Titans notch sixth win in a row

On Saturday, Jan. 15 and Monday, Jan. 17 the Tea Area High School boys’ basketball team added two more games in the win column defeating Aberdeen Central on Jan. 15 and Tri-Valley on Jan. 17. With the wins, the Titans have improved to 7-2 on the season.

On the road against Aberdeen Central, the Titans fought hard to get the win. Tea Area was up 15-7 after the opening quarter but Aberdeen fought back and outscored the Titans 19-8 in the third, giving Aberdeen a seven-point lead heading into the fourth. However, the Titans dug deep and outperformed Aberdeen Central 17-10 in the quarter to take the 54-51 victory.

“The boys were able to keep their good play rolling over the long weekend with two quality wins. The win over Aberdeen was especially meaningful, because we didn’t necessarily shoot the ball very well and we had to overcome a fourth quarter lead,” said Titan head coach Drew Weber. “I was so impressed and proud of our toughness and execution down the stretch in a difficult spot.”

For the Titans, Cael Lundin finished with 21 points in the game, pulled down eight rebounds, had four assists and one steal. Jeff Worth added 16 points, had three rebounds and two assists. Cole Schilling finished with eight points, three rebounds and Jonah Kocer had six points, three rebounds, and two steals. Klayton Sattler also provided three points, four rebounds, and one assist.

Following the win over Aberdeen Central, the Titans hosted Tri-Valley on Monday night and shot over 55 percent in the game to get the 62-29 victory.

“We avoided a letdown versus Tri-Valley on Monday that showed that the guys are focused on the end goal,” said Weber.

Tri-Valley was held scoreless in the second quarter, giving the Titans a big 44-11 halftime lead.

With the big lead, every Titan saw playing time. Leading Tea Area in scoring was Worth who finished with 17 points in the game, going seven of 11 from the field. He pulled down one rebound, had three assists and two steals. Lundin finished with 15 points. He was five of eight from the field. He also hit five of eight free-throw attempts. Lundin pulled down four rebounds, had five assists and two steals. Reis Kirschenman also finished the night in double figures, finishing with ten points in the game. Kirschenman was five of seven in the game. He also grabbed six rebounds and had two steals. Also scoring for the Titans were Cole Schilling who finished with five points, Sattler who had five points, Gabe Grant who had four points, and Jaxon Weber, Eric Munson, and Eddie Unruh each of whom had two points. Garrett Wiebenga and Jonah Kocer also saw playing time for the Titans.

The win over Tri-Valley Monday night was the Titans’ sixth win in a row.

“I feel like we are in a solid spot at this point in the season, but the real bear of our schedule is just getting here,” said Weber.

The team will compete against Sioux Valley on Saturday, Jan. 22 in the Hanson Classic at the Corn Palace in Mitchell. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. The Hanson Classic also features match-ups against Bridgewater-Emery vs. Lyman at 10 a.m.; Ethan vs. Waubay-Summit at 11:30 a.m.; Clark/Willow Lake vs. West Central at 1 p.m.; Hanson vs. Potter County at 2:30 p.m.; Platte-Geddes vs. Aberdeen Christian at 4 p.m.; Dakota Valley vs. St. Thomas More at 7 p.m. and White River vs. De Smet at 8:30 p.m. The Titans will be home again on Tuesday, Jan. 25 when they host Sioux Falls Christian.