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Tiger boys basketball team continues to play well

January 06, 2019

Tigers Win 4 more over Christmas break, to bring Home 2 Championship Trophies

The Verdigre Holiday Tournament got off to an unconventional start thanks to some “lovely” winter weather. The first and second round games were scheduled for December 27^th and 28^th. Due to heavy snow and wind the games were postponed to December 29^th and December 31^st.

                Saturday, Osmond had at last began their first-round game against O’Neil St. Mary’s. The Tigers would begin the game after not being able to practice for the prior 7 days, due to the state’s 5-day moratorium rule (gym access is not allowed) and 2 additional days waiting for safer driving conditions to get to the school. Osmond showed a little bit of its rust early in the contest, not playing with full defensive intensity and operating offensively with less fluidity than they are accustomed to. It was a balanced back and forth battle between the two teams, however the Tigers seemed to be in control of the game for the full 32 minutes. Merrix Denn led the way for the Tigers with 20 points, 5 steals and 5 assists. Graysen Schultze added 11 points and led the squad in rebounds with 8. Aaron Chishiba contributed 6 points and 5 assists, while applying his usual defensive presence, shutting down the Cardinals’ top scorer Grady Semin. 

                On New Year’s Eve the Tigers would play host Niobrara-Verdigre for the championship trophy. Osmond proved to be up to the challenge, with a solid first quarter followed by a dominating 2^nd quarter, creating a defining statement for the outcome of the game. Osmond continued to pour it on in the 3^rd, outscoring the Cougars by 9 and taking a 70-35 lead into the 4^th quarter. It was a break out game for Keaton Timmerman, putting up a season-high 22 points (18 of those came in the first half). Merrix Denn and Justus Maertins aided the Tigers with double-digit scoring efforts, scoring 14 and 10 respectively. Graysen Schultze wasn’t far behind getting 8 points of his own and dropping off 6 assists. Zach Huwaldt battled his way to lead Osmond in rebounding with eight, while many other Tigers added to another balanced attack that led to an Osmond triumph.  

“I owe much thanks and gratitude to my coaching staff. They stepped in during my absence and guided our players to a convincing championship victory, and after watching the game film, made it look easy.” – Todd Schulze

Dave Schmit took over the head coaching duties while Aaron Gutz, Jo Crilly, and Randy Jochum sat on the bench to assist in the Tigers 8^th win of the season.

                The new year began for the Tigers with the Wausa Post Holiday Tournament on January 4^th and 5^th.Osmond played Ewing in the opening round. Our Tigers did what they wanted to do the entire game, especially after coming from the locker room. In fact, in the 1^st and 3^rd quarter Osmond outscored Ewing a combined 53-5. Merrix tied his season-high with 32 points, largely coming off of steals (he had 6 of them) and layups but be sure not to overlook his perfect 4 out of 4 performance behind the three point arc. Graysen dished out a jaw-dropping 8 assists, including a beautiful one-handed dime that bounced up in stride to Merrix for a fast break layup. Nick Reikofksi flirted with a double-double, coming up with 8 points and 9 rebounds.

                Osmond took on the host Wausa Vikings for the tournament championship, a game the Tigers had won the previous 4 years in a row. This year would prove to be no different, watching another Osmond victory. The two teams had an even contest in the first half. The Vikings splashed 5 three pointers, some seemingly from NBA range to help keep the game close going into halftime. In the first half the Tigers put an emphasis on low post action that appeared to slow down their offense. In the 2^nd half, they went to their more traditional look, allowing the guards space to create with the dribble and make plays. Keaton and Nick, among other players, benefited from Osmond guards knifing into the lane and setting them up with smooth passes for easy shots. That offensive adjustment coupled with relentless effort defensively helped the Tigers outscore the Vikings in the final 16 minutes by 23 points and pull away with the 66-42 victory. Three Osmond athletes reached double-digits in scoring, including Keaton and Nick at 15 points apiece and Merrix adding 11 points. Keaton grabbed 10 rebounds to earn a his first double-double of the season and with Reikofski tying for the game-high, he became the 5^th Tiger to lead Osmond in scoring in its first 10 games.

                The Tigers will host both of their games this week beginning with Neligh-Oakdale on Tuesday and finishing Emerson-Hubbard on Friday. This will mark the first time our players have played a game on their home court since a December 8^th victory over Plainview. Good luck Tigers!