Titan boys drop three over break
The Tea Area High School boys’ basketball team took on Sioux Falls O’Gorman on Thursday, Dec. 28 and Marshall, MN on Friday, Dec. 29.
The back-to-back games against tough opponents proved to be a challenge for the Titans, as they dropped both match-ups.
“Obviously these games didn’t go the way we wanted to, but we have learned a lot about ourselves in these two games,” said Titan head coach Drew Weber. “We have the potential to be a pretty dang good team, but we will have to work hard to get there. We have a big stretch coming up against Class A schools that will really tell us a lot about where we stand in our conference and region. We have a strong identity and the boys are raring to prove themselves.”
Against O’Gorman on Dec. 28, the Titans trailed early and weren’t able to dig out of the hole, falling 61-39.
Tea Area was led by Jessen Wiebenga who finished the night with 18 points. He also had two rebounds, one assist and one steal. Sam Almas and Grif Wiebenga each provided five points in the game. Almas also had four rebounds and one assist.
Boston Willemssen had four points, four rebounds and Marshall Smythe, Brenner Konrad, and Kayden Williamson each had two points.
The Titans shot just 35 percent from the field while O’Gorman shot 61 percent in the game.
On Dec. 29 the Titans traveled to Minnesota where they took on Marshall. Tea Area led at the half 32-26 but was unable to hang on for the win, falling in a tight one, 73-67.
Leading the Titans was Almas who had 19 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. J. Wiebenga had 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Smythe finished the night with nine points and Garrett Wiebenga finished with seven points and eight rebounds. Konrad had six points, six rebounds, one assist and two steals. Grif Wiebenga and Willemssen each had five points in the game. Grif Wiebenga pulled down five rebounds and Willemssen had six rebounds.
The Titans took on Vermillion on Jan. 2. Tea Area was outscored 27-13 in the third quarter eventually dropping the game, 69-49.
“This was a very disappointing loss as we struggled to face adversity. We had a lot of chances to take control of the game, but when things got difficult, we didn’t maintain our energy and execution,” said Weber. “We are at a critical point in the season now and I expect we will all start raising our games and get back to the team we are capable of being.”
For the Titans, Almas led the way with 23 points. He grabbed eight rebounds and had two steals. Smythe finished with six points, six rebounds and Grif Wiebenga had five points. Cole McKinney had four points and Jack Qualseth finished with three.
J. Wiebenga, Garrett Wiebenga, Willemssen, and Jaxson Merrigan each had two points. Willemssen led in rebounds with nine in the game. Konrad pulled down four rebounds and had two assists and one steal in the game.
The Titans shot just over 29 percent from the field. Vermillion shot over 46 percent in the game.
Tea Area will travel to Madison on Friday, Jan. 5 for a 7:30 p.m. match-up.
On Monday, Jan. 8 the Titans will be home against Canton in double-header action with the Tea Area girls. The Titan boys are scheduled to tip-off at 8 p.m.