Sports

Slow start dooms Sioux

By Matthew Semisch

12/16/2014

WESTHOPE - Westhope-Newburg’s (W-N) boys’ basketball season could’ve gotten off to a much better start for the Sioux than it did on Friday.

Upon coming into Westhope Public School’s gym, the visitors from Glenburn wasted little time in gaining the upper hand. The Panthers opened the game on an 11-0 run and eventually cruised to a 54-40 victory over W-N.

The Sioux didn’t pick up their first two points of the season until forward Chance Kitzman tipped a put-back home 3:06 into the game. W-N’s offensive struggles remained over the rest of the first half, and Glenburn was good value for its 31-15 lead at the break.

The Panthers also had the edge in terms of both size and experience. W-N’s two tallest players - both 6-foot-2 - are freshmen, and none of the Sioux’s players had an answer all night for Glenburn’s 6-foot-8 junior center Dustin Weeks.

Weeks, who finished the game with 12 points, was used largely as a human periscope against the Sioux. His significant height advantage over W-N’s entire roster allowed him to post up for makeable shots of his own as well as finding open teammates.

“It’s tough to defend,” W-N head coach Bob Beaudrie said. “You try to body him up, but Glenburn doesn’t really let you do that, and you’re trying to get that weak-side help, but although a lot of his outlet passes weren’t on, when they were, it’s dang near impossible to defend when he’s two feet from the hoop and he’s 6-foot-8 and the kid’s being guarded by someone who’s 5-foot-8.”

W-N junior forward Chase Conway finished the game with a team-high 15 points.

LEGACY ROLLS PAST SIOUX

W-N fell to 0-2 on the season on Saturday when the Sioux picked up a 92-35 loss on the road against Bismarck Legacy.

The Sioux are back in action tonight as they take on Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood (M-L-S) in Westhope. 

The game is scheduled to start at 7:15 p.m.