Winner Warriors - Season Review

The Warriors had quite the season! They made it to the State Tournamnet for the second straight season. They did that after losing a ton of talent last year. The Warriors had a balanced and deep team. Winner was disciplined, they played hard, and they did things the right way. Hats off to the Winners Warriors on a trip to STATE and an amazing 23-3 record! [player_tooltip player_id="963824" first="Blake" last="Volmer"] was the big name for the Warriors this season. Volmer is only a junior and he was a First Team All-State selection. Blake was also named to the All-State Tournament Team. Read below for player stats, team stats, comments from coach Brett Gardner, and the 23-3 Warrior scores/schedule from the 2021-2022 season. <h4>Player Stats</h4> [player_tooltip player_id="963824" first="Blake" last="Volmer"] (2023) |6-3 G| - 16.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2 spg, took 12 charges [player_tooltip player_id="1227964" first="Slade" last="Cournoyer"] (2022) |6-1 G| - 9.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.3 spg [player_tooltip player_id="1227967" first="Ethan" last="Bartels"] (2023) |6-3 F| - 8.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.9 spg [player_tooltip player_id="1263163" first="Shawn" last="Hammerbeck"] (2025) |6-6 C| - 6.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, .6 apg, .7 spg [player_tooltip player_id="1276566" first="Elijah" last="Peterson"] (2022) |6-0 F| - 5.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, .8 spg Aiden Barfuss (2024) |5-11 G| - 4.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.2 spg <h4>Team Stats</h4> PPG: 59.8 RPG: 31.7 APG: 15.1 SPG: 10 BPG: 2.2 FG%: 43 2FG%: 51 3FG%: 33 3FGM: 174 FT%: 62 FTA: 388 Charges Taken: 22 <h4>Warrior Talk with coach Brett Gardner</h4> PHD: What were some of the highlights of the season? Coach Gardner: "We were able to win both conferences this year, the SESD and Big Dakota. We were able to knock off Pierre and beat Platte in Overtime." PHD: Who was your "go-to" player when you needed a basket? Coach Gardner: "[player_tooltip player_id="963824" first="Blake" last="Volmer"] always seemed to make a big play when we needed one down the stretch of games." PHD: Which players improved the most for you this season and what did they improve on? Coach Gardner: "Every one of our guys stepped up as the year went on. We knew replacing our 4 seniors from last year (including Brady Fritz’s 27.5 ppg) was going to be difficult, so everyone saw their role increase. We saw some guy’s production go up in points, rebounds, or assists, or just getting stops on the defensive end." PHD: Who were a few of your hardest workers and what did they do well? Coach Gardner: "I think our ability to play everyone on our roster and not have to worry about a letdown on the defensive end or intensity is something that really helped us out." <div> PHD: Who was your best practice player and why? Coach Gardner: "We had four seniors who did not get as much playing time as they would have hoped, but you would never know it watching practice. Finnegan Bartels, Kolbie Osborn, Ashton Klein, and Michael Olson brought it every day at practice and pushed our starters to get better. We will miss them dearly." <div> PHD: Who were some of your key bench players? Coach Gardner: "Aiden Barfuss had a huge year for us off the bench. His role increased every single game. [player_tooltip player_id="1263163" first="Shawn" last="Hammerbeck"] is a freshman who made big play after big play. He rebounds very well and is able to finish high on the glass." PHD: Can you make a few comments about the seniors that you are losing? Coach Gardner: "We will be losing 7 of the best seniors ever. They have meant so much to our program, our school, and our community. [player_tooltip player_id="1227964" first="Slade" last="Cournoyer"], Jackson Vesely, [player_tooltip player_id="1276566" first="Elijah" last="Peterson"], Finnegan Bartels, Kolbie Osborn, Ashton Klein, and Michael Olson worked hard to uphold the standard that we have set for our program. They will be missed and we appreciate everything they have done for us." PHD: Who are some of your top players that will be back next season? Coach Gardner: "We will return [player_tooltip player_id="963824" first="Blake" last="Volmer"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1227967" first="Ethan" last="Bartels"], who have started every game the last two years for our back-to-back State Tournament teams. They will be asked to step up even more and carry an even bigger load. [player_tooltip player_id="1263163" first="Shawn" last="Hammerbeck"] and Aiden Barfuss both played major roles in our success the last two years and will have to increase their production at all levels of the game (scoring, rebounding, assists, and defense). Ryder Halligan, Chaz Blotsky, and Pierce Nelson are returning lettermen as well, that will need to have a big summer to help us in the future." </div> </div> <h4>Warriors Scores/Schedule (23-3)</h4> Wagner W 72-39 Stanley County W 55-36 West Central W 67-55 Sully Buttes W 55-34 Bon Homme W 69-31 Parkston W 56-51 Chamberlain W 42-26 Madison W 48-45 Pierre T.F. Riggs W 46-43 Tri-Valley W 56-50 Todd County W 64-48 Mt. Vernon-Plankinton W 60-51 Gregory L 60-69 Miller W 72-38 Cheyenne-Eagle Butte W 59-26 St. Francis Indian School W 78-35 McLaughlin W 64-19 Platte-Geddes W 54-50 Mobridge-Pollock W 49-30 Crow Creek W 75-42 McLaughlin W 62-31 Mobridge-Pollock W 72-52 Red Cloud W 57-28 (SODAK 16) Sioux Valley L 54-58 (State) Lakota Tech W 60-53 (State) Sioux Falls Christian L 54-67 (State)