Elkton-Lake Benton FCA hosts All-Star Monday
Elkton-Lake Benton senior Tucker Jaacks drives the baseline to the hoop in the FCA Seniors All-Star Game on Monday night. The Elkton-Lake Benton Chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes held a fun night of basketball activity for coaches, players and fans for the 16th straight year in Elkton, S.D.
By Dan Kuss
lbnews@itctel.com
The Elkton-Lake Benton High School Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Chapter hosted the 16th Area All-Star basketball games on Monday, March 26 in the South Gym atElkton,S.D.
Rock and roll music filled the air as play by play action was called by Deubrook Coach Brad DeBeer of Brookings Radio and Emcee Tal Farnham.
“We usually like to do this on Sunday,” said Farnham, FCA Advisor. “With Prom moved back this year, the kids just get too tired after the all night party so we moved it to Monday night.”
“The crowd was a little thin due to a Monday but those that made it sure had fun.”
Senior boys, girls and coaches came from area schools to play in the games as kids of all ages had opportunities to take to the court to test their basketball shooting skill and prowess.
The festivities began with the coaches’ game around 5:30 p.m. with the senior girls all-star game following.
Elkton-Lake Benton seniors Haylee Denison, Stephanie Johnson, Becca Jurgens and Alissa Landsman played for the Orange Team while Cassidy Gebhart, Molly Koch and Megan Krogman played against their teammates for the Blue Team.
The game ended 56- 53 in a close contest with many 3-pointers and a few trick plays as Johnson leapt off the back of a crouching Denison to score on a short shot from the paint bringing smiles and laughter from the players and the crowd.
Elkton-Lake Benton junior Mindee VanDyke participated in the 3-point contest at halftime but the win went to returning champ Erica Koenig of Deubrook.
The slam-dunk contest took place after the boys warmed up and Taylor Rolf participated though the crown went back to defending champ Trever Peterson of Deubrook.
National recording artist and former Elkton-Lake Benton student Kaila Tingle sang the “Star Spangled Banner” to kick off the senior boys all star game.
Elkton-Lake Benton senior boys Tucker Jaacks, Taylor Rolf and Brant Tingle played for the Orange Team and each hit many 3-pointers in the 123-103 shootout.
Elkton-Lake Benton juniors Braden Carmody and Ethan Pearson participated in the 3-point contest at halftime though the honors went to Mitchel Foster of Flandreau.
Dakota Sports sponsored the 3-point shootouts and dunk contest and plaques were awarded to the winners.
Media timeouts were called throughout the evening as fans of all ages were called out of the crowd to shoot layups, free throws, 3-pointers and half court shots for prizes from the many sponsors.
SDSU players Jordan Dykstra and Marcus Heemstra of the FCA Huddle acted as coaches for each of the all-star teams.
“Make sure you say something about the great officiating,” said Elkton- Lake Benton Coach and FCA Advisor Steve Erickson.
Erickson, Leonard Gebhart, Superintendent Brian Jandahl and John Neill played in the coaches’ game and/or performed refereeing duties as needed.
Concessions were provided by the Elkton-Lake Benton FCA chapter and manned by the students.
Filed under Sports |Wildcats at practice
Buffalo Ridge Wildcat defenders chase a Wildcat running back during practice at West Side Field on Sunday. The Wildcats are usually still practicing in the gym at this time of year.
Dakota Doom merges with Buffalo Ridge Wildcats
The Buffalo Ridge Wildcats took advantage of the warm weather on Sunday to practice outside at the school playground in preparation for their upcoming season. The Dakota Doom of Elkton, S.D. merged with the Wildcats this year, who call West Side Field in Lake Benton home.
By Dan Kuss
lbnews@itctel.com
The Buffalo Ridge Wildcats have merged with the Dakota Doom out of Elkton,S.D.for the 2012 season in order to fill their weekly roster and become more competitive in the league as it expands and grows.
The Wildcats took advantage of the spring-like weather by holding its first practice outside in many years.
“We usually practice in the gym this time of year and I’ve had practices with two people show up or have had guys bouncing off the walls, which concerns me because of potential injuries before the season,” said Coach Wiley Tiedeman. “With the Doom on board plus beautiful weather we had over 20 guys show up for the first practice this year.”
The Wildcats begin their season on the road Sunday, April 29 and play all other games on Saturdays.
They will have three home and four away games this season before the play offs. One away game will start at 6 p.m. due to no lights at the field though all others will begin at 7 p.m.
The Wildcats will have to cut players this year as the league only allows for a 50-man roster and the Wildcats are at present somewhere between 55-60 players.
“We will be deep in several positions which will give guys a break and keep us fresh at all times,” said Tiedeman. “The hard part will be giving everyone enough playing time to keep them happy and coming out for the games.”
The Wildcats will be practicing on Sundays at noon until the season begins.
Practices are held at the school playground but may move to West Side Field earlier than usual due to excellent field conditions.
Filed under Sports |The Lady Elks on the court in Spearfish
The Lady Elks unite and prepare for battle after being announced for game two against St. Thomas More on Friday, March 9.
By Dan Kuss
lbnews@itctel.com
The Lady Elks defeated the Lady Rustlers of Miller, S.D. to claim third place rights and the trophy in their final game of the state tournament.
Cassidy Gebhart scored 25 points on the road to victory in the last high school game for seven of the Lady Elks players.
Becca Jurgens followed with 10 while Stephanie Johnson contributed eight, Megan Krogman seven, Alissa Landsman five, Haylee Denison four, Mindee VanDyke with a three and Molly Koch with one of two free throws.
The Elkton-Lake Benton student section hangs in the balance as a Lady Elk shoots a free throw in the final game against the Miller Lady Rustlers on Saturday night. Students came up with some pretty creative and fun cheers as they supported their team. Principal Kelly Neill stands in the foreground.
Koch got into early foul trouble due to aggressive play to take one for the team as the entire Lady Elk defense once again brought their A-game to defend their goal.
Jansen Hunter scored 19 for the Lady Rustlers.
Senior Alissa Landsman passes the ball to break the Lady Cyclones’ half-court trap.
Krogman led the Lady Elks with nine rebounds followed by Gebhart with seven,Denisonwith six, Jurgens with four, Koch, Landsman, Johnson and VanDyke with a pair of boards apiece for a team total of 33.
Gebhart led with eight steals followed by Johnson and Krogman with six, Jurgens with four and Koch, VanDyke and Brooke Jaacks with one each for a team total of 27 steals on the night.
Gebhart led with five assists while Johnson and Jurgens each contributed three in the game for a team total of 11.
Gebhart created four turnovers followed byDenison, Krogman and Koch with two and Johnson, Jurgens, VanDyke and Jaacks with one turnover apiece for a team total of 15.
Denisonand Krogman each blocked two shots to deny the Lady Rustlers from scoring several points early in the contest.
As is usual for Coach Steve Krause, the Lady Elk substitutes came in with the game iced to replace the regulars who received a standing ovation and cheers from the Elkton- Lake Benton student section and fans behind the bench.
The win put the Lady Elks in the history books as the third place SDHSAA Class A tournament trophy winners.
1 2 3 4 Total
Miller 9 11 14 12 46
E-LB 15 20 14 14 63
Filed under Sports |Gebhart, Krogman Dakota Valley all-conference
By Dan Kuss
lbnews@itctel.com
Elkton-Lake Benton Lady Elks Cassidy Gebhart and Megan Krogman were selected to the 2011-2012 Dakota Valley Conference All-conference First Team.
Gebhart received the most votes and the honor of Most Valuable Player.
Stephanie Johnson and Becca Jurgens w
Megan Krogman, pictured above, was selected to the 2011-2012 Dakota Valley Conference All-conference First Team.
re awarded with All-conference second team honors.
Elkton-Lake Benton Lady Elk Cassidy Gebhart, Most Valuable Player, is picured above.
Lady Elks win region championship, advance to state play
By Dan Kuss
lbnews@itctel.com
The mighty Elkton-Lake Benton Lady Elks defeated the Sioux Falls Christian Lady Chargers 61-47 in the regional championship game at Harrisburg, S.D.on Thursday, March 1 and will return to the state tournament for the third time in four years.
Cassidy Gebhart led all scorers with 25 points, followed by Megan Krogman with a tally of 12 for the Lady Elks.
Becca Jurgens added seven followed by Molly Koch with six, Stephanie Johnson with five, Haylee Denison with four and Mindee VanDyke contributing two points in the contest.
Hayley McCarron scored 17 and Laura Hurley chipped in 11 for the opposition.
Krogman led all Lady Elk rebounders with five followed byDenison, Koch and Gebhart with three, Jurgens and Johnson with two and Alissa Landsman with one for a team total of 19.
Sioux Falls Christian out-rebounded the Lady Elks 38-19 but still lost the battle due to the tenacious Elkton-Lake Benton defense.
Gebhart led in assists with three, followed by Johnson with two and Krogman,Denison, Jurgens and Koch with one each.
Johnson and Gebhart took a charge while Jurgens and Johnson each blocked a shot.
Jurgens and Gebhart led with four Lady Elk steals followed by Johnson with three-and-a-half, Koch with three, Denison and Krogman with two-and-a-half, VanDyke with one and Landsman with a half a steal for a team total of 21 takeaways.
Gebhart created five turnovers and Krogman two while Landsman, Jurgens, Denison and VanDyke each tallied one for a total of 11.
The Lady Elks travel to Spearfish, S.D. on Wednesday and play Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the South Dakota State High School Tournament.
Filed under Sports |Elkton-LB JV boys take second
The Elkton-Lake Benton JV boys took second place in the recent junior varsity basketball tournament. The boys beat Howard and TMB to get to the championship game but lost to Sioux Valley by five. Pictured from left to right in the front row are Alex Trautman, Walker Sik, Nick Skyberg, Jacob Nomeland, Cody Wiskur and Heath Schindler. In the back row are Justin Sudtelgte, Trevan Farnham, Nathan Krog, Tyler Stuefen, Logan Wiskur, Quinn Fargen and Coach Gary Leuning.
Fourth grade Bobcats meet the Grizzlies
Fourth grade Bobcat Bryson Sik pulls down a rebound as his teammates call for the ball in Tuesday night action against the Hendricks Grizzlies. The Bobcats tamed the Grizzlies by a fair margin.
Lady Elks win district championship, advance to regions in Harrisburg Thursday
Lady Elks Senior Stephanie Johnson turns another steal into a fast break for two Elkton-Lake Benton points early in the first game of the 2012 playoffs. The top seeded Lady Elks played the first game at home and travelled to Tea, S.D. for the district championship against Flandreau. The Lady Elks will play for the regional championship on Thursday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m. in Harrisburg, S.D. against Sioux Falls Lutheran.
By Dan Kuss
lbnews@itctel.com
The Elkton-Lake Benton Lady Elks defeated the Lady Bulldogs of Madison 74-54 in the first game of the playoffs at Elkton, S.D. before travelling to Tea, S.D. to take on Flandreau for the district title and the opportunity to return to the regional championship game.
The Lady Elks were held scoreless midway through the first quarter as the Lady Bulldogs led 0-2 in game one but persevered, overcoming the obstacles with a 10-0 run and led 12-2 with 1:53 on the clock and ended the first quarter with the score 15-6.
Senior guard Stephanie Johnson got into foul trouble with three halfway through the second quarter but the Lady Elks held on to their nine-point lead and the score was 35-24 at the half.
The Lady Elks inched their way to a 52-40 lead by the end of the third quarter before going on another run in the fourth with some fine free throw shooting by Megan Krogman and Cassidy Gebhart.
Becca Jurgens and Mindee VanDyke contributed a few 3-pointers to aid the tenacious play by Alissa Landsman, Molly Koch, Haylee Denison and Johnson to allow Coach Krause to insert the subs with 2:26 on the clock and win the game 74-54.
Game two against the Flandreau Lady Fliers in Tea, S.D. was postponed from Thursday night to Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
The Lady Elks downed the Lady Fliers by a score of 77-22 for the district championship and the privilege to return to the regional championship game after missing out last year.
“We played an excellent defensive team game,” said Coach Steve Krause. “I was so proud of their effort for the entire game.”
“We had nice scoring balance with Cass’s 18, Steph’s 17 and Megan’s 15.”
Cassidy Gebhart led all scorers with 18 followed by Stephanie Johnson with 17 and Megan Krogman with 15.
Gabby Kampmann added six, followed by Becca Jurgens with five and Haylee Denison, Mindee VanDyke and Brooke Jaacks with four.
Alissa Landsman and Molly Koch each contributed two points in the contest.
“We also had a great balance job on the boards with six people hauling in four to eight rebounds,” said Krause. “Our pressure, help defense and reading were very good.”
“We look forward to the challenge ahead in our region game against Sioux Falls Christian atHarrisburg,S.D.on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.”
Filed under Sports |Third and fourth grade Bobcats wrapped up their season
The Lake Benton Bobcats third and fourth grade boys basketball team finished their season on Saturday. Pictured from left to right in the front row are Zach Miller, Noah Greer, Connor Kremin and Bryson Sik. In the back row are Coach Andy Deutz, Matthew Nibbe, Grant DeRuyter, AJ Busselman and Coach Luke Nibbe.