B Hoops: Sargent County vs. Oak Grove

The Bulldogs stayed undefeated after Friday night. This was a Region 1 battle! The gym was packed, the temperature was hot, and the crowd was loud! Sargent Central was in control for most of the game. However, in the 3rd quarter, Wittich picked up his 4th foul and he had to sit out. Oak Grove quickly stole the momentum and went on an impressive run. In the 4th, the Bulldogs got back to business and took care of the Grovers. Oak Grove showed that they have plenty of potential, and they were missing their senior star [player_tooltip player_id='1138799' first='Trey' last='Hatfield'] with an injury. If Hatfield was playing, who knows how this one ends up? Sargent Central proved that they are one of the best teams in the State. They have all of the pieces. The Bulldogs have size, shooters, athletes, and hard workers. We have a few games left in the regular season. I hope these two see each other in the postseason. This would be a fun one to see again, especially if Hatfield is healthy.   Good luck to the Grovers and Bulldogs as the regular season wraps up soon! It is going to be an entertaining end to the season!   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DaksHoops/status/1624261031701749762 </div></figure>   SCORES   1Q: OG 16 SC 17   2Q: OG 23 SC 35   3Q: OG 49 SC 49   4Q FINAL: OG 59 SC 72   NUMBERS   OG   3's made: 7 FT's: 13/17   SC   3's made: 6 FT's: 3/8   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/ImpressivePlayers-1.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/ImpressivePlayers-1.jpg?w=600" alt="" class="wp-image-1376323" /></a></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DaksHoops/status/1624229799324528640 </div></figure>   Oak Grove   [player_tooltip player_id='1534510' first='Luke' last='Johnson'] (2024) |6'5 PF|   17 pts, 2 triples, 5/7 FT's, had to be in double digits for rebounds. I watched him play this summer a few times, and Johnson has vastly improved. He looks to be a much more confident player. Luke is long, strong, and has little trouble finishing through contact. He had an old-school 3-point play and he also cashed in two 3-balls. Luke's shot was fluid from deep, I did not know he had range like that. He was productive rebounding the ball on both ends, Johnson has a nose for the ball. He was fantastic on the O-glass and he scored with perfect timing on O-board putbacks. I liked how he high-pointed the ball and how he dove on the floor for loose balls. I was impressed with his ball skills, Johnson looked good handling the ball in the open court and he delivered a 1-handed pass in transition. The Grovers took the L, but Luke had a standout performance.   [player_tooltip player_id='1138800' first='Rylee' last='Bakkegard'] (2023) |5'11 G|   23 pts, 4 triples, 5/6 FT's. He was great from behind the arc. Bakkegard hit 3-balls from the wings, and one came from the coffin corner. Rylee is not just a shooter. He is an elusive slasher that knows how to draw fouls and get to the FT-line. Bakkegard is smooth to the rim and he can finish with both hands. I like his ability to finish in traffic. I was super impressed with his cutting. Bakkegard scored off a vertical cut and a sharp backdoor cut. Making cuts like those seem to be a lost art in 2023!   [player_tooltip player_id='1144950' first='Luke' last='Swenson'] (2024) |6'3 F|   2 pts. He blocked a shot on the first possession of the game. Swenson gathered multiple offensive rebounds throughout the contest. He also had a couple of athletic/aggressive moves to the rim.   Jon Asche (2023) |6'2 F|   8 pts. He showed good anticipation when attacking the hoop. I really liked how Ashe used his body to protect the ball when finishing at the basket. He looked good weaving through traffic on the way to the rim. Jon also showed a smooth mid-range jumper. Ashe had a noteworthy assist with a backdoor pass to Bakkegard.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DaksHoops/status/1624244326980022272 </div></figure>   Sargent County   [player_tooltip player_id='1145108' first='Luke' last='Martinson'] (2024) |6'4 PF|   12 pts, 1/2 FT's, 1 triple. 10 pts in the first half. He scored from every level. Martinson is well put together and he has good length. He started the Bulldog scoring with a 3-pointer from the left wing. He scored with a transition fullcourt layup. Luke nailed a jumper from the high post, and he had a physical score in the 4th. Luke is a versatile player on both ends of the floor.   [player_tooltip player_id='1693907' first='Gaven' last='Christianson'] (2023) |5'11 F|   17 pts, 1/1 FT. He is strong, aggressive, tough, and relentless. Gaven is not very tall but he is thick and he plays like a Bulldog on the court. He was great on the offensive glass and he plays super hard. Gaven is a productive slasher and he showed an awesome up-and-under move. He is a full-contact player that is aggressive on defense. He showed great timing with a blocked shot. He was also unselfish on offense with a dump-off dime when attacking the hoop. Christianson is a beast!   [player_tooltip player_id='1551198' first='Josh' last='Wittich'] (2024) |6'5 F|   8 pts. He has good size and is an intriguing athlete. He showed that mobility off with an O-board tip-in and a SLAM in the 4th quarter. I did not realize that Wittich could get up like that. He is also strong, he showed that off with an AND1 finish. Wittich is tough going downhill, I liked how he slashed through the defense and finished with either hand. He was good on the boards. Josh was in foul trouble and had to sit much of the 3rd quarter. That is when the Grovers made their run, once Wittich was back in the game during the 4th, the Bulldogs built their lead.   [player_tooltip player_id='1551168' first='Fletcher' last='Willprecht'] (2023) |5'10 G|   13 pts, 1 tripe, 2/2 FT's. He had a couple of great passes. Fletcher had a full-court dime in transition. It was a precision pass. He also had a great dish when attacking the basket. Fletcher penetrated into the heart of the OG defense, he drew attention, and dished a beautiful bounce pass to Christianson for a bucket. Willprecht looked lightning-quick when blowing by defenders. His first step is impressive. He showed of his tough shot-making ability when he drove baseline and hit a difficult shot with a defender in his grill. Willprecht was also a thief on defense. An OG player was attacking the basket, Fletcher reached in with his quick hands and tied up the ball for a jump. In the fourth quarter, Willprecht had a pickpocket steal-n-score. It was easy to see why Fletcher was an All-Region player last season. He is athletic, unselfish, and skilled.   [player_tooltip player_id='1694357' first='Nick' last='Hansen'] (2024) |5'10 G|   7 pts, 1 triple. I like the looks of his shot. Hansen has good feet and he does the work before the ball gets to him. Nick cashed in his triple from the top of the key. His mechanics/release looked good as well. He also had an athletic slash-n-score in the second half when he had a mismatch. Hansen is smooth with the ball and another weapon that opposing teams need to account for.   Grady Wehlander (2024) |6'1 G/F|   8 pt, 2 triples. He is a big/wide player. Wehlander looks more like a forward, but he is a legit 3-point shooter. I have seen him shoot well earlier in the season and Grady looked good on Friday night. His shot is soft and true to the mark. Opposing teams can not leave #00 alone beyond the arc!   Kolten Kadoun (2024) |6'0 G|   5 pts, 1 triple. He is a hustler and is not afraid to dive on the floor. Kolten hit a huge 3-ball late in the 3rd quarter to stop a momentous Grover run.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/OGgames.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/OGgames.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1793027" /></a></figure>

The Bulldogs stayed undefeated after Friday night. This was a Region 1 battle! The gym was packed, the temperature was hot, and the crowd was loud! Sargent Central was in control for most of the game. However, in the 3rd quarter, Wittich picked up his 4th foul and he had to sit out. Oak Grove quickly stole the momentum and went on an impressive run. In the 4th, the Bulldogs got back to business and took care of the Grovers. Oak Grove showed that they have plenty of potential, and they were missing their senior star Trey Hatfield Trey Hatfield 6'5" | SG Oak Grove | 2023 State ND with an injury. If Hatfield was playing, who knows how this one ends up? Sargent Central proved that they are one of the best teams in the State. They have all of the pieces. The Bulldogs have size, shooters, athletes, and hard workers. We have a few games left in the regular season. I hope these two see each other in the postseason. This would be a fun one to see again, especially if Hatfield is healthy.