The Garden Plain men’s basketball team kicked off the year with an outstanding win. The Owls took down the Trinity Academy Knights 47-37. However, the team won’t have much time to celebrate, because they have a busy week ahead of them. This week, the Owls have three games scheduled.
Last season, the Owls averaged almost 20 turnovers a game. Friday night at Trinity, Garden Plain only had 14 which was a big key in their 10 point win. Garden Plain also shot lights out, hitting 40% of their shots from deep. They also outscored the Knights in second chance points which was a big help as well.
Leading in the scoring column for the Owls was junior Seth Dugan. Dugan was 100% from three and also led the team in steals (4). Kaeden Kasselman was the second leading scorer with 13, 7 of those points coming from the free throw line.
Garden Plain dominated the glass, pulling down a total of 37 rebounds on the night. Head coach Mark Powell couldn’t emphasize enough the importance of being physical. This was never in question. No matter what situation the team found themselves in, they always played with physicality and heart.
This week, Garden Plain hopes to have everyone healthy for this week’s games. Kaeden Kasselman was able to push through his ankle injury Friday, but it is clear he is not back to full strength. Pete McGregor suffered an ankle injury last week, and it only got worse as he missed some time in the Owls JV game. Seth Dugan and Cooper Scheer also have been struggling with injuries.
This week the Owls have three games. On Tuesday, the Garden Plain has their home opener against the Rose Hill Rockets. Rose Hill beat Ark City in last week’s matchup 51-42. Rose Hill has a number of returning starters, and it will be a battle to say the least. Seth Dugan says the key to winning is, “Valuing the basketball. We need to make the most out of our possessions, and take good shots.”
On Thursday, the Owls go on the road to take on the Hesston Swathers. Last year, Hesston bested the Owls by over 30 points. However, this year the Swathers will be without their best player Jake Proctor, who is currently playing at Tabor University. Proctor is currently averaging 9 points per game in his freshman year. Hesston has one of the best home crowds around. Their band is phenomenal and the red brick walls make the environment almost hostile. Hopefully Garden Plain can get used to this for their matchup Thursday.
To cap off the week, Garden Plain will take on Nickerson at a neutral sight. Last year, the Owls won easily (53-24). This year, the Panther’s are led by senior guard Taylor Engelland. The guard hit 3 three’s against Buhler in their season opener. He could be a player to watch in their matchup with Garden Plain. As long as the Owls can rebound and not turn the ball over, they should be able to win this game fairly easily.
It is going to be a busy week for the Owls. Players and coaches are very excited with what they saw against Trinity, and what they can do this week. Garden Plain invites all their fans to come see them in action Tuesday night against the Rockets of Rose Hill. Hope is in the air for what is to come this season. This three game stretch will say a lot about who the Owls are as a team.
