Sr. Boys Dragons basketball team victorious over Nobleford Blades

Nathan Bruder hanging in there
Tannis Bruder photo 

Chris Davis

St. Michael's Sr. Boys Dragons hosted the Nobleford Blades at the Dale Wentz Memorial Gymnasium on the evening of Monday, January 17.

The Dragons came out strong from the first whistle, striking early and striking often.  It was obvious that this team had gelled from the tight teamwork.  Nobleford is blessed with some strong players, but they were up against the Dragons passing play and strong net skills. By the end of the first quarter, the Dragons were up 26-15.

The Dragons maintained almost the same ratio throughout the game, up by a score of 44-24 at the half. The Dragons handed Nobleford 7 foul-shot opportunities in the first half, which the Blades had mixed success capitalizing on.  By contrast the Blades only fouled the Dragons twice in the first half.

Dragons' #7 Jasper Woodard carries it forward
Tannis Bruder photo

The second half was by and large a repeat of the first, with the Dragons putting up a solid defence, denying the Blades many clear shots at the net, while making the most of their offensive opportunities. The Dragons again fouled the Blades 7 times in the second half, compared to 4 fouls called against the Blades, but it made little difference to the scoreboard.

Tannis Bruder photo

It was an entertaining game to watch, with a lot of back and forth, plenty of stolen opportunities, and some slick net action.  Dragons' #9 Josh Hilliard was again a phenomenon, racking up a whopping 22 points in the game.  #12 Brandon Naumcyzk scored a solid 15 points, #15 Gabriel Rainford wasn't far behind that with 12 points,including a couple of showstopper baskets, and #13 Nathan Bruder scored 11 points, including a real beauty at the end of the game. To be fair, this is a team that plays like a team, with every member contributing.  Parkinson, Pittman, Joseph, Woodard, Fiest, and Fairbrother all did their part in ensuring this victory.

Up Up and Away!
Dragons' #10 T. Fiest on liftoff, with Blades' #10 Riley Delsoer right behind him
C. Davis photo

Over on the Nobleford side, #7 Austin Plomp was the top scorer with 10 points, followed by #32 Dale Kurchak with 8 points.  #22 Harrison Jewett made his presence known on the court.  A shout out is in order for Blades' #33 John Wolftail, who used to attend St. Michael's and is apparently remembered fondly by his ex-classmates in attendance.

Final score: Dragons 82, Blades 46

St. Michael's will be the site of "A" Boys Basketball on Thursday, January 19, starting at 4:15 pm.

A special thanks from the Voice to Tannis Bruder, who helped mightily with photo/videography at this game.

Video: Tannis Bruder and Chris Davis