The Oriole boys varsity are regional champions!
Competing Saturday, March 7 at Altoona, the Orioles defeated the Altoona Railroaders 58-54 in a hard fought finish, building on a 64-36 win over Adams-Friendship at Stanley-Boyd on Friday, March 6.
Saturday’s win marks the fourth regional championship in Oriole boys basketball program history, the last being in 2017.
Starting Saturday at Altoona, the Orioles took an early lead before Altoona closed the gap to three points, the score at halftime 29-26 in the Orioles favor.
Coming back after the half Altoona fought back, bringing the score 29-29 and then pulling ahead, before two free throws by Jesse Allard helped the Orioles regain the lead. Altoona kept it close, before a three pointer by Stanley-Boyd’s Troy Haas brought things to a 53-53 tie, electrifying the crowd and helping the Orioles take the win minutes later, 58-54.
Orioles contributing points to the board Saturday included Brayten Mallo with seven, Brenner Myers with 17, Allard with six, Micah Krajacic with two, Troy Haas with three, Charlie Hoel with 18, and Josiah Demske with five.
Oriole boys varsity head basketball coach Dakota Nichols shared more after the game.
“We had a great week of practice to prepare for Adams-Friendship,” he said of Friday. We knew they were a physical team that had a few good scoring options. I thought our defensive pressure was outstanding, and led to easy offensive opportunities.”
Nichols shared more following the Saturday win at Altoona.
“It takes a lot to get to this point,” he said of the regional championship. “It really starts back in the summer with the time these kids put in the gym. Nobody sees the thousands of three-point shots and free throws that get taken when no one else is around. Credit goes to these boys for putting in the work and continuing to improve in multiple areas of their game.”
“What makes this team special is that our players truly buy into their roles. Everyone gives 100% effort and brings a positive attitude every day. They embrace being part of a team, support one another, and are genuinely happy when someone else has success. That kind of unselfish mindset and work ethic is what helped get us to this point.”
“There were a lot of key moments in the game tonight that made a difference for us. As a team, we went 24-28 from the free throw line. 16 of our 29 points in the second half were from the free throw line. It’s truly outstanding that our team hit that many free throws on the road with a regional championship on the line. I also thought we did an excellent job on defense, face guarding their two best players and helping on drives.”
“When Charlie picked up his fifth foul with about three minutes left, that could have been a moment where our guys got discouraged. He’s obviously a big part of what we do. But instead, our team just continued to battle and never gave up. That really shows the character of this group.”
“Different guys stepped up in big moments down the stretch. Troy knocked down a huge three-pointer for us, and Josiah came up with a big blocked shot on the defensive end. Those were momentum plays that helped us finish the game. It was a total team effort, and I’m really proud of how the guys responded when things got tough.”
The Orioles now play Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau at Osseo-Fairchild on Thursday, March 12 at 7:00 p.m., with the winner going on to play for the sectional championship Saturday, March 14 at Eau Claire North at 7 p.m.
“Now we have the opportunity to prepare for a sectional Semifinal game vs G.E.T.,” Nichols said. “They are a respected program with a great basketball tradition. They’re well coached and have good size and athleticism. We are excited to get back to work on Monday and prepare for this big game.”