The Boys Varsity Basketball team of Ste. Genevieve picked up two big wins last week in a couple of exciting games. This was an important week of action, as the Dragons needed to right the ship after losing a blow-out to Farmington on January 7th. Ste. Gen did just that, and played some excellent basketball to get the momentum rolling again, defeating both Arcadia Valley and Fredericktown handily.
For the first game of the week, on Tuesday, January 11th, the Dragons traveled to Arcadia Valley in Ironton to challenge the Tigers. Ste. Gen had the hot hands early as they opened up strong with 18 points, while holding Arcadia to a mere eight. Aiden Boyer had seven of his 16 total points to send an early message to the Tigers. In the second, the Dragons kept the heat on by supplying an additional 13, with five more from Boyer. Ste. Gen dominated the first half, and took a 31-15 score into the break.
In the third, Arcadia turned in their best effort, rallying to put up 13 of their own, but the ball-hungry Dragons out-paced the Tigers getting 15, with four a piece from Ricky Hunter and Boyer. The Tigers couldn’t close the gap in the fourth, and the Dragons easily held on for the victory by the score of 62-40.
Boyer led the way on the board. He was followed in points by Rudy Flieg contributing 11, Hunter chipping in 10, and nine more from Wesley Basler. This non-district win was just what the doctor ordered to give the Dragons the confidence builder they needed, just before their rivals were headed to town.
A few days later, the Dragons hosted the Fredericktown Black Cats on Friday, January 14th, and the ever important district game was a must win for both teams to earn a better seed in the end-of-season tournament. To make matters worse, Fredericktown had their own momentum rolling having just dominated Lesterville earlier in the week.
Fearlessly, the Dragons again came out breathing fire and scorched the Black Cats in the opening quarter, 20-2. Hunter couldn’t miss, going three-for-three from beyond the arc for nine points. The defense was merciless as well, absolutely shutting down any offense that Fredericktown threw out there. In the second quarter, it was all Ste. Gen again, burying their foes with 18 more points. The Black Cats did manage to score 11, but the half time score was 38-13. Boyer tacked on seven of his 13 total points in this frame.
The third quarter was a scoring frenzy for both teams, as the defenses seemingly just watched the action. Fredericktown finally came to life, rallying for 19 points. However, the snarling Dragons unleashed an incredible 23 points to put the game out of reach going into the final quarter. The Black Cats had nothing left and only managed to eke out three more points in the fourth, as Ste. Gen poured it on, to win the game 71-35.
Every Dragon managed to get on the board during this scoring free-for-all. However, Hunter and Flieg each ravaged their foes with 14 points apiece, while Boyer and Blake Morganthaler made their presence known with 13 each as well.
Head Coach Robert Coleman liked what he saw from his team, and said, “It was a good week for us, picking up two wins. Our guys are improving on the offensive end and gaining some confidence. We are starting to come together and figure out our rotations and roles. Both games, our defense was pretty good, especially at the beginning, which has allowed us to get a lead and not have to play from behind. Our offense is starting to flow a lot better and we’re starting to hit some shots. Our confidence is definitely building. Against Fredericktown especially, we moved the ball really well against their zone.”
With the confidence overflowing, the now 9-5 Ste. Gen Dragons will need to stay focused as they take those newly honed skills on the road. Coming up next, on Tuesday, January 18th, it’s a “Double Dragon” showdown as the Dragons of Ste. Gen will head down South to battle the Dragons of DeSoto. Good luck Ste. Gen!
