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TYLER -- Adrian/Ellsworth traveled to Tyler on Friday night to take on the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Knights. Both teams suffered losses this week when they played some stiff competition. RTR was beaten soundly by Southwest Minnesota Christian on Tuesday night, and the Dragons suffered the same fate to a very good George-Little Rock (Iowa) team. So both teams were looking to bounce back with a win. Adrian/Ellsworth lost seven seniors to graduation, and RTR lost eight seniors, so both teams are looking to find some chemistry and consistency with their teams. But on this night, RTR put together a solid game, and with four players in double figures, they were able to overcome the Dragons by a score of 78-41.
RTR started off quickly, and they were able to build a good lead early in the game, paced by last year's area Player of the Year, Drew Werkman scoring 15 points and dominating the boards. Blake Christianson added several steals and with a buzzer-beating three at the end of the half, chipped in with twelve points. Chase Christianson added ten and Carson Gylling totaled nine to give the Knights a 46-24 lead at the half. Keagan Polzine played a strong game for the Dragons, and his ten points in the half kept the game in reach, especially after they had a 10-0 run with about five minutes remaining to make the score 39-22. Mechack Ndikubuntu, Matthew Remakel and Darwin Demarrias-Jansma all added three-pointers in the half, and along with Kyler Kunkel adding a field goal, the Dragons had a little life going into halftime.
Unfortunately for Adrian/Ellsworth, they were not able to generate much offense in the second half, scoring only 17 points. Darwin Demarrias-Jansma drained three long-distance shots to lead the Dragons, but they were only able to add a bucket each for Ndikubuntu, Polzine and Kunkel, and two free throws by Aiden Tweet. In the meantime, Werkman continued his scoring and rebounding, getting nine points for a total of 24 points for the game. Coach Gravley was able to play everyone in the game, and the reserves were able to come in and contribute to the win. Eli Determan totaled seven points, and Isaac Norgaard added four off the bench. Everyone scored with the exception of Luke Schreurs, who left the game early in the first half with an injury.
Adrian-Ellsworth Head Coach Shaun Olson said, "Losing seven seniors leaves us a little inexperienced, and we are still trying to find our way. We have players in new roles and we struggle with consistency at times. We have to learn to do the little things. Keagan Polzine had a strong game for us, especially against a really good team. Darwin Demarrias-Jansma is only a sophomore, and this is his first year on the varsity, but he is shooting the ball very well right now. We are a work in progress, and everybody wants results immediately, including me. But it is nice when you see the little things done right. We have had a tough week, and next week won't be much easier, playing Southwest Christian, so the most important thing right now is to keep the kids confident, and try to improve every week.
"I was very happy with our team's effort tonight," stated RTR Head Coach Daren Gravley. "From the beginning of the game to the very end, we played hard and competed at a high level. We were very consistent with that, especially with a new team and some of our players taking on different roles this year. We are trying to work each week to maintain that consistency, and right now, it's just being a competitor. It was great to see everybody get involved tonight, and it is nice when guys can get in and contribute, not just with scoring but we did a great job with our defense and rebounding. We did a pretty good job of communicating, and we still need to work on that a little. But it was a good team effort tonight."
RTR evens their record at 2-2, while Adrian-Ellsworth falls to 1-4.