PAGE 2A: WINTER SPORTS 2017 PRESS & DAKOTAN ? PLAIN TALK On The Cover With this year’s Winter Preview cover, we wanted to call attention to a couple of things: 1) both Yankton High School basketball teams are improved over last year, and 2) thanks to the new post-season format, the teams only have to beat one team to go to state (as opposed to three top-five teams in recent years). As this year’s Class AA boys’ and girls’ state basketball tournaments are at the Premier Center, we used the headline “Destination: Sioux Falls.” Pictured are (left) Matthew Mors, Maddy Hochstein, Casey Krejci, Anna Savey, Jack Wolfgram, Emily Oswald, Cameron Krejci, Madie Cordell, Rex Ryken and Jessica Reinhardt. (Cover photo and design by James D. Cimburek/P&D) The Yankton Bucks bench reacts to a basket during the 2016-17 season. The Bucks return several key members from a squad that went 8-14 last season. Veteran Core Returns For Bucks Basketball Team BY JEREMY HOECK jeremy.hoeck@yankton.net The same nucleus that has progressed together for two, and in some cases, and three years is ready to take the next step for the Yankton High School boys’ basketball team. It’s not all a group of seniors — one player in particular is a freshman — but the point remains the same for the Bucks: They have plenty of experience. “The veteran leadership we have is really showing,” head coach Chris Haynes said. “They know the level of intensity and the speed of the game, so hopefully we won’t have any surprises or learning curves.” Of Yankton’s top eight players returning from last season, there are five seniors, two juniors and a freshman. They’ve all been playing together long enough to know what it’s going to take to improve on last season’s 8-13 record. “Our chemistry is crazy right now,” senior Jack Wolfgram said, with a smile. “We all know what we can do, and we work really well together,” he added. In terms of minutes played last season, Wolfgram (7.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.1 apg) saw the most time, followed by junior Rex Ryken (7.0 ppg, 4 rpg), freshman Matthew Mors (20.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg), senior Cameron Krejci (4.4 ppg) and senior Casey Krejci (4 ppg). Yankton also returns junior Owen Feser, senior Ben Jurrens and senior Andrew LaBarge, all of whom saw limited action last season. The Bucks will also have juniors Miles Carda, Kieran Luellman, Cole Sawatzke, Justin Cap and Dalton Maibaum, as well as sophomore Cooper The Yankton bench and fans react to a three-pointer by Madison Wuebben in the closing seconds of an ESD victory over Watertown. Wuebben is one of several impact reserves from the 2016-17 season who will be expected to take bigger roles for the Gazelles, who went 8-13 last season. Next Generation Of Gazelles Ready For The Challenge BY JEREMY HOECK jeremy.hoeck@yankton.net Yankton’s Jack Wolfgram, 10, brings the ball up the court against pressure during a home game in the 2016-17 season. Wolfgram, a senior, averaged 7.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season. Cornemann, on the varsity roster. “We have some younger guys who we will need to bring along, but for the most part, this is about as veteran of a group as we’ve had,” Haynes said. Mors, now at 6-foot-7, will again draw plenty of attention from opposing defenses. A second team all-state selection as an eighth-grader, he shot 39 percent (44-of-112) on three-pointers and made 79 percent (101-of-128) of his free throws. Even in the early stages of the preseason practices, it was clear that the Bucks were playing like a veteran team, Haynes said. What else stood out? YHS BOYS | PAGE 3A BOYS’ BASKETBALL Season Schedule 12/8 at Huron 8 pm 12/14 vs. Brandon Valley 8 pm (Throwback Classic at Sanford Pentagon) 12/16 vs. Pierre 6 pm 12/29 at Mitchell^ 7 pm 12/30 vs. TBD^ (S. Falls) TBD 1/4 at Harrisburg 8 pm 1/5 vs. Watertown 7 pm 1/9 at S.F. Lincoln 7 pm 1/16 at S.F. O’Gorman 8 pm 1/19 at Brookings 7 pm 1/20 vs. Aberdeen Cent. 5 pm 1/23 vs. Harrisburg 6:15 pm 1/26 vs. Huron 6:15 pm 2/2 at Pierre 7 pm 2/6 at Washington 7:30 pm 2/9 vs. Mitchell 8 pm 2/10 at Aberdeen Cent. 5 pm 2/17 at Watertown 7 pm 2/20 vs. Brookings 7 pm 2/24 vs. Brandon Valley 6 pm 3/3 State Quali?er 7 pm 3/15-17 State AA TBD (Premier Center, Sioux Falls) ^ - Mike Miller Classic New faces are going to take the reins for the Yankton High School girls’ basketball team. Gone are all five starters — four of whom had been key fixtures in the program for 2-3 years — who combined to average 29 points and 14 rebounds last season. “Now having those girls gone, you lose a lot of experience, but it also opens the door for other people to step up and have opportunities,” head coach Trey Krier said. The torch has been passed to a group of reserves who saw varsity action last season, in addition to a group of others who will be expected to contribute. Junior Jessica Reinhardt (3.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg) saw the most time off the bench last season, and she’ll be joined by junior Maddy Hochstein (5.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg), sophomore Payton Wolfgram (0.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg) and sophomore Madison Wuebben (3.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg). In addition, senior Emily Oswald only played in five games due to injury, while seniors Anna Savey and Madie Cordell, along with sophomore Sadie Fedders, saw limited varsity action. The common thread among all of them? “I like the intensity that we bring and that we never give up; that we keep working hard,” Oswald said. “No challenge is too big at this point.” The Gazelles will also count on sophomores Gabby Pietila, Hannah Muth and Morgan Strahl to help provide some depth, according to Krier. With so much offensive Yankton’s Madison Wuebben, 13, and Emily Oswald, 23, pressure an opponent during a game last season. production gone from last season, the Gazelles are going to have to grind out games, the coach said. “It’s no secret, we don’t GIRLS’ BASKETBALL Season Schedule 12/8 at Huron 12/14 vs. Br. Valley 6:15 pm 6:15 pm (Throwback Classic at Sanford Pentagon) 12/16 1/4 1/5 1/9 1/11 1/16 1/19 1/20 1/23 1/26 1/30 2/3 2/6 2/9 2/10 2/16 2/20 2/24 3/2 3/15-17 vs. Pierre 4:15 pm at Harrisburg 6:15 pm at Watertown 7 pm vs. S.F. Lincoln 7 pm at Mitchell 7 pm at O’Gorman 6:30 pm vs. Brookings 7 pm at Aberdeen Cent. 5 pm vs. Harrisburg 6:15 pm vs. Huron 6:15 pm at S.F. Roosevelt 7 pm at Pierre 7 pm at Washington 5:45 pm vs. Mitchell 6:15 pm vs. Aberdeen Cent. 3 pm vs. Watertown 7 pm at Brookings 7 pm vs. Br. Valley 4:15 pm State Quali?er 7 pm State AA TBD (Premier Center, Sioux Falls) return a lot of points, so we’re going to have to find ways to win games in the 40s and 50s, and that means we’ll need to have plenty of defensive intensity,” Krier said. “We’ll have to be able to dig in and find ways to slow other teams down.” And the Gazelles also boast two other key qualities, Oswald said. “The nice thing is, we might not be the most experienced, but we’re really YHS GIRLS | PAGE 3A Floors & More 1205 Broadway Yankton 665-9728 www.mozaksfloorsandmore.com www.yanktonhomefinder.com 1901 Broadway • Yankton, SD Joe LaBarge 605-260-1600 3009 Broadway, Yankton 605-260-2729