Titan boys defeat Yankton, fall in tight one to Brandon Valley
The Tea Area High School boys’ basketball team put on an impressive performance on Senior Night, defeating Yankton 63-44 on Friday, Feb. 21 at home. The Titans led from the opening tip and never looked back, using a balanced offensive attack and solid defense to secure the victory.
“This was a tremendous showing on a special night,” said head coach Drew Weber. “Senior Night is a great time to honor our six seniors and all that they have done for our program the past four years, and I couldn’t have been happier in how we played from start to finish. Being able to play well in front of a big crowd is something that the boys should feel good about late in the season, and we can use this momentum as we close the regular season.”
Leading the charge for Tea Area was Grifin Wiebenga, who scored 15 points, including three three-pointers. Wiebenga also had five rebounds, five steals, and three assists. Gavin Shawd added 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Marshall Smythe contributed 12 points and a team-high eight assists. He also had four rebounds and two steals.
Rylan Norris, Mitch Grant, and Jaxson Merrigan each scored four points, and Dachle Lowery and Isaac Slowey each scored three points. Cole McKinney added two.
The Titans shot an efficient 55.6 percent from the field, including 7-of-15 from beyond the arc.
Defensively, Tea Area held Yankton to just 12 points in the first half while forcing 14 turnovers. The Titans’ aggressive defense limited the visitors to just 41.3% shooting.
The win over Yankton followed a tough matchup against Brandon Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 18 where the Titans fell to Brandon Valley 67-63.
For the Titans, Shawd led the way with 29 points, two rebounds, one assist, and two steals. Smythe finished with 12 points, three rebounds, and seven assists. Wiebenga scored 11 points and had six rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Merrigan finished with nine points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Grant added two points, five rebounds, and three assists.