Sports
Sioux outlast Raiders attack in overtime
Tyler Ohmann
01/24/2012
The Westhope-Newburg Sioux took a big step this past week in a 58-52 overtime victory over the Drake-Anamoose Raiders, but they didn’t realize the step would have be around someone so big.
That obstacle was Drake-Anamoose center Tanner Volson, who stands at 6-foot, five inches and caused big problems for the Sioux who nearly didn’t get their first District 12 win last Thursday.
“Defensively we had a really tough time with Volson,” said Sioux Head Coach Bob Beaudrie. “He’s a big, tough kid, who posts well, and we had a tough time getting around him.”
The Sioux overcame that despite an off night for leading scorer and rebounder Kodie Hancock, who managed to only get nine points and eight rebounds.
“I was happy with how we finished, especially since Kodie wasn’t having a great night and some of the things weren’t falling for us on the inside,” Beaudrie said.
Hancock also had a chance to win the game for the Sioux at the free throw line with .5 seconds left in regulation, but was unable to hit either of two free throw attempts.
The Sioux have struggled all season at the charity stripe, however, they did see some success in overtime thanks to sophomore Hunter Braaten.
“That has to improve, we missed a couple to win, but we did make a couple to seal the win,” Beaudrie said of the Sioux’s performance at the free throw line. “Granted you would like to see a better percentage, but at least we got it to Hunter (Braaten) in the overtime to seal it up.”
Braaten went 6-of-7 from the line and led the Sioux with 25 points and eight rebounds.
Wyatt Kitzman had a solid night defensively turning away two Raiders shots and nabbing four steals while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out a team-high five assists.
The Sioux led by as much as 10 in the fourth quarter, but saw the lead slip away as Volson and company gained some momentum, especially at the free throw line.
“We got called on a couple fouls and the momentum shifted and it just snowballed from there,” Beaudrie said about the collapse. “But when they got up by one or two points our kids took their time and looked for an easy basket, we weren’t forcing it.”
“We get in a habit of trying to force things and it doesn’t work,” Beaudrie added.
However, the Sioux dominated the overtime, especially on the defensive side of the ball, where they allowed only two points.
“When we got that second chance to go into the overtime, you could kind of feel it on the bench,” Beaudrie said. “We were ready to finish, and we played smart and didn’t rush things.”
Volson finished with 20 points to lead the Raiders who dropped to 4-8 with the loss, which was their first loss in district play.
“They lull you to sleep sometimes, Drake,” Beaudrie said. “They kind of negate your overall plan, and do a good job of it.”
Sophomore Ethan Miller, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury for the past couple of weeks, was phased in to the lineup this past week.
“It’s very nice to be back, I’m lovin’ it,” Miller said.
He was excited to help get the first district win for the Sioux.
“It was our first district win of the year, so it was very nice,” Miller said. “This pumps us up a lot and gets us ready.”
The Sioux began the week with a 74-53 drubbing of Rolla on Monday night.
The Sioux started off slow against the Bulldogs and led by only four at halftime. In the second half the Sioux offense exploded to 48 points and outscored Rolla by 17.
Five Sioux players scored in double figures in the win led by Hancock’s 18 points.
Also in with double digit point totals were Kitzman (16), Braaten (14), junior Jon Sivertson 10 and junior Logan Hermes (10).
Hermes also grabbed a team-high nine boards off the bench for the Sioux.
Braaten dished out a season-high 10 assists and had five steals in the win. Hancock had seven steals to lead the Sioux.
The wins push the Sioux to an overall record of 6-9. They are now 1-3 in District 12 play.
Westhope-Newburg will host Sawyer tonight at 7:15 p.m. for their next district contest. The Sioux will play their final home game at 7:15 p.m., Friday against Dunseith.