The basketball season picked up last night following an almost two-week hiatus over the Christmas break. Le Mars basketball was one of the teams that got to take the court on the first day back when they traveled to Sioux Center to take on the Warriors.
Le Mars girls opened up the evening falling at the hands of the Warrior girls by the final score of 56-47.
The Bulldogs started off the game behind the eight-ball when it came to the battle down low. Le Mars at its tallest and Sioux Center at its tallest were separated by six inches. That meant Le Mars had to find a way to score points outside of the paint. The Bulldogs shot 27 of their 42 field goals from beyond the three-point line and made 10 of those three-point attempts. Bulldog head coach Cody Dyhrkopp says that he was proud of the way his team played on offense.
Maggie Allen led the Bulldogs with 14 points followed by Madi Huls who had 12. Sarah Brown has been the top scorer for most of the year. For Coach Dyhrkopp, it was important to see some other players get going offensively.
The Bulldogs were within two points of the Warriors midway through the third quarter. That’s when Sioux Center went on a 10-0 run to end the quarter up by 12. Coach Dyhrkopp says that, in that moment and at points throughout the game, he wants his team to communicate a lot better.
The Bulldogs drop to 3-6 on the season and will resume MRAC play on Friday night at Sioux City West.
The Le Mars boys increased their winning streak to four games with a 68-62 victory over the Sioux Center boys to cap off the night.
Things got going early for the Bulldog offense. More specifically, things were rolling for Caleb Dreckman. The Bulldog senior and MRAC’s leading scorer had 13 points in the first quarter, 18 in the first half, and 29 points in the game. Bulldog head coach Dave Irwin says that these performances are becoming routine for Dreckman.
Basketball is a team game, and the Bulldogs were able to prove that last night. Reece Spieler and Konnor Calhoun scored in double-figures with 12 points apiece, David Leusink finished with eight, and Cal Eckstaine added seven. Coach Irwin says that getting others going in the offense is what will lead Le Mars to future success.
Le Mars led the game for most of the night, but things got a little uncomfortable when the Warriors pulled within four late in the fourth quarter. Coach Irwin says that, at times, his team was impatient with the ball leading to uncharacteristic mistakes.
The Bulldogs are 5-3 on the season and head to Dakota Valley, the second-ranked team in South Dakota, on Thursday night.
