All-Section: 2018-19

Congratulations to Nick Hansmannn (Senior) and Seth Logan (Junior) for being named to the 2018-19 All-Section (6AA) Team.  The boys received their awards at halftime of the section final game at St. Cloud State University on Friday.

2018-19 End of the Year Items for PLAYERS

Some items I need you to take care of:

1.  TAKE THE PARTICIPANT SURVEY

All players in grades 7-12 should take the survey.  It can be found on the following link:

https://docs.google.com/a/isd578.org/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSejhayDXX-pM4otvm_eT5PyW8YXUDISMwMnuoMV74GPCKhXJA/viewform

2. TURN IN ALL INVENTORY

If you still have items out for basketball, these need to be turned in ASAP.  You will be charged for items not turned in that were assigned to you.

3.  SIGN UP FOR A MANDATORY INDIVIDUAL MEETING WITH COACH ALLEN

Sign ups are on my classroom door.  Meetings will be before or after school all next week.  This is mandatory.

3/11/19: Spectrum (Playoffs: Round 2)

Dragons end season 24-4 with playoff loss to Spectrum

• Lancelot E. Furber, sports@pinecitymn.com, Pine City Pioneer

Pine City faced off against Spectrum on Monday, March 11 and were defeated during this playoff game 76-63.

Spectrum was a very talented team that had a great regular season. They went 22-4 in the regular season and were playing some great basketball heading into the playoffs. Pine City entered into the game with a 24-3 record and was also playing at the top of their game. Unfortunately, according to coach Allen, Pine City did not execute for most of the night and just did not bring their “A” game.

“They had some very talented individuals that created a tough match-up for us. Coming into the game, we thought we had a great game plan for what needed to be done; and looking back on it, I don’t think we would change a thing,” said coach Kyle Allen. “We had time to prepare, we had time to get our match-ups ready, and we had time to go through everything.”

Pine City tried to neutralize some of Spectrum’s big offensive threats in the game, which the Dragons defense was able to do for some stretches, but not for as long as was needed to slow the Spectrum offense.

Pine City also looks to their defense for rebounding at the boards; however, Pine City did not execute as well as usual.

“Statistically, we did not play well with them. We gave up 13 offensive rebounds, allowed them to shoot 30 free throws compared to our 12, and fouled them 23 times compared to the 12 fouls that they committed,” said coach Allen.

Seth Logan led the Dragons in scoring with 23 points. Logan also led in total rebounds with 11. He was followed by Nick Hansmann with 10 points and six total rebounds. Hansmann also led Pine City in assists with five.

“This group has been so fun to coach, all year they have been great about execution, changeability and next play mentality. For whatever reason, we just didn’t have those things that night,” said coach Allen. “It is not the way this group deserves to go out. It has been a tough pill to swallow.”   

Varsity: L (76-63)

2nd Round Game Information

From Coach C:

Good Luck tonight to the Dragon Girls Basketball Team as they compete in the Section Championship game at St Cloud State. Game time is 8:00p.m.

Dragon Boys Basketball Fans - Due to the impending Winter Storm tomorrow, Saturday March 8 the Boys Basketball Section Quarterfinal game against Spectrum has been moved to Monday, March 11.  Game time will be 8:00p.m. at St John’s University. Ticket prices are $8 for Adults and $5 for Students.

There will be a sign up for a Student fan bus through the end of 4th hour on Monday. The bus will load at 5:20p.m. out front of the High School and return at approximately 11:30p.m..

$5 reserves your seat on the bus and gets you a ticket into the game.  Bring you money to Connie up in the office by the end of 4th hour Monday.  If we do not get enough people to sign up, we will need to cancel the bus.

Due to the rescheduled game, the Sr High Band and Choir Concert has been moved to Tuesday night, March 12 starting at 7:30p.m. in the High School Auditorium.

GO DRAGONS !!!!!   See you at both games and the concert.

3/7/19: Sauk Centre (Playoffs: Round 1)

Pine City defeats Sauk Centre in first round of playoffs

• Lancelot E. Furber, sports@pinecitymn.com
 
• Mar 13, 2019, Pine City Pioneer

Pine City 84, Sauk Centre 75

One of the Dragons’ goals, going into each season, is to host a home playoff game. The loud and excited home crowd helped Pine City throughout the game and to their 84 – 75 victory.

“It was a true home court advantage for us,” said coach Kyle Allen. “We love our fans, families and community, and when they come out and support us like that, we feel we have a huge advantage.”

Sauk Centre did their homework and came out and had a great game plan. Having to go against not only one of the most talented starting five players, one of them a true 7-footer in height, posed some problems for the Dragons. To offset the lack of scoring two-point shots, Pine City was able to take a higher than normal amount of three-point field goals.  The Dragons took 55 in the game, making approximately 42 percent of them.  The Dragons shot a nice percentage from the free throw line going seven for nine (78%).

Pine City was able to come up with the big shots at crucial times throughout the game.  Konnor Jusczak hitting three three-point shots in a row from the same spot in the second half. Seth Logan was able to shoot over the defense, hitting some contested three-pointers in the first half, and Koleman Lind made his presence known on the floor, hitting some daggers of three-pointers toward the end of the second half.

Seth Logan led Pine City with 21 points and 12 total rebounds. Konnor Jusczak had 18 points and three rebounds. Nick Hansmann had a good night with 17 points and four total rebounds. Koleman Lind had 14 points and two total rebounds. Lind also had eight assists during this match up. Jake Adams showed his abilities on both sides of the court with 11 points, five total rebounds and nine assists. Duke Waxberg and Christian Fromm came in off the bench and played some crucial minutes for Pine City.

“We will take on Spectrum in the next round, a very talented team,” said coach Allen. “To advance, we will need our defensive execution and rebounding to both improve. You have less chances for mistakes as you advance into the next rounds.”

Varsity: W (84-75)

2018-19 Conference Championship T-Shirts Order Forms

Orders due by FRIDAY, March 8th, by 3PM to
Coach Allen (Room 125) at the High School

Checks made out to: Lee’s Pro Shop

Net Cutting Ceremony

It is customary in the sport of basketball to "cut down the nets" after winning a championship.  With the win over Hinckley-Finlayson on Friday, The Dragons secured their second consecutive Conference Championship.  The team, joined by fans and family, went back to Pine City High School and cut down the nets after the win!

3/1/19: @Hinckley-Finalyson

Dragon boys win conference championship

• Lancelot E. Furber, sports@pinecitymn.com, Pine City Pioneer

Pine City 102, Hinckley/Finlayson 71

What a fun game and what a great atmosphere. Pine City traveled to Hinckley/Finlayson, playing in front of a packed house on Friday, March 1. The last game of the regular season for both teams and a championship on the line, Pine City showed up to play and defeated  Hinckley/Finlayson 102-71.

During the first half, Pine City’s defense was having a hard time protecting the perimeter and caused them to give up a lot of rebounds and second chance points to Hinckley/Finlayson.

“That is a recipe for disaster,” said coach Allen. “We saw some foul trouble in the first half with some of our ‘bigs’ which led us to going to the bench early and going with smaller lineups.”

Due to Christian Fromm and Seth Logan facing some foul trouble, Kameron Jusczak, Chris Trudeau and Duke Waxberg all gave big minutes in the first half. Konnor Jusczak played great underneath the boards, doing everything he could to create room for rebounds. Jusczak also hit some big three-point shots in the final minutes of the first half to give Pine City a four point lead at half time.

“Coming out of halftime, I really liked how we focused in on our identity and philosophy,” said Allen. “We played much better on the defensive end, which led to better rebounding and more scoring opportunities.”

The Dragons had four players scoring in double figures with Nick Hansmann leading Pine City with 22 points. Seth Logan had 19 points with an impressive eight total rebounds. Konnor Jusczak scored 18 points and Jake Adams had 16 points to go along with his three steals. Koleman Lind had a game high nine assists, followed by Adams and Nick Hansmann with four apiece.

“Winning the outright conference championship felt great, and now going back-to-back feels even better. There was a lot of work in the early years that led to this. This is not something that ‘just happened.’ The boys that came before these groups that laid the foundation for what we can accomplish now are never forgotten. We wouldn’t be where we are without them,” said coach Allen.

Varsity: W (102-71)
JV: L (34-51)
C-Squad: L (23-51)

White Out @H-F TONIGHT

Coach Allen's Dad, Uncle, and Cousin are ready for the WHITE OUT at Hinckley-Finlayson tonight... Are you???

Varsity starts at 715pm, JV and C at 545pm.

Get there early to ensure a spot in the stands, it is expected to be packed!