defense in the entire second half,” Klumper pointed out. Defense continued to produce offense as the Lynx pulled away in a big way and never looked back, finishing off the Kernels 55-12. In a very balanced scoring attack, Zach Bingen and Cole Julius led in scoring with 8 points each, respectively.
Next Game: Mitchell Kernels at Brandon Valley Middle School. January 23rd, 2010.

C Game

Brandon Valley 34, Mitchell Kernels 9

(Mitchell, SD)—As the saying goes, “We save the best for last.” On this occasion, that saying has never been truer. After having to sit through two blow-outs, the Lynx of the C team were ready to take the court and show the audience and the world what their team is all about. The game was actually shown on live television on ESPN 8, which means that 2 restaurants and 3 TV outlet stores in Northeastern Canada were showing the game. Keeping with the theme of the night, the Lynx started the game strong and never looked back. Using that same toughness and intensity that was on display in the two games before them, the Lynx actually raised that level of play in this game, holding the Kernels to zero points in the first quarter. “That was great to see. I expected our kids to not allow any points. Shut outs are not common in basketball, but I thought we could do it,” said a confident Klumper. This confidence undoubtedly stems from the speed and quickness that kids on this team possess. “I knew we have fast kids, but I didn’t realize they were this fast,” commented Klumper. The shut out was lost in the second quarter, however, but the Lynx were not phased as they continued to rack up steals, points, and more steals. At halftime, the Lynx took a 20 to 5 lead into the lockeroom. “Half time was great, Alex Maasen told some jokes, Jacob Meyers told us about his vacation. It was a lot of fun,” said a jubilant Klumper. As the second half opened up, the Lynx put all joking aside and continued their aggressive style of play. The Kernels were completely overmatched the entire second half and the Lynx stretched the lead even further. The great thing about this team is even with a big lead, they are not afraid to keep hoisting up three-pointers. “It’s great. We bring the ball down the court and someone launches a three, even if we are up by 20. I tell them, ‘you can’t score if you don’t shoot, so fire away’” said Klumper. As the game came to a close, the Lynx used a great defensive stop to hold the Kernels under ten points, sealing the victory 34 to 9. For the Lynx, Lucas Lunstra led the team with 12 points. Everybody played hard and did a great job, however.
Next Game: January 23rd, 2010 vs. Mitchell Kernels at Brandon Valley Middle School.

Welcome to LynxHoops 2010....Get Ready.

Lynx Hoops Preview from Dan Klumper on Vimeo.

The 2010 Brandon Valley Lynx 8th grade basketball season is upon us. I would like to welcome all to Lynx Hoops, the blog that will provide everything you need to know to stay up to date with this year's team. Lynx Hoops will provide game summaries, action pictures, highlight videos, game results, and commentary by me, the Blog author.
As the season is about to get underway with the Lynx traveling to Mitchell, SD on Tuesday, January 12th, it is a fitting time to discuss the upcoming season and offer a preview on this year's 8th grade Lynx. Earlier in the year, the 8th grade football season had a very anti-climactic end. Just as the football teams were hitting their stride offensively and defensively, mother nature erupted in six straight days of rain, canceling 3 out of the last 4 games. "Frustrating. That's the perfect word for the end of the year. Frustrating." said 8th grade football coach Klumper. With that bitter taste still lingering from the football season, these athletes are ready to explode out of the gate and compete on the court. The 2010 Lynx basketball squad will be built around speed, athleticism, and toughness. With the make-up of the team the way it is, the Lynx will look to fast break on offense, pressure the ball on defense, and rebound like no team has ever rebounded before. Indeed, there is a lot of excitement in the air as the season gets underway. Last year as 7th graders, these kids did not lose a game, so coming into this year, one can only assume that expectations will be high, which they should be for this talented groups of kids. However, last year is in the past. Last year's undefeated record will get us zero wins this year. The Lynx will have to go out and earn every victory. At this point, however, talk of going undefeated is no where to be found. The Lynx can not be focused on going undefeated. They need to be focused on going undefeated on Tuesday, January 12th; their first game. "We just take one game at a time," said Head Coach Bisbee, "we can not look past opponents and take them for granted. If we do that, we will not be ready to play and get beat." The only game that needs to be in the minds of the Lynx is the next one. Excitement indeed swells as the year begins. The best thing about looking forward to this season, though, as coach Klumper points out. "We just have a great group of kids out for basketball. They try hard, listen, give 100%. They are just a lot of fun to be around." And that is the goal this season: To have fun and compete.

Good Luck to the 2010 Lynx. Go Lynx!