Lennox Readys for Dakota Valley

Lennox Readys for Dakota Valley

Coming off of a disappointing loss, the Lennox Orioles take on the Dakota Valley Panthers in Region 4A play tonight. The Orioles were very saddened by the loss to the Quarriers this past Friday. Now a lot of people may look at the two team's records and think that the Orioles will win tonight. However, Dakota Valley has found a lot of tough and disappointing losses this year that can make them dangerous threats to win tonight.

Looking at the recent games who the Panthers have played, we can see how good the Dakota Valley Panthers are. The 2014 and 2015 Boys Basketball Season has been a roller coaster ride for Dakota Valley. They startedwith a disapointing loss to Tea Area by 17 points. They never found a grip on that game and Tea had momentum for a long time. After that, they beat Beresford and Canton and suffered a close loss to Sully Buttes. This gave them a 2-2 record. After upsetting West Central, Dakota Valley lost 3 stright games and fell to 3 wins and 5 losses. Then Dakota Valley started their true roller coaster ride with a win and 2 losses, then a win and a loss. They could never trully find a winning rhythm. After that, the Panthers hit a hard point in the season and lost 3 straight games for the 2nd time this season.

Lennox has found themselves on a bit of a roller coaster this year as well. Lennox has stepped upon an 11 and 8 record this season. Now the Orioles are no heavy favorite, however they are the favorite to win and for many reasons. Lennox has found many reasons to win and with a week's worth of practice Lennox should be prepared to get a win over Dakota Valley. I was given an oppurtunity to talk with a few players from the Lennox Orioles and see what they thought about the Orioles vs Dakota Valley matchup.

After talking with John Oldenkamp, I was able to find some answers to a few questions I had. I asked John how important it would be to you and the team to end the season on a win. He said that going undefeated in the Region would be very cool to have done. Adding a win in the win column is always a nice thing to do as well. That broguht me to talking to Collin McEntee. I asked him what our defense has to do in order to win. He answered bt saying that we will have to play team defense and stay in the Pac Line. I also asked Lane Smit what his favorite part of Senior Night vs Dell Rapids was. He liked when Brady Fisher received his Letterman Jacket from the team and earned him a Standing Ovation.

Finally, I got to talk to Coach Paul McVey and discuss how the Orioles were going to beat Dakota Valley. I asked Coach what our offensive key was and he replied with "Offense always starts with defense.  We need to make them take difficult shots, secure the rebound and get out and attack in transition.  When we push the ball up the court quickly and find the open man, we are very difficult to stop, but it all starts with aggressive, physical defense." I asked him what the defensive key was and he said, "On defense Dakota Valley will try to spread you out and attack off the dribble, so our ability to contain dribble penetration and give quick gap will be really key.  They have some very talented, but young players.  They play with alot of freedom, so we will just need to use our strength, quickness, and togetherness to keep them from getting the shots they want." I also asked him how important is it to win the last game and he answered with "we strive for excellence in every practice and game that we play.  This game is no more important or less important than any other.  What is important is that we play great basketball the Oriole Way.  We have a special group of guys this year and this game is another great opportunity to compete as one in order to reach our fullest potential.  Great records, #1 seeds, and championships come from teams that sacrifice for each other and focus enjoying the process of improvement."

The Orioles have prepared well and are ready to roll in the final regular season game of the 2014 and 2015 season. The Freshman tip off at 5:00 in Dakota Valley with the JV to follow. The Varsity should tip off around 7:25 tonight. There will be live updates on Maxpreps and this is the link http://t.maxpreps.com/1AS6EKL

Written By:

Grant Sweeter

Lennox Basketball Manager