GATOR SEASON COMES TO AN END
Although they played a strong game the BGMR Gators Boy’s Basketball Season came to a quick end as the Gators lost to the Pequot Lakes Patriots 63-57 in the first round of the Section 8AA Playoffs.
Making the four hour trip to Pequot Lakes, the sixth seeded Gators seemed up to the challenge to knock off the third seeded Patriots. The Patriots jumped out to a 5-0 lead but BGMR would battle back and take a 17-10 lead. Unfortunately the Gators missed a couple layups and the Patriots made the Gators pay as the Patriots took a 29-26 lead into halftime.
Defensively the Gators would hold the Patriots scoreless for the first 4 minutes off the second half. BGMR however was unable to take advantage of this as they too did not score. Both teams would play back and forth and with just over 5 minutes to play the Gators trailed 42-40. The Gators again hit a bit of a dry spell and the Patriots would open up a 7 point lead with just over 3 minutes to play. Being the veteran team they are the Patriots would start to run out the clock and the Gators were forced to foul. Pequot Lakes would make their free throws and even though the Gators managed to hit a couple 3 pointers it was too little, too late as the Patriots would move onto the second round with the 6 point margin of victory.
Offensively the Gators showed great balance. BGMR had four individuals reach double digits in scoring. Aaron Dostal led the charge with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Logan Dvergsten and Wyatt Peppel each had 13, with Peppel ripping down 8 rebounds. Matt Howell had his best game of the year with 12 points and 6 assists. Darius Watson also contributed 6 assists. Defensively Cody Kirkeide led the Gators with 3 steals.
The Patriots got a strong game from CJ Borleis who netted 17 points. Hunter Larson chipped in 14 as Larson went 7 for 8 from the foul line. Connor Davich netted 11 points.
A disappointing part of the Gators game was they did manage to turn the ball over 25 times compared to the Patriots only turning it over 10 times, which in turn gave the Patriots more offensive possessions in which they at least had a chance to score. Turnovers were something the Gators struggled with this season and come playoff time it became even more magnified.
Losing a playoff game and having your season come to a sudden end is never easy. The Gators, who finished the season with a 13-14 record, had nothing to hang their heads about as they played their hearts out. A strong Gator Nation crowd witnessed an outstanding effort by the Gators. Despite the loss the Gator coaching staff was extremely pleased with the effort put forth.
With the season coming to an end BGMR losses seven outstanding seniors; Darius Watson, Logan Dvergsten, Matt Howell, Wyatt Peppel, Aaron Dostal, Cody Kirkeide, and Logan Klegstad will be sorely missed. They have been great role models for the program and showed great growth both on and off the court.
The Gators do return a veteran team next year as several juniors and sophomores saw extensive time on the varsity and junior varsity this season. How well they do next year will greatly depend on how much time they put in the off season developing their skills. The 2015-2016 season is just 8 months away so the time to start getting better for these upcoming Gators is now.
The BGMR Boy’s coaching staff and players would like to take this time to thank the parents, and Mrs. Howell’s fourth grade class for preparing the sack lunches that the team enjoyed before the game. Also, a thank you to Mrs. Waage’s fifth grade class for the big sendoff. Last and most certainly not least is a big thank you to the player’s parents and Gator Nation. Your support throughout the year was outstanding and made the season enjoyable for all those involved.