Warrior Men’s Basketball Playoff Preview

By Taylen Alexander

On Feb. 22, the Waldorf Warrior men’s basketball team left it all on the court. They were fought to host a playoff game—only to see their hopes bang off the rim at the final buzzer.

The Warriors had a chance at hosting the first round of the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) basketball tournament at home in the next week, but Viterbo University put a stop to that. Leading up to the playoffs, the Warriors will have to win on the road to keep their NAIA tournament hopes alive.

With a 10-17 record, they will need to win every game from here on. They have been very competitive team all season long, but could not get over the hump.

Injuries have played a big part of their production on the court this year. Key players were out for a big chunk of the season.

The Warriors will have a fourth seed in the conference tournament and will face Dickinson state.

In the last meeting, the Warriors fell to Dickinson State 79-73 in a hard-fought battle. Dickinson State rallied from five points down in the final minute, forcing overtime where the Blue Hawks prevailed 79-73 over the Warriors in NSAA play.

Waldorf led most of the game at last meeting—they had a chance to win late in the game, but Dickinson State proved too dominate.

Looking forward to their next match up, there are a lot of positives for the Warriors.

The Warriors will be on the road for the first round of the NSAA playoffs as the fifth seed. Waldorf plays Tuesday night at 8 p.m. at four-seed Dickinson State with the winner advancing to the NSAA’s final four in Watertown, S.D., on Feb. 29 and March 1.