Titans enjoying five game winning streak

After defeating Vermillion 52-22 on Jan. 2, Madison 65-40 on Jan. 6, Crofton, NE 62-27 on Jan. 7, and Canton 75-45 the Tea Area High School boys basketball team have improved their record to 5-2.

“We are in the midst of a five-game winning streak and I’m seeing improvement in all aspects of our team each time out,” said Titan head coach Drew Weber.

Against Vermillion on Jan. 2, Weber was impressed by the team’s passion.

“We showed up with the energy necessary and put together one of the best defensive performances in my time here,” said Weber. “We really were able to get the tempo in our favor and we controlled the physicality of the game. We believe we can be one of the top defensive teams in SD and we are starting to show it over the last couple of games. We still have a lot of room to grow, but we are building something special.”

Against Vermillion, Blake Thompson led the team in scoring with 17 points. He also grabbed four rebounds, had five assists, and three steals. Reis Kirschenman finished with ten points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Garrett Wiebenga had ten points as well and pulled down two rebounds. He also had one assist and one steal.

Sam Almas finished with six points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Jessen Wiebenga had six points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Marshall Smythe provided two points and Carter Turek also had two points in the game. Jonah Kocer grabbed six rebounds, had five assists, and two steals.

The Titans lead early and never looked back, leading 22-2 after the opening quarter. They shot over 40 percent in the win.

Against Madison the Titans broke away in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 22-10 to take the 65-40 victory.

Thompson and Almas both scored 18 points for Tea Area. Thompson grabbed four rebounds, led the team in assists with seven, and in steals with six. Almas grabbed five rebounds and had one assist and three steals. Kocer provided 13 points, grabbed six rebounds, and had five assists and two steals. J. Wiebenga had six points, four rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Jack Qualseth and G. Wiebenga had three points each, Bottom Willemssen provided two and Kirschemann also had two points. He led the team in rebounds with 11.

Against Crofton, NE the Titans jumped out early, leading 17-4 after the opening quarter, and never looked back to get the 62-27 victory.

Kirschenman led the team with a double-double in the game, scoring 14 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Almas and Thompson each had ten points. Almas grabbed five rebounds, three assists, and five steals. Thompson grabbed four rebounds, had five assists, and a team-high seven steals. J. Wiebenga finished with eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. G. Wiebenga also had eight points and grabbed two rebounds. Kocer finished with six points, four assists, and one steal. Willemssen had four points, and four rebounds and Jackson Smythe provided two points and one assist.

Against Canton the Titans found themselves trailing after the opening quarter but bounced back with a strong second half to win, 75-45. Almas led the team with 20 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Kirschenman had another double-double, scoring 16 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. He also had three steals. G. Wiebenga finished with 17 points, three rebounds, and one assist. Thompson finished with 11 points, five rebounds, six assists, and five steals. J. Wiebenga had five points, six rebounds, four assists, and one steal. Kocer, Emerson Otten, and M. Smythe all provided two points each. Kocer also had four assists and four steals.

“We have had some players really step up when the team needs it, especially Blake in the second half of the Madison game, and Garrett in the first half of the Canton game,” said Weber. “This is a staple of great teams and we really have a number of guys that can carry us when we need it most. We have a tough stretch coming up and need to keep playing well, but I’m proud of where we have come over the first third of the season.”

The Titans are scheduled to host Aberdeen Central on Saturday, Jan. 14 in a 2:30 p.m. match-up. On Tuesday, Jan. 17 the team travels to Watertown before taking on Tri-Valley on Thursday, Jan. 19, also on the road.