Winner Warriors: Team Deep Dive

<p><strong>Winner, SD</strong> - The Warriors play in Region-6A and they will be a scary team to deal with. Can Winner make a run in the postseason? Yes, they can! The Warriors have plenty of experience and very skilled players that can put up points.</p> <h4><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Coach <em>Brett Gardner</em> on the expectations heading into the season</strong></span><strong>:</strong></h4> <p>"<em>We will have to find a way to replace major offensive contributions.  With that being said we are excited for our next group to step up and try to fill some of those roles.   We feel we have a chance to be a nice defensive team and let our offense come as the year goes on. We want to continue to improve and be playing our best basketball come tournament time.</em>" </p> <h3><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach <em>Gardner</em> on the Warrior Strengths</span>:</strong></h3> <p>"<em>Even though we are a little bit younger this year, we have a lot of game experience. We return 5 players who started at least 8 games last year, with one starting 15 and two more starting all 25. games.  We feel we can use our athletism to help us on the defensive end.</em>" </p> <h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Top Warriors</strong></span></h3> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="963824" first="Blake" last="Volmer"] (2023) |6-2 PG|</strong></p> <p>He is one of the smartest kids that has gone through the Warrior program, Blake has a high IQ. Volmer is a capable scorer that led Winner in rebounding as the PG last season. Expect impressive numbers from Blake this season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1227964" first="Slade" last="Cournoyer"] (2022) |6-1 G/F|</strong></p> <p>He is a crafty do-it-all player. Slade is a playmaker that gets the job done by scoring, rebounding, and distributing the ball. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1276566" first="Elijah" last="Peterson"] (2022) |6-0 G/F|</strong></p> <p>He is an athletic and versatile player. Peterson thrives on the wing and he will lock up with the opposing team’s best player on a nightly basis. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1227967" first="Ethan" last="Bartels"] (2023) |6-2 F| </strong></p> <p>He will return as a starter. Ethan can guard multiple positions because of his length and athleticism. On offense, Bartels can score on the inside and the perimeter. </p> <p><strong>Jackson Vesely (2022) |6-2 F|</strong></p> <p>He is a strong and fit player. Jackson can impact the game as a three-point shooter.</p> <p><strong>Aiden Barfuss (2024) |5-11 G|</strong></p> <p>He won the Joe Robbie Award at State Football. Aiden is an extremely quick playmaker that will be a game-changer for the Warriors. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1263163" first="Shawn" last="Hammerbeck"] (2025) |6-6 F|</strong></p> <p>He is a strong frontcourt player with a high ceiling. Hammerbeck has been working hard on developing moves on the block. Look for Shawn to be an impact player for the Warriors. </p> <h4><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Coach<em> Brett Gardner</em> talks on excitement heading into the season</strong></span>:</h4> <p>"<em>We will have our "normal" schedule back this year after having to replace a couple of teams last year due to the impact of Covid.  So it wil be exciting to play a few of our rivalry games again.</em>"</p> <h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Warrior Schedule</strong></span></h3> <p>December 10 (home) vs <strong>Wagner</strong></p> <p>December 14 (home) vs <strong>Stanley County</strong></p> <p>December 17 (home) vs <strong>West Central</strong></p> <p>December 18 @ <strong>Sully Buttes</strong></p> <p>December 28 (home) vs <strong>Bon Homme</strong></p> <p>December 30 @ <strong>Parkston</strong></p> <p>January 4 @ <strong>Chamberlain</strong></p> <p>January 8 <strong>Sacred Hoops Classic</strong> vs <strong>TBD</strong> @ Corn Palace</p> <p>January 11 (home) vs <strong>Pierre</strong></p> <p>January 20 (home) vs <strong>Tri-Valley</strong></p> <p>January 25 @ <strong>Todd County</strong></p> <p>January 28 @ <strong>Mount Vernon/Plankinton</strong></p> <p>January 31 @ <strong>Gregory</strong></p> <p>February 1 (home) vs <strong>Miller</strong></p> <p>February 5 (home) vs <strong>Cheyenne-Eagle Butte</strong></p> <p>February 8 @ <strong>St. Francis Indian School</strong></p> <p>February 11 (home) vs <strong>McLaughlin</strong></p> <p>February 15 @ <strong>Platte-Geddes</strong></p> <p>February 18 @ <strong>Mobridge-Pollock</strong></p> <p>February 21 (home) vs <strong>Crow Creek</strong></p>