Prospectors strike gold in win over Drummond

DRUMMOND – Coming in on paper, the Drummond Trojans had every reason to believe they would beat the Granite Prospectors on their home floor. The Trojans were 2-1 in district play with the Prospectors at 1-5.

But after several close losses, Granite’s hard work and perseverance paid off in a 55-45 upset win that  

“I think nothing really different,” replied GHS Head Coach Paul Kulaski, when asked about changes he made prior to the contest. “It just all came together. Those games that we had big leads and lost in the fourth, those all came pretty early in the season. All the hard work we’ve been putting in from the start of the season to this point is paying off. We’re running our offense a lot crisper and our defense.”

The Prospectors came out firing on all cylinders, led by senior captain Eric Pitcher. Pitcher had 13 of his game-high 19 points in the first half, leading his squad to a 33-20 halftime lead. Drummond staged a 14-7 run in the fourth quarter, but it proved too little, too late.

“He’s amazing. He’s a captain and always rallying our team,” said Kulaski of Pitcher. “He’s a beast inside to deal with and he can go outside and shoot the three. He’s a lot to deal with and well-rounded player.”

Drummond never seemed to get in sync on either end of the floor, allowing a 16-7 second quarter run by Granite that sealed the deal. When asked about his perception of his team’s play, DHS Head Coach Levi Parsons agreed.

“We never did on offense, that’s 100 percent accurate,” said an exasperated Parsons. “We weren’t in sync on offense and settling for shots outside, nothing inside. We take pride in our 2-3 zone and that’s the worst I’ve seen us play that is two or three years.

“We have to completely change our attitude and latch onto the team we can be and quit that roller coaster of being here (up) one night and here (down) the next. We’ve got to be at our best the rest of the season.”

Pitcher’s 19 was tops for both teams, with Asa Lattin adding 11 for Granite.

Kadin Graveley lead Drummond with 14.

Both teams head out on the road Saturday, with the Trojans playing at Victor and the Prospectors heading to Lincoln.

SCORING

Granite – 17/16/15/7 – 55

Drummond – 13/7/11/14 – 45

Granite – Pitcher 19, Dauenhauer 9, Fluharty 8, ALattin 11, Lee 4, TLattin 2, Smith 2

Drummond – James 7, Goettle 6, Loessberg 3, Dahl 4, Graveley 14, Suthers 5, Bradshaw 6

*****

Boys Junior Varsity

Drummond 36, Granite 31

The Trojan JV edged out to an early lead and held on for a five-point victory over rival Granite.

Javi Ostler led Drummond with 12 points. Skyler Dahl and Rhaj Dao-Ang each added 10 to round out a balanced scoring attack.

Dan Alley had eight points for the Prospectors with Tony Barkell and Asa Lattin each chipping in seven.