Titans improve to 8-8

On Monday, Feb. 5 the Tea Area High School boys basketball team defeated Canton 62-40. This win improved the Titans’ record to 8-8 on the season.

“We were able to really dictate the game with our defensive intensity and athleticism. I was really proud of the way that we pressured the basketball and executed the defensive game plan,” said Titan head coach Drew Weber. “We were able to get something going offensively based off of our defensive intensity and it allowed us to cruise to a big win over a good team.”

The Titans defeated the 9-5 C-Hawks with help from Jessen Wiebenga who finished the night with 21 points, five rebounds, two assists and for steals. Sam Almas had 11 points, five rebounds, two assists, and one steal in the win. Garrett Wiebenga finished with eight points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Both Boston Willemssen and Marshall Smythe finished with six points each. Willemssen pulled down eight rebounds and had two steals in the game. Smythe grabbed five rebounds and had two assists and two steals. Brenner Konrad and Grif Wiebenga each had four points in the game, and Carter Turek added two points.

Prior to their win over Canton on Monday the Titans faced off against Sioux Falls Jefferson on Saturday, Feb. 3, and lost 65-52.

“I thought we played really well for most of this game. Jefferson is full of great athletes and I thought we matched up pretty well with them defensively and in transition, which was our primary concern coming in,” said Weber. “The difference in shot-making was too big to overcome though, as has been our biggest challenge all season. I am proud of the way that the boys have competed and played hard in this tough games against the AA schools, but we will need to find some consistent shooting in order to beat this level of team.”

Against Jefferson, J. Wiebenga led the team was 17 points, four rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Almas finished with 12 points, one rebound, one assist, and two steals. Both Smythe and Keeton Newborg provided five points each. Konrad had four points along with Grif Wiebenga. Gavin Johnson had one point. Smythe led the team in assists with six on the night.

On Thursday, Feb. 1 the Titans defeated West Central 49-47 with a buzzer-beating basket. 

“This was a memorable game that really highlighted how much fun HS athletics can be. Neither team was perfect by any means, but there was a lot of great plays being played by some very good athletes and the crowd added a major boost,” said Weber. “Marshall’s heroic play to get a steal and lay-up to win at the buzzer is something that we will all remember for a long-time and it capped off a tremendous game that he played. Boston’s play in the post was also his best play of the season and I know that we are moving in the right direction as the postseason nears.”

Against West Central three Titans were in double figures. Smythe scored 14 points, pulled down five rebounds, had three assists and two steals in the game. Willemssen finished with 12 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal. J. Wiebenga had 10 points, four rebounds, and one steal in the game. Almas finished with seven points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Both Newborg and Grif Wiebenga each had three points in the game. Konrad grabbed nine rebounds for the Titans.

The Titans will host a 10-4 Lennox team this Friday, Feb. 9 in doubleheader action with the Titan girls. The boys are set to tip off at 8 p.m. 

On Tuesday, Feb. 13 the Titans will host Brandon Valley at 7 p.m. and on Thursday, Feb. 15 they will travel to Yankton for a 7:30 p.m. match up.