Pine City Hoops 3 on 3

2/22/18: Moose Lake-Willow River

Pine City Pioneer, Jesse Logan

Pine City 85, Moose Lake-Willow River 65

Its hard to tell by the score, but this game actually featured some solid defense by both teams and lots of physical play. Like in previous seasons, the game was close throughout the first half with Pine City up 40-34 at the break. With four players in double digits, the Dragons balanced attack would be just too much firepower for the Rebels in the second half.

“Very fun atmosphere and exciting game,” said Coach Allen. “Our boys were ready to go from the tip. They’re a good team with a lot of great ball players, which made for an exciting contest. Our defense was swarming all night, did a great job of recovering and attacking. Clay Logan showed up in this game on the offensive end, looking unstoppable at times. Jake Adams continued his pesky defensive effort that led to good looks on the offensive end. Konnor Jusczak had one of the best stretches of his varsity career during this game. (Three big threes and taking several charges are) huge splash plays that can be game changers.”

Logan led the way with 23 points, Adams added 17, Hansmann had 14, and Jusczak 11. Pine City’s inside game was somewhat naturalized by the Rebels power in the post, but the Dragons did good work on the interior defensively, which Allen also said was a key.

With the Dragons now sitting at 20-5, sights will shift to the final home game of the regular season. Pine City will host the Hinckley-Finlayson Jaguars on Friday, March 2 and a share of the Great River Conference Championship is on the line. The two teams battled hard back in January with the Jags eeking out a two-point victory. Pine City is looking for a share of the conference crown for the first time in a decade.

Varsity: W (85-65)
JV: W (75-71)
C-Squad: L (28-55)

2/20/18: @Braham

Pine City Pioneer, Jesse Logan

With another pair of wins this past week, the Pine City boys basketball team has now eclipsed the 20-win mark for the third time in four seasons. The boys still have one regular season game remaining before entering the playoffs but gutted out a tight Great River Conference win this past week and also added a nice non-conference win to their resume.

Pine City 53, Braham 40

Offense was hard to come by in this game with Pine City trailing 20-10 with two minutes to play in the first half. The Dragons shot just 4-30 from downtown and struggled for long stretches on the offensive end. In the second half, a big spark was provided by junior Jake Adams, who played big defensively and scored 13 points after the break. Pine City rallied and got a season sweep of the Bombers for the first time in decades.

“Last year,” recalled Head Coach Kyle Allen, “Braham got us at home in a very similar game. We did not shoot well, and they overwhelmed us 72-58. It felt a lot like that on Tuesday night, only we were a lot more mature and composed and it showed on the court.  Give it to Braham, they were ready for us. Our guys could have panicked, could have given in, but they did not. I thought we showed a lot of grit and belief, a lot of composure and trust. The boys believed in our system and allowed our rebounds and defense to eventually win out

Nick Hansmann joined Adams as the top point scorers, each with 13, but Jake Rademacher came up with a game-high 13 rebounds which helped stem the tide. Rademacher and Seth Logan had nine points apiece. Although the scorebook looked bleak by their own standards, the Dragons had earned a key Great River Conference win in Braham on Feb. 20. Two nights later, the shots would fall much better and the Dragons would be back to looking more like themselves in another win.

Varsity: W (53-40)
JV: W (39-38)
C-Squad: L (53-58)

2/16/18: Mora

Pine City Pioneer, Jesse Logan

With just one game on the week’s docket, the Pine City Dragons boys basketball team made the most of their opportunities. The Dragons improved to 18-5 overall with a great game against a local rival. Pine City’s Head Coach Kyle Allen also tallied his 100^th career win in the game, making the night a memorable one for fans of the Dragons.

Pine City 87, Mora 66

After besting the Mustangs twice last year, the Dragons home win on Friday, Feb. 16 ran their current winning streak against Mora to three games. Pine City came with a game plan to slow down Mustangs senior Cal Wright, and although he finished with 27 points, he was frustrated and well guarded all night by the tandem of Jake Lunceford and Quentin Miklya. On the offensive end, the night belonged to senior captain Jake Rademacher.

“Very fun and physical section game,” Coach Allen said. “Mora is a good team and Cal Wright is a phenomenal basketball player; he is next to unstoppable. Jake Rademacher took over for long stretches in this game on the offensive end. He did a nice job of balancing both looking for his own shots while creating for others.”

Rademacher had an impressive double-double with 21 points and 11 assists. Nick Hansmann was the top-point scorer with 22, including a white-hot first half that saw him make five threes. Seth Logan continued to pound the boards and finished with nine rebounds to go along with 17 points.

Allen was pleased to get win and surpass a major milestone, especially in front of the Dragons fans in Pine City.  

“Personally,” said Coach Allen, “it was a lot of fun to get win number 100 at home. I am so proud of the program we have built. I cannot thank all of the former players enough that bought into all of the craziness I presented them and being willing to be a part of something bigger than themselves. I know it was not always easy to see the big picture early on for some, but the players were always in. When we were only winning a handful of games a year during the first few, the boys dedication and belief never wavered. They continued to believe in me and the program; they are the foundation to what we have built. It has been a lot of fun.”

Allen came to Pine City in 2011 and went just 12-42 over his first two seasons as he laid the groundwork for a program that would garner national attention in 2017. The Dragons are just two wins away from having back-to-back 20-win seasons, and the third such campaign in four years.

Pine City has three games remaining on their schedule including at Braham, and then home games against Moose Lake-Willow River and Hinckley-Finlayson.

Varsity: W (87-66)
JV: W (51-43)
C-Squad: L (31-41)

Pierz 3 on 3

Rick Rassier Visits The Dragons

Friend of the program Rick Rassier visited Pine City on Monday to work with the JV and Varsity teams.  Rick came last year for a preseason camp.  This year, his timing revolved around the end of the year push and playoffs.

2/10/18: Two Harbors

Pine City Pioneer, Jesse Logan

Pine City 85, Two Harbors 55

The Dragons played well right from the tip in this game, but the Agates kept hanging around for much of the first 26 mintues. Down the stretch, Pine City was able to put the contest away with second half eruptions from Hansmann and Seth Logan.

“I really liked how we came out of the gate,” said Allen. “I know we were in a little foul trouble, but I liked how we attacked the game. Our defense was flying around all night. Jake Rademacher, Clay Logan, and Nick Hansmann combined for 18 steals in the game. I really thought we attacked and pushed the tempo as much as we have this year.”

With the odd vibe that surrounds Saturday games, the short turnaround from the night before, and the foul trouble, Pine City again utilized the depth of their bench to success.

“We got some newer line ups out there,” said Allen. “We really do feel we can go to anyone and have success and I think this game allowed us to test that theory. Koleman Lind found himself in the game for big stretches in the first half and wound up with 12 first half points. It was just a part of the balanced scoring, when you have six players score double figures, that is tough to stop. In the second half, Nick Hansmann took over on the offensive end. Nick, who is a great knock-down shooter, really did a nice job getting to the basket.”

Seth Logan was the leading scorer with 19, followed by Clay Logan with 17. Hansmann had 15, Lind 12, and both Rademacher and Konnor Jusczak finished with 11. Rademacher narrowly missed a double-double for the second time this week, adding nine rebounds.

Pine City has four games remaining on their schedule and will host Mora on Friday, Feb. 16.

Varsity: W (85-55)
JV: W (46-24)
C-Squad: W (59-28)