Hardrockers win one, lose one

in two close home games

 

By Brad Blume

Sports Information Director

RAPID CITY The South Dakota School of Mines men’s basketball team’s hard work and effort finally paid off Sunday afternoon as the Hardrockers staved off a Mount Marty College rally as SD Mines won its first game of the season, 64-63.

“It nice to get that monkey off our back and get a win,” said Hardrocker head coach Jason Henry. “And it’s nice knowing that we can get a win with this group of guys. We keep telling the team that they just need to keep competing and good things will happen and it finally did.”

The loss marked the second straight game that the Lancers had been defeated by a margin of one point. Mount Marty saw a similar occurrence happen Saturday night, falling to Black Hills State, 72-71.

“They are so well coached,” Henry said of the Lancers. “They play hard and come after you and keep coming after you.”

It was a momentum changing game from the first buzzer as the ‘Rockers would go on a scoring surge only to see the Lancers catch back up. The tempo was fast, the intensity thick and it was pretty obvious the bout wouldn’t be decided until the final horn.

The turnovers were pretty plentiful as well as Mount Marty committed 24 and the Hardrockers recorded 22.

“It’s just that type of game,” Henry said. “It’s the second night (of competition) and we just went back and forth with each other.”

SD Mines held the advantage for most of the game, going into halftime with a 43-41 edge. The Lancers outscored SDM 22-21 in the final frame, but couldn’t quite get over the hump.

“We hit our shots and showed patience on offense,” Henry said. “And even when we weren’t getting good looks and the ball wasn’t falling, we were able to get the stops at the other end when we needed them.”

The Hardrockers looked good from the perimeter, knocking down 7-12 from behind the arch and ending the game with a 24-49 effort from the field. The Lancers made 22-51 in the game for a 43 percent effort and was just 6 of 16 from the ‘3’.

“It’s fun to watch those guys and it’s fun to coach those guys,” Henry said of the Hardrockers.

Individually, sophomore Robbie Fedor paced the ‘Rocker offense with 14 points and teammate Michael Ross contributed with 10. Junior Donny DeGooyer dished in nine and A.J. Trennepohl and Brent Cass both added eight to the total.

For the visitors, Pat Anderson led the way with 18 points while Stan Johnson put up 10 and Nathan Fischer ended with nine.

The win gives the Hardrockers a 1-3 record on the season and won’t see action again until Nov. 16-17 when they travel to a tournament in Nebraska.

“It was the right time to get a win with us not having a game for two weeks,” Henry added.

RAPID CITY --- The South Dakota School of Mines men’s basketball team put up quite a fight for 40 minutes and just wouldn’t go away, making the  Dakota Wesleyan Tigers earn a victory, 95-91, Saturday night at the King Center in Rapid City in the non-conference bout. It was the home opener for SDM.

The Hardrockers showed great effort and determination in the game. And despite never having the lead in either the first or second half, South Dakota Mines was able to rally from at least a 10-point deficit in both stanzas and make a game of it down the stretch.

“In the first half, we were taking quick 3’s and (the Tigers) were getting long rebounds,” said Hardrocker head coach Jason Henry. “We got back in the game by being patient on offense. We hit some shots --- had some easy looks.”

The Tigers let a big lead slip away in the first half and went into the locker room with only a four-point edge, 44-40. That mirrored the second half, when the Hardrockers went on a nice rally with about four minutes to play, capitalizing on DWU turnovers. SDM just ran out of time as the Tigers escaped with the win. SDM is 0-3 on the young season.

Individually, SDM freshman Michael Ross (Fort Worth, Texas) had an outstanding night, cashing in for 21 points, while sophomore Robbie Fedor (Monticello, Minn.) helped in the cause with 19 points and freshman Scott May (Aurora, Colo.) dished in 11. Big man Brandon Smith (junior from Amenia, N.D.) led the game in rebounding, pulling down eight while Donny DeGooyer got his hands on five.

DWU had a lot of balance on the offensive end as six Tigers scored in double figures. Scott Nelson led the charge with 18 points, followed by Colby Fitzgerlad with 17, Chase Walder added 14, Marcus Vontz cashed in for 13 and Ike Muoneke delivered 10.

“We are learning as we go,” Henry said. “That’s just part of the deal when you got freshmen.”

The Hardrockers are back in action today, taking on Mount Marty College in a 4 p.m. contest.