6th Grade Boys @Rush City

The 6^th grade boys played in a 6 team tourney in Rush City this weekend.  They ended up in 3^rd place.  They had the same W-L record as Rush City but Rush took 2^nd by winning the point differential.  NB White 19-Pine City 37, Siren 13-Pine City 40, NB Black 38-Pine City 20.

In our first game against NB White we were slow to get going and the score was NB 13-Pine 19 at the half.  However, our first 2 points in the game were scored by our birthday boy.  Happy 12^th Casey! In the 3^rd quarter we found our rhythm and outscored them by 12. The only low point of the game was our miserable free throw percentage making only 1 of 13 from the line.  Our 2^nd game against Siren started in a similar fashion. At the half we were only up by 4 points.  We came alive again in the 3^rd quarter and outscored them in the 2^nd half by  16-1.  Our go to play was to Jusczak with an assist from Petersen.  Again, our free throws were in the tank making only 1 of 10.  We knew our 3^rd game against NB Black would be a challenge but the boys really kept pace for the first half.  Waxberg nailed a 3 at the last second and we went into the 2^nd half up 12-9.  Sadly after the half, NB Black came out in a full court zone press with traps that was a little too successful.  They were able to cause many turnovers and convert with an easy layup.  We figured out how to break the press by the 4^th quarter but by then it was too late.  Sadly that large point spread cost us the 2^nd place ribbon and we settled for 3^rd.   All in all still a great showing by these hoopsters.  We have a long wait until our next tourney which is in Pine City on March 5^th.   This gives us plenty of time to work on our free throws and to focus on running our own press and getting better at breaking one.

The attached pic is from when the 6^th grade boys played at ½ time of the Varsity game this past Thursday.

Practice Change

Practice on 2/4 has been changed to late for JV/V and C.

MN Select Tryout 2016

Please contact Coach Allen if interested.

Recognition from the State of Minnesota

Seniors Kole Jusczak and Noah Adams received hand delivered letters from Representative Jason Rarick on Tuesday recognizing for their accomplishments in basketball from the Minnesota House of Representatives.

1/26/16: @Braham

Pine City fell at rival Braham on Monday night with a final score of 51-88.

The game was tightly contested throughout the first half, with Pine City finding ways to stay in the game against the top-ranked Bombers, but the second half proved to be too much for The Dragons as they could not keep up the momentum.

Pine City was lead on the boards by Jake Lunceford (8 points, 11 rebounds) and Kole Jusczak (21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals).  Nathan Kleppe (7 assists, 5 points) and Clay Logan (12 points, 3 assists, 2 steals) continue to grow into new roles at the guard spot as the season goes on.

Next up for Pine City is MLWR at home on Thursday followed by @Isle on Friday.

6th Grade Hoops (@Braham)

This pic is a pre game rally with an inspiring speech from Willert while the other boys huddled around.

Our boys failed to place at the Braham tourney today but we played some excellent ball in spite of some injuries and very long wait times between games.  The 10 team tournament was an imposing mix of large schools from the cities area and some local rivals.  Our first match up was against Braham.  They were out to even the score as we beat them in this same tourney last year and took 3^rd place.  We played a fast paced game but missed some key free throws.  The score was within a few points throughout the contest but we lost by 2 at the buzzer.  This loss put us into the consolation bracket and we took on Buffalo.  We were fairly evenly matched and were tied at the half.  Buffalo opened it up and had a lead of 6 but we fought back and brought it even with 2 minutes left in the game.  We then nailed 4 free throws in a row and sealed the deal by 7.  Unfortunately we had a very long wait for our next rival, Saint Louis Park.   They jumped out to a 8-0 lead and we couldn’t keep pace. They had only played one game earlier in the day and were fresh and ready to play. After 5 games in 2 days the boys simply ran out of steam.  We still had fun though and we’ll get right back in it for our next tourney.

Braham 20-18, Buffalo 30-37, Spring Lake Park 35-14

6th Grade Boys @ Siren, WI

6^th grade boys took 1^st in a tournament in Siren, WI today.  They showed some excellent teamwork and really moved the ball around well.  We don’t track assists but these boys really tried hard to get the ball in the paint and were very self sacrificing.  Our practice this past week really focused on rebounding and making a strong post move and our efforts paid off as the boys completely crashed the boards and worked the ball in the paint.  Swanson was almost unstoppable on the weak side.  We defeated Unity 36-7, Bloomer 39-22, and Cameron 41-21.   Stats for the day reflect how everyone contributed to every win. 

Up next for these hoopsters is the Braham Boys Tourney on Sunday, Jan 24th, playing at Varsity ½ time on Jan 28^th, and a tourney in Rush City on Jan 30^th.

1/22/16: @Rush City

Pine City falls at Rush City with a final score of 51-56 on Thursday night.

The Dragons were slowed by their lowest shooting percentage to date on the season along with the length and size that Rush City brought into the game.

Sophomore Jake Rademacher (6 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) joined senior Kole Jusczak (11 points, 12 rebounds, 4 steals) and sophomore Jake Lunceford (14 points, 8 rebounds) as one of the top rebounders on the night.  Nathan Kleppe (5 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds) continued his solid performances.

Next up for PC will be a trip to Braham on Monday.

1/19/16: East Central

Pine City defeated East Central at home on Tuesday with a final score of 85-75.

In a battle that PC was never able to fully pull away in, East Central continued to stay around in the contest hitting big shots at crucial times.

However, 3 big 3's from both Jake Rademacher (9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) and Nick Hansmann (9 points, 3 rebounds) coupled with steady second half scoring helped push The Dragons to the victory.

Jake Lunceford (18 points, 9 rebounds), Kole Jusczak (22 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals, 4 assists), and Rademacher lead PC on the boards while Nathan Kleppe (8 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds) and Clay Logan (19 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 6 steals) lead the team from the lead guard positions.

Next up for Pine City will be a trip to Rush City on Thursday to try to avenge an early season loss.

1/15/16: Aitkin

Pine City defeated Aitkin at home on Friday night with a final score of 65-51.

The Dragons came out slow and took almost an entire half to find their traction.  But once they did, the momentum was in their corner most of the game after that.

Senior Kole Jusczak (20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals) lead PC on the glass followed by Jake Lunceford (5 rebounds).

Nathan Kleppe (9 assists) and Clay Logan (19 points, 4 assists, 3 steals) both stepped up in lead guard roles while Austin Hansmann (6 points), Jake Rademacher (9 points, 3 rebounds), and Nick Hansmann (9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals) all came up with timely 3 point baskets.

After the long weekend, The Dragons will take on East Central at home on Tuesday.