Secret Santa: 2023

The yearly tradition continues!

12/28/23: @Cloquet

Varsity: L (92-54)

Highlights: https://www.hudl.com/video/2/421951/658f64bb7bd46f07a4d40278

Dragon Boys Basketball get a win over Mesabi East

By Heidi Burger Pine City Pioneer

Cloquet 92, Pine City 54

Then on Friday, the Dragons played in the tournament championship game against host Cloquet. Although the scoreboard wasn’t in the Dragons favor, there were things they learned from this game.  They knew going in that Cloquet had some talented juniors and seniors, so they were ready for a tough game. Allen commented on the interesting fact that the Cloquet’s shooting percentage was actually less than the Dragons. He pointed out that Cloquet had more shots than the Dragons.  So the Dragons need to continue to work on creating more opportunities for shooting, regardless of the missed ones. 

“No one goes out and takes a shot to miss,” he said. The Dragons stats also were not as good as the game before. All these things resulted in a loss for the boys, the score being 92-54.

“We are ok with where we are at right now, as long as we are moving forward and purposely putting the right pieces into place. It’s all good. We are positively aware of where we are at,” said Allen. 

The Dragons ended their week by hosting the annual Alumni game on Saturday. “Twenty-four alumni showed up,” said Allen. “Guys that played all the way back in the 90’s. Guys that played for myself and even for Coach Wicktor (previous to Coach Allen). I can’t thank the alumni enough for coming in, playing with the guys, talking to the guys, and then eating a meal with the guys.”

The boys next game will be at home versus the Braham Bombers on Thursday, January 4.

12/27/23: Mesabi East (@Cloquet)

Varsity: W (75-55)

Highlights: https://www.hudl.com/video/2/421951/658d528d4ba82a0b880707b3

Dragon Boys Basketball get a win over Mesabi East

By Heidi Burger Pine City Pioneer

The Dragon boys basketball team won their first game of the Woodcity Classic Tournament in Cloquet this past week. This is a yearly tournament that the Dragon’s have attended for about 10 years. Coach Allen said it is a fun tournament to go to, and the competition is always a good challenge. 

Pine City 75, Mesabi East 55

On December 27 they played Mesabi East and took the win 75-55. Allen was pleased with how the boys played.  They focused on rebounds and assists. The stats looked good as majority of the boys had numbers in rebounds, assists and deflections. This in turn created ball possessions for the Dragons, which in turn can lead to scoring.  Allen commented on this being the foundation of their program, “We focus on the process to the end result, not just the end result, or the points, but how they are scored. We try really hard to keep our mindset on this process. And this game showed it. Our rebounds led to transitions; our transitions led to points.” 

Allen also noted that the boys did well in stepping up with Charlie Ausmus being out this game. Ausmus tends to be good energy on the team and a consistent player on the floor.  

12/21/23: @Moose Lake-Willow River

Varsity: L (98-50)

Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/v/2MwEeS

JV: L

C-Squad: L

12/19/23: @Foley

Varsity: L (24-67)

Highlights: https://www.hudl.com/video/2/421951/658302a12347d00c98879ccc

JV: L

C-Squad: L

12/15/23: Basketball @Wrestling

Thank you to the Pine City wrestling team for hosing our basketball program at their home meet on Friday!

12/14/23: Ogilvie

Varsity: L (64-38)

Highlights: https://www.hudl.com/video/2/421951/657ca4044df571050897ab29

JV: W

Dragon Boys varsity Basketball taking steps forward

By Heidi Burger Pine City Pioneer

Ogilvie 64. Pine City 38

The Dragons then hosted Ogilvie on Thursday. According to Coach Allen, the boys again had too many turnovers to win the game. Allen said, “We took two steps forward in the Chisago Lakes game, but one step back with the Ogilvie game.” Junior Sawyer McDaniel showed his energy and effort and led in rebounds with nine. The Dragons are hoping to have more players get in the double digits with rebounds, which will in turn lead to higher stats in other areas. The game against Ogilivie ended with a Dragon loss and a score of 64-38.

The boys will play away against Foley on Tuesday, December 19.

The Dragon boys basketball program will again be hosting their annual alumni game on Saturday, December 30. Warm-ups start at 8:30 a.m. in the Pine City Elementary gym, and the game is at 9 a.m. There will be breakfast following the game. If you are an alumni of the Pine City Boys Basketball program, come on over and play!

Schedule: Friday 12/15/23

6AM: Workout "C" option #1

3PM: Individual and Team Pictures for C, JV, Varsity @Elementary

-Need GREEN jerseys/shorts for all teams you are apart of

4PM: Varsity Poster Picture @High School

4PM: Workout "C" option #2

4PM: Optional film work in Coach Allen's classroom

5PM: JV and V attending wrestling match with travel gear

2023 Pine City Boys Basketball Alumni Game

 

12/12/23: Chisago Lakes

Varsity: L (68-99): 

Highlights: https://www.hudl.com/video/2/421951/657ab34802b1850aa4a59333

JV: L

C-Squad: L

Dragon Boys varsity Basketball taking steps forward

By Heidi Burger Pine City Pioneer

The Dragon Boys Basketball team hosted Chisago Lakes on Tuesday, December 12. Going into the game, the coaches and the boys knew it would probably be one of the most talented teams they would play this year. Chisago Lakes has good players, one of them being a 6 foot 7 inch player getting Division 1 offers. 

Chisago Lakes 99, Pine City 68

“We knew it was an uphill battle and a challenge coming in,” commented coach Kyle Allen. Looking back at the stats and the effort put for by the Dragons, Allen was pleased with what he saw. “Our game wasn’t perfect by any means; we turned the ball over way too much. But this game I felt we took steps forward.” 

Junior Bryer Willert stepped onto the court and had an outstanding game; a “superbly solid” game in the words of his coach. He grabbed 10 boards, dished out 7 assists, and added 12 points. “He’s grinding on the boards. We put him in his creator role and asked him to do a little more with the ball in his hands. He was all over the floor, played really well, used his energy to his advantage, and his results showed his success,” noted Allen. 

Austin Wiener also came in and gave the team some good minutes with his energy and effort. Coach Allen also commented on how the team stuck to the game plan and kept their energy up. The boys came out onto the court excited to play a ball game. Although the score wasn’t in the Dragon’s favor, things were falling into place. The final score was 99-68.

12/8/23: East Central

Varsity: L (66-28) Highlights

JV: L

C-Squad: W

Dragon Boys Basketball struggles against Jaguars and Eagles

By Heidi Burger Pine City Pioneer

East Central 66, Pine City 28 

The boys then hosted East Central on Friday night. Again, it was a team with height and experience. The Dragons again got into some foul trouble this game, and the East Central Eagles were in bonus early in the game. The score ended up being 28-66, a loss for the Dragons. However, the boys are learning and growing each game.  

Allen often repeats the phrase “foundational concepts.” The Dragon boys are practicing these concepts each practice and game, and their game play will grow with experience and time. “We have a team that doesn’t have a lot of experience on the varsity floor, so we are taking a lot of time to work on consistency. After consistency, then the rebounding, aggressive defense without fouling, and just the knowledge of playing varsity ball, those things will come,” stated Allen confidently. “Consistency comes in the form of effort, energy and coachability.”

The Dragons have two games again this week. Tuesday will be at home against Chisago Lakes, and then Thursday will be at home against Ogilvie.

12/5/23: @Hinckley-Finlayson

Varsity: L (88-77)

Highlights: https://www.hudl.com/video/2/421951/6570e864b535110ad84f3885

JV: W

C-Squad: W

Dragon Boys Basketball struggles against Jaguars and Eagles

By Heidi Burger Pine City Pioneer

The boys had a physical game against Hinckley on the road on December 5, with the refs calling fouls. Coach Kyle Allen commented on Hinckley being a well-coached team, with many returning varsity players. The Dragons knew this going into the game, but they were not prepared for the amount of fouls called. 

Hinckley-Finlayson 88, Pine City 77

“It was a really up and down game for us,” recalled Allen. “We had a ton of fouls and five players foul out. We want aggressiveness, but we just don’t have the experience of what that looks like on a varsity floor yet.”  

The second half the Dragons came out and showed grit – even going on a run, but it wasn’t quite enough as the game ended and the boys lost 88-77. “AJ led in assists with six, that’s a good number for him and others to be reaching in that creator role,” said Coach Allen.

12/2/23: Youth Camp

The first day of youth camp was a HUGE success for grades K-2.  Come join us at our next one on 12/9 @9 am at the Elementary!

12/1/23: North Branch

Boys basketball rebuilding foundation

By Heidi Burger

The Dragon Boys Varsity Basketball team started their season off with a home game against the 3A North Branch Vikings. It was a bold start to the season taking on a bigger school. But Coach Kyle Allen and his team knew this. Allen said he wants his guys to have challenges, to learn to play up. 

“We knew going in this was going to be a good early test,” said Allen. “Overall, I thought we did well in terms of what we’re focusing on. Right now we are focusing on energy, effort and coachability. This is the number one priority in everything we do.” Although the score of the game wasn’t the outcome the team preferred, he added, the growth that happened on the court was beneficial. “It was a good starting point, a place to set the bar of what is expected of a Dragon basketball player.”

Although the points got away from the Dragons, Allen felt as if the boys didn’t back down. “We took steps forward in terms of work ethic. We had 12 guys touch the floor in one game. This is what needs to be our strength this year – our depth,” he said.

Players of note were Austin Wiener with nine rebounds and Bryer Willert. “Willert has shown lots of grit to start this year, he will wear many hats. I’m excited for him as he starts to get and buy into what we are building,” said Allen. “Matt Blake will always lead and work his tail off and do what is asked of him. Charlie Ausmus is the never-ending engine that could. He is all over, rebounding, shooting, running.”

The final score was 89-48, with a Viking win.

Coach Allen also talked a bit about rebuilding the foundation of PCHS basketball. This is a year to fix the crack, to correct what has been lost, he said. “I remember I looked up in the stands before the game and saw my former player, Josh Adams, in the stands with his daughters. Josh was a senior here for me my first year, and we talked about the foundation these guys laid for us,” noted Allen. “They believed in something bigger than themselves. That first year we only went 5 and 22, and I had a lot of people tell me what to do to win more games. But our goal is to create a program that chases a championship every year.” 

Coach Allen invited Josh Adams to come and talk to the boys before the game, so they could see a face that has gone before them in the program. Alumni Josh Adams recalls playing for Coach Allen, “It was a great basketball family that I’m thankful to have been a part of. We were given the tools and encouragement to grow as basketball players, and as young men too. I learned a lot about effort and commitment that I have been able to apply to the rest of my life. I am beyond thankful for the time I was able to spend with my friends, and the lessons I was able to take with me.”

The Dragons will play Hinckley on Tuesday, December 5, and then will host East Central on Friday December 8 at 7 p.m.

Varsity: L (89-48)

Highlights: https://www.hudl.com/video/2/421951/656b8ba29a9bf106a4a37a2e

JV: L

C: W (2OT)

Photo Credit: Four Seasons Photography

Dragon Boys Basketball looking forward to new beginnings

• By Heidi Burger Pine City Pioneer
 
• Nov 30, 2023

Basketball season has begun in the PCHS gym, and the boys are ready to play. Coach Kyle Allen is in his 13th year of coaching here at Pine City. Coach Allen’s expectations for the season are like previous years: “Twenty or more wins, compete for a conference championship, host a first-round playoff game, and put ourselves in a position to make a run come playoffs.”

Challenges come and go each season, and this upcoming season presents challenges of its own. When asked about challenges, Allen said that every year they evaluate their process – what is going well and what needs improvement, and at the conclusion of last year, they saw some major flaws in their foundation. 

“We attributed many of these cracks in our foundation to the fallout from COVID,” said Allen. “We, as a coaching staff, met with leaders in the program, alumni and valued coaches from around the nation to decide how to attack this. We are excited with the plan we have in place to help fix the crack in our foundation and bring our program back to the expectations that lead to relevancy. We are purposefully explaining this to our players and families to have as much transparency as possible. We are excited to take on this challenge and do the work needed to permanently fix this and continue to build forward.” 

As a whole, the Dragon varsity boys team does not have many players with varsity experience.  However, they do have depth. “We would like to have a very deep rotation,” commented Coach Allen. “It is always interesting to see how the pieces fall into place and what players earn. There will be a big group, at least on paper at the start, that will be given an opportunity to compete for minutes.”  

Last year the Dragon boys earned a 13-14 record overall and a 9-3 record in conference.  Allen added, “We fell short of our goals last season. We also graduated seven seniors so this team will look very different from last season’s team. We do not like to compare year to year; we often talk about how every season is a ‘lifetime’ and lives in its own vacuum. This year’s group will be allowed to grow and develop as they are willing to do.”

There is one senior on the varsity team this season, Matthew Blake. Allen said of Blake, “Matt has taken on a huge leadership role for us this year. His oldest brother, Andrew, was a senior for me in my third year at Pine City (2014 grad), so it is a very full circle experience. He will be tasked with leading our players not only into this season but also leading them to help return to the pre-COVID protocols and procedures of our program.”

Allen noted of the coaching staff, “Our coaching staff goes above and beyond to help both our student-athletes and the program. Our strength and conditioning staff made up of Jason Rademacher and Brittany Lakeberg are putting in early morning hours. We utilize a great group of student managers that do a ton of work behind the scenes.” He also wanted to thank the school staff including secretaries, activity director, janitorial staff, and others who help create all the opportunities they have. “Our youth hoops program and basketball booster boards who volunteer their time for the betterment of our youth and the program. And most importantly, my wife and kids who go along with all the craziness that comes with this position.” 

Allen is assisted by Dylan Kringstad (JV), Wayne Hansmann (C-Squad), Adam Jensen (8th Grade), Ben Bloomquist (7th Grade), Jason Wiener (volunteer), and Jason Rademacher (volunteer).

The boys will begin their season on Friday, December 1 at home against North Branch at 7 p.m.