REGIONAL — The 2022-23 Red Rock Conference boys basketball season came to a close last Saturday as top of the conference Southwest Minnesota Christian lost 98-57 to Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in the Section 3A semifinals.
Conference play was stellar this season with parity, upsets and bedlam. Top ranked SWC, Westbrook-Walnut Grove and Murray County Central played several highly entertaining games. MCC split the series with SWC with one apiece, W-WG swept the Rebels, and SWC swept W-WG in three matchups.
The memorable season deserves a review:
Southwest Christian
The Eagles returned just one starter from their 2021-22 season for this year’s campaign in senior guard Dawson Rieck. No big deal, as SWC went 15-1 in conference play and defeated talented teams in out-of-conference play with victories over Luverne, Worthington and Pipestone Area. The Eagles had great height with 6-foot-7 senior forward Jarett Kuipers, and 6-foot-9 senior forward Bennett Talsma, who missed the end of the season with injury.
The Eagles were a tough out, they played stalwart defense and ran an explosive offense that could put up points with the best of them. The Eagles were a deep team — Aidan Schaap was an excellent finisher, Rieck had great vision as a ball handler and the ability to make deep 3-point shots, and the Eagles’ bench was littered with talent to keep the schemes moving and legs fresh. The Eagles had a fantastic season that ended against another very talented team in Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in the section semifinals.
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Westbrook-Walnut Grove
The Chargers’ season record was 22-5 with three losses to SWC. W-WG lost its first game of the season on Dec. 8 in a 71-54 loss to the Eagles. The Chargers then went on a 13-game winning streak but were defeated on Feb. 3, once again by the Eagles, 68-55.
The team is not particularly tall, but they were tough to score against on the court. Opposing teams averaged 48.2 points. Kole Curry was an electric guard whose defense and vision could contend with anyone in the conference. Curry handled the Chargers’ tip-offs with an incredible vertical. Dan Kleven was a primary ball handler for the Chargers and has a very consistent shot. Sophomore Hudsen Jenniges was excellent shooting for the Chargers and played aggressive on both offense and defense.
Murray County Central
MCC finished 13-3 in the conference and were the lone team to beat Southwest Christian. The Rebels also pushed the R-T-R Knights to the brink of elimination, with a late lead in their section 3A quarterfinal match-up. The Knights, however, held on for the 54-51 win with a late 3-pointer and clutch free throw shooting. The Rebels talent could contend with anyone. A tall center in 6-foot-8 Bryce Hoekman made scoring in the post tough for opponents. The Rebels were littered with talented shooters in Christian Tentinger, Aidan Dierks and Tanner Graphenteen. After defeating SWC 74-69 on Jan. 24, the Rebels went on an 11-game winning streak. In the Rebels second match-up with the Eagles. the game went down to the wire but SWC earned a 66-64 victory. The Rebels were a team no one could take lightly.
Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey
Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey was the fourth and final team in the Red Rock Conference to finish the season with a winning record. The Wolverines started their season with back to back losses against Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda and St. James Area. The Wolverines then had a five game winning streak and ended their season with an 18-9 record. The Wolverines were the only conference opponent not named Southwest Minnesota Christian to defeat W-WG. MLA/C took down the Chargers 43-42 on Feb. 14. Junior Carter Olson scored his 1,000th point this season in a victory over Red Rock Central. Alex Karschnik and Ashton Toll were consistent scorers for MLA/C. The Wolverines won their first Section 2A playoff game against Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 67-51, but lost in their second round match-up with Mankato Loyola, 49-45.
Hills-Beaver Creek
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The Patriots were a young team this season but they certainly grew with experience. The Patriots opened the season with five straight losses, but rebounded their record to 11-15 by season end in their Section 3A tournament loss to Murray County Central, 57-39. The Patriots offense was built to score from the post and sophomore Beau Bakken and freshman Jamin Metzger grew into the role as the season progressed. The Patriots won their final regular season game against Adrian/Ellsworth 72-47 to earn the fifth seed in section tournament play. The Patriots certainly became more polished as the season progressed.
Red Rock Central
The Falcons finished their season with a 12-15 record, and won six conference games. The Falcons swept conference opponents Adrian/Ellsworth, Edgerton and Heron Lake/Okabena-Fulda. The Falcons' second victory over the Coyotes was a nail-biting 53-51 on Feb. 27. The Falcons averaged 51.7 points per game, and 6-foot-5 Isaac Simonson put up good numbers for the Falcons with consistent scoring and strong rebounding. The Falcons’ season ended in the second round of the Section 3A tournament, as W-WG won 48-33 in a defensive slugfest.
Adrian/Ellsworth
The Adrian/Ellsworth season ended in the first round of the Section 3A tournament, as rivals HL-O/F stunned the Dragons 64-54 on March 2. The Dragons season began with six straight losses, but they then got hot with four wins in five games. Sophomore Aiden Tweet is a primary ball handler for the Dragons and he is a very active player on the court. Tweet’s offensive game includes a 3-point shot, a mid-rang jumper, and athletic quick twitches and finishes at the basket. Dawson Frodermann was the main post threat, and his long arms deceived defenders into many Dragon points. The Dragons won five conference games and their lone out-of-conference victory came on Jan. 21 against Sleepy Eye, 72-52.
Heron Lake Okabena/Fulda
The Coyotes season started hot with four victories in their first five games. HL-O/F finished the season with a 7-19 record. The Coyotes suffered a74-68 overtime loss to A/E on Jan. 6, then avenged both of their regular season losses to the Dragons in their Section 3A first round 64-54 victory. The Coyotes are not afraid of taking a 3-point shot — Sawyer Drent, Logan Gass and Logan Hattendorf all can put up huge offensive numbers. The Coyotes season ended with a 73-46 loss to top-seeded R-T-R on Section 3A Super Saturday.
Edgerton
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The Flying Dutchmen ended their season at the bottom of the Red Rock Conference. Edgerton posted a season record of 1-22, and the lone victory came on Jan. 13 against HL-O/F, 76-65. Edgerton averaged 45 points per game, and allowed 68.2 points per game.
Edgerton’s season ended on March 2 in a Section 3A play-in game against Tracy-Milroy-Balaton, 53-46.
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