Winner Warriors - Team Preview

Before we talk hoops, we have to give the Winner Warrior football team a HUGE shoutout. The powerhouse football team is 9-0 and ranked #1 in 11B. The Warriors won their first-round playoff game over Parker by a score of 36-0. Next up, Winner plays Aberdeen Roncalli in the quarterfinals on Thursday, October 26th. Best of luck to the Warriors in the playoff football run!   Time to talk some basketball! Winner is a Class A team from Region 7. Much like football, the Warriors have a great basketball program and they are no strangers to winning. Brett Gardner is Winner's head coach and you should expect his team to be tough once again this season. See below for player stats, comments, and a Q&A session with coach Gardner.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/TeamPreview.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/TeamPreview.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1634111" /></a></figure>   Player Info   [player_tooltip player_id='1876892' first='Aiden' last='Barfuss'] SR   11.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.9 APG - 6'0" Strong and athletic. Can get to the rim and has improved his shooting over the last 4 years. (25 vs. Parkston, 20 vs. Lakota Tech)   [player_tooltip player_id='1263163' first='Shawn' last='Hammerbeck'] JR   11.4 PPG, 763 RPG, 1.7 APG - 6'7" Strong very skilled post. Has improved his shooting to about 15 feet. (26 vs. Chamberlain, 22 vs. Bon Homme)   [player_tooltip player_id='2249344' first='Carter' last='Craven'] FR   11.3 PPG JV - 6'3" Great shooter, who has high basketball IQ. Worked hard to improve overall basketball skill. Spends many hours in the gym   [player_tooltip player_id='2249367' first='Zac' last='Olson'] SO   7.8 PPG JV - 5'6" point guard. Controls the game with his ball handling.   [player_tooltip player_id='1675908' first='Ryder' last='Halligan'] JR   8.4 PPG JV (JV MVP) - 5'8" - Shooter. He can play the 1 or the 2.   Aiden Schroeder JR   7.1 PPG JV 5'9" - Shooter   Landon Calhoon JR   5'9" adds depth on the wing   Broden Duffy JR   5'7" works very hard   Jackson Bachmann JR   5'6" a very quick player.   Noah Best SR   6'3" Spent a lot of time in the weight room to get stronger. Will look for minutes as a spot minute post player.   Payton Fisher SR   5'11" Great teammate.   Q&A with coach Brett Gardner   PHD: Could you write a couple sentences summing up last season?   "We had a great season in which we won 21 games, including 15 in a row. We unfortunately fell in the SoDak 16 to Hot Springs. That loss does not take away from the season as we won both the Big Dakota Conference and the SESD Conference Titles. We went 12-0 at home (including regions)."   PHD: How did the offseason go for your team/program?   "We had guys in the gym working on their skills. [player_tooltip player_id='1263163' first='Shawn' last='Hammerbeck'] and Carrter Craven played on the AAU circuit as well."   PHD: Who are a few of your top players to look out for?   "We feel that [player_tooltip player_id='1876892' first='Aiden' last='Barfuss'] will take a huge jump this year as the ball will be in his hands a lot more this year. [player_tooltip player_id='1263163' first='Shawn' last='Hammerbeck'] will be a guy who will get sets run through him this year. We will look to take advantage of his 6'7 250 LBS frame on the low block."   PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for in the near future?   "We moved [player_tooltip player_id='2249344' first='Carter' last='Craven'] up as an 8th grader last year, and he gained valuable minutes throughout the varsity year. He will continue to get better and better and contribute in multiple ways. [player_tooltip player_id='2249367' first='Zac' last='Olson'] will take over the Point Guard position from Blake Volmer (4-year starter)."   PHD: What style of basketball will your team play?   "We will need to slow it down and control the game clock this year. We will want to take 25 seconds off the shot clock and feed our post. We want to play tight man-to-man defense and keep the score very low."   PHD: What are a couple of your team goals this year?   "We want to be competitive in every game. We want to take care of our home court. We want to be a high seed for our region so we can host the 1st two rounds in the playoffs. If we can defend and rebound, we will give ourselves a chance in every game. Our goal is to be playing our best basketball in late February and early March."   PHD: In your opinion, who are some of the top teams in your Region?   "Pine Ridge is absolutely loaded this year. They are a top 6 team in the state."   "Red Cloud will once again be a contender as Coach McGhee is a phenomenal coach."   "Todd County is up and coming and returns a lot of experience."   "Lakota Tech will be very competitive and play a tough style to defend."   "Little Wound has very good size."   "St. Francis will have some nice pieces."   "Bennett County has great freshmen and Sophomores who are gaining confidence."   Best of luck to the Warriors this season!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/winnerwarriors-crop-1169x768-1697913495.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/winnerwarriors-crop-1169x768-1697913495.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2249312" /></a></figure>

Before we talk hoops, we have to give the Winner Warrior football team a HUGE shoutout. The powerhouse football team is 9-0 and ranked #1 in 11B. The Warriors won their first-round playoff game over Parker by a score of 36-0. Next up, Winner plays Aberdeen Roncalli in the quarterfinals on Thursday, October 26th. Best of luck to the Warriors in the playoff football run!