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Warriors prepare for competitive NSAA Tournament

waldorf-warriors-outline_1By Aaron Schneider

MADISON, S.D. – The Waldorf College men’s basketball team is slated to face Dakota State University in Thursday’s North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) Tournament quarterfinal.

Tipping off at 7 p.m., the Warriors (16-13) and Trojans (16-13) will find themselves in what’s likely to be another battle after splitting two hard-fought contests earlier this season. Waldorf took home a 62-58 road victory on Jan. 6 and Dakota State evened the series after capturing 70-63 win on Jan. 12 at Hanson Fieldhouse. The Trojans have been on a hot streak in conference play after finishing the season with six consecutive wins to earn a 10-4 league record.

“Dakota State is a talented team who has been on a roll,” Waldorf coach Nigel Jenkins said. “It will be a great atmosphere and fun environment to play in.”

Kyle Kilgore leads Dakota State’s offense, providing 16 points a game this season. Derek Meger, Ian Barse, Tanner Heismer, Seth Boomsma and Adam Hofer each contribute at least 9.8 points per game to add to a balanced scoring attack for the Trojans, who secured the tournament’s No. 3 seed.

“They have multiple guys who can go for 20 or more points on any given night,” Jenkins said. “Their guard play is very good and they have very good posts to go with them.”

Erik Brewer tops the Warriors in scoring this season with 18.5 points a game. The 6-foot-6 senior forward from Las Vegas has drained 175-of-383 (45.7 percent) shots from the field and 49-of-125 (39.2 percent) attempts from 3-point range.

Waldorf junior June Prowell is averaging 15.3 points and 3.9 assists.

Tyler Parrish has scored 15.2 points a game for the Warriors this season. The 6-foot-2 junior guard from Odin, Ill. has knocked down 155-of-355 (43.7 percent) attempts from the floor and 63-of-173 (36.4 percent) shots from downtown.

Waldorf received the No. 6 seed in the tournament following a 5-7 conference record during their first season in the NSAA. Both teams have their sights set on the NSAA Tournament championship following a conference that has shown to be competitive from top to bottom.

“The NSAA is up for grabs,” Jenkins said. “You can throw the records out now. Our conference is deep and talented. It wouldn’t surprise me to see all of the lower seeds win in the opening round, that’s how tough our league is.”

 

NSAA Men’s Basketball Quarterfinals – Thursday, Feb. 25

  • Quarterfinal #1:  No. 8 Viterbo University (13-16) at No. 1 Valley City State University (20-9) – 7 p.m.
  • Quarterfinal #2:  No. 5 Dickinson State University (13-15) at No. 4 University of Jamestown (15-11) – 3 p.m.
  • Quarterfinal #3:  No. 6 Waldorf at No. 3 Dakota State – 7 p.m.
  • Quarterfinal #4:  No. 7 Mayville State University (16-11) at No. 2 Bellevue University (20-10) – 7 p.m.

NSAA Men’s Basketball Semifinals – Saturday, Feb. 27

  • Semifinal #5:  Quarterfinal 1 winner vs. Quarterfinal 2 winner at higher seed – TBA
  • Semifinal #6:  Quarterfinal 3 winner vs. Quarterfinal 4 winner at higher seed – TBA

NSAA Men’s Basketball Championship – Monday, Feb. 29

  • Game #7:  Semifinals winners at highest seed – TBA