Titan boys fall to Roosevelt, defeat Aberdeen Christian

On Friday, Jan. 16 the Tea Area High School boys’ basketball team broke their seven game winning streak with an 83-55 loss to Sioux Falls Roosevelt. The Titans were right there at the half, trailing only by five (35-30) and stuck close in the third as well, however Tea Area was outscored 24-6 in the fourth. 

“Friday was a good eye opener for us after a seven game win streak. Roosevelt is one of the top 2-3 teams in our class and they certainly proved it against us. We played really well for much of the game, trailing by one with about 10 minutes to go, but Roosevelt went on a big run as their prone to do and it got away from us in a hurry,” said Titan head coach Drew Weber. “We did prove that we are right there with those top teams, but their depth and shot making was something that we couldn’t overcome in this one.”

Tea Area was led by Gavin Shawd who finished with 22 points in the game, going four of six from three point range. He also had six rebounds, one assist and two steals. Mitch Grant and Grifin Wiebenga each had 13 points. Grant also had six rebounds and one steal and Wiebenga had six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Lane Sieber finished with three points, one rebound, one steal, and one assist. Braden Smith had two points. Kayden Williamson had six rebounds, two points, three assists and Daschle Lowery had one rebound and three assists. 

On Saturday, Jan. 17 the Titans bounced back with a 64-43 road win against Aberdeen Central. Tea Area trailed by three after the opening quarter but went on to outscore Aberdeen Central 18-7 in the second and 21-11 in the third to put this one away. 

“Saturday was a wonderful bounce back that proved to me how tough and gritty that our team is. The quick turnaround combined with a long trip in the cold could have been convenient excuses for a letdown, but we showed up ready to play and took care of business,” said Weber. “It wasn’t always pretty, but we got some nice contributions from everyone and played tremendous defense the last three quarters to earn a quality conference win.”

For the Titans, Wiebenga led the way with 21 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Shawd finished with 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Grant had 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Williamson scored six points, had five rebounds, one assist and one steal. Sieber had four points, six rebounds, and four steals. Trey Severin finished with two points, one rebound and Smith added one point. 

The Titan boys were scheduled to take on Mitchell on Thursday, Jan. 22 and will be in action on Saturday, Jan. 31 at Sioux Falls Lincoln.