Banner County Boys Pick Up First Win Of Season

Brenton Soule beamed after Banner County’s 51-36 victory over Hyannis on Monday.

“It was awesome,” he exclaimed with a broad smile.

The Wildcats entered Monday night’s home game winless on the year, and just five minutes before had seemed on the verge of letting this one slip away, as well.

Although the home side led throughout much of the night, Hyannis closed to within three, 39-36, when big man David Safarik pounded one in from the paint.

Banner County tried to counter, but a shot sailed wide. But Soule came sailing into a patch of unguarded floor, nabbed the rebound and banked it back in. Moments later he took a fast break pass from Ben Hostetler and rolled a lay up home.

“They’re thrilling when you make them,” Soule said of the back to back shots.

Suddenly the Wildcats led 43-36--and they weren’t through.

On their next two possessions, Hostetler found Tyson Dahlgrin open, streaking into the paint.

“He’s been open all year,” Hostetler explained. “I just started to get my head up and find him.”

Dahlgrin, who led the team with 16 points, shrugged at the crisp teamwork and Hostetler’s 7 assists, as if expecting something like this all along.

“We’ve been playing together since 7th grade,” he said. “I guess it clicked.”

Mike McKown followed with a short jumper before Dahlgrin tacked on the final points in an impressive 15-4 fourth quarter run.

“We’ve competed in so many games,” observed head coach Jim Wyatt. Two nights earlier the Wildcats dropped a 49-46 heartbreaker against Hay Springs when Mike McKown’s last second three point shot dinged off the rim. “The kids just worked their tails off.”

After clawing out a 23-17 advantage at the half, Banner County had to fight to hold on. Hyannis outscored the Wildcats in the third period and at one point closed to within a single point.

But a McKown trey, a baby hook by Dahlgrin and three consecutive put backs by Hostetler during a series of donnybrooks under the rim helped stave off the threat and set up the win.

“It was a battle,” Hostetler said. “We had to outwork them on the boards.”

The junior ended up with 9 rebounds. Soule grabbed 10 and Dahlgrin 7 more in a physical effort.

Dahlgrin also played out the final four minutes with four fouls.

“I didn’t let it bother me too much,” he said.

The Wildcats are now 1-9 on the year. But that one matters more to the team than the larger figure.

“It’s quite a relief,” Hostetler admitted. “Now we have to keep building on it.”