3/2/18: Hinckley-Finlayson

Pine City Pioneer, Jesse Logan

The Pine City Dragons boys basketball team cut down the nets on their first Conference Championship in a decade. Playing to a jam-packed house against a rival on Friday, March 2, the Dragons played their best game to date and blew out one of the better small school teams in the state. Pine City captured a piece of history, each of the Dragons players went home with a piece of the net, and everyone who was in attendance will remember the moment for years to come. Pine City will head into the postseason with a 21-5 record.  

Pine City 94, Hinckley-Finlayson 61

The Jaguars entered this game ranked inside the top-five in the Class A in QRF, and were owners of a 22-3 record. On this night, however, they were completely dominated. Pine City started the game with an incredible shooting display and went 7-7 from three-point range in the opening minutes. The Dragons held a double digit lead at halftime, and poured it on heavy once again in the second half, blowing the doors off of the Jags and causing the game to go into running time due to the blowout.

“The biggest thing that surprised me was just how well we played,” said senior captain Clay Logan. “We knew that we needed to play well, and as a team we came prepared and equipped with everything we needed to get the win. I will remember the night as a night where everyone stepped up and we were able to reach our career-long goal. Beating Hinckley and securing a conference championship is an achievement I will remember forever.”

Community members, former Dragons players, even former and current players and coaches from other area teams were all there to witness the performance. With attendance above 800 people, the energy in the building was electric. Pine City seemed to thrive in that environment and simply rose to the occasion against a talented opponent. The Dragons shot an amazing 54 percent from downtown, hitting 19-of-35 attempts from beyond the arc. On one unforgettable night, everything went perfectly.

“What I will remember most is that night the team came together as one,” said senior captain Jake Rademacher. “All of us guys have spent so many hours together, especially the senior class. We’ve been together a long time and now we have something to look back upon that is ours. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. I want people to remember the night they play the Dragons and after that game, I think we gained a lot of attention and respect.”

Certainly much respect is due to the accomplishments of Clay Logan and Rademacher. The two are the leaders of the winningest senior class in Pine City history, having logged three 20-win campaigns during their four years on varsity. Both were outstanding against Hinckley-Finlayson.

Logan made his case for conference player of the year with a dazzling 31-point night that included going 11-17 from the floor, 5-8 from three, and 4-4 from the line with several highlight reel and-one’s. Rademacher continued to captain the ship in his do-everthing role and narrowly missed a triple double with 10 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.

“I think you have to start with our two captains when looking back at the game,” said Head Coach Kyle Allen. “They came to play. Clay has a game-high 31 points, really did a nice job of balancing attacking the game and letting it come to him. He took what the defense gave him and did a nice job of combining himself creating and allowing others to set him up.  Jake came up just short of a triple-double. Rod has had to take on a lot this season on both ends of the court and I think that game showcased all of it. He was confident, collected, and composed all night. He is our rock and leader, and on Friday, he showed it.”

Technically the Dragons will be Co-Champions of the Great River Conference with the Jaguars, as Hinckley-Finlayson won the first meeting by two points back in January. That game had a lopsided foul call and free throws attempted disparity in favor of the hometown Jags. While the first meeting of the two teams left many feeling that Pine City hadn’t received a fair shake, there could be no such feeling on the opposite side this time around. Pine City was just too good in the season finale.

Coach Kyle Allen came to town seven years ago to put his own spin on a team that had struggled through a few down years and needed a new direction. He has gone all-in on a three-point heavy attack, and has gained national attention for his approach to the game at this level. For Allen, his first Great River Conference Championship was a major milestone. He beamed with pride as he watched his players ascend the post-game ladder and cut down pieces of the net, but it was his own lion-roar, as he gripped the net himself atop the ladder, that became the night's indelible image. The night these Dragons cut the nets down will become a part of Pine City lore.

“Being able to achieve this goal that is seven years in the making feels like a weight has been lifted,” said Allen. “I have had lots of former players contacting me over the last few days, talking about how they remember running line drills and we would have the boys visualize cutting the nets down. There was a lot of work that went into achieving that goal, from year one to now, and it feels great to have accomplished putting a year on the banner. Cutting those nets down was for our current team, but also for all the groundwork that the previous teams laid. Having a lot of former players and managers in the stands made my night. Being able to look over and see them cheering us on brought it all together. That was the most packed game I have ever coached at Pine City.”

The win saw several Dragons players step up in big ways. During a first half lull, Konnor Jusczak had a stretch with eight points and took a charge to help the Dragons keep momentum. Early in the game, Nick Hansmann had back-to-back threes that helped elevate the Dragons, and Jake Adamss' timely shooting in the second half (three made threes) kept the Jaguars from mounting a comeback. Defensively, Jake Lunceford and Quentin Miklya did a nice job of slowing down Jags point guard Anders Prater, while Seth Logan and Damien Schwab were tasked with taking on reigning Great River Conference Player of the Year Travis Visser. For the second time this season, sophomore Seth Logan went head-to-head against Visser and held his own.

Pine City had a season-high six players in double figures, led by Clay Logan with 31 points. Seth Logan had 18 points including 4-8 from three. Jusczak had 12, Adams 11, while Rademacher and Hansmann finished with 10 points apiece. When the starters came out with about three minutes to go, the Dragons started to realize what they had just done.

“When the starting crew came out with about three minutes left,” said senior Lunceford, “the crowd went wild. It was that moment when everybody knew the game was over. It was really awesome to spend (that moment, and cutting down the nets) with my best friends and family.”

The Dragons will now enter a stacked Section 6AA bracket that features three top-10, and five top-20 teams in the state. While the regular season finale was a magical night that will stand the test of time, the Dragons will need a lot more of that magic to make a serious run in the postseason. The opening game will be at home against Holdingford on Thursday, March 8 at 7 p.m.

Varsity: W (94-61)
JV: L (45-52)
C-Squad: L (30-49)