It’s been five years since the Winner Warriors have made the state tournament, but maybe no community has had the consistent success the Warriors have had throughout the years. That’s why to some opponents, it feels as though the road to the tournament runs through Winner.
We’ve made it 3 out of the last 7 years, but any time you make the state tournament is a big deal,” Head Coach Brett Gardner said. It’s a close knit community that feeds off the success of the other programs.”
The Winner girls basketball team finished third in this year’s Class A Tournament, and now the boys are looking to make a run for the state championship. But the road back to the tournament took hard effort and determination.
The Warriors lost to West Central by 10 early in the season, but used the lost as motivation, and picked up a 40-point win against Class A State Qualifier Chamberlain. That win proved to Winner that this was quite possibly the team that would bring them back to the tournament.
“[The] Chamberlain win springboarded our season. When we beat quality teams, it makes you feel like your accomplished more,” Gardner said.
The Warriors then won mutiple important games, defeating Flandreau, Corsica-Stickney and Ethan in a nine-day stretch. Winner lost once more in February against St. Thomas More, but then finished the month with notable wins against White River, Pierre, and Hill City, and the Warriors now enter the tournament on a 7 game winning streak. Coach Gardner attributes the success to the preparation and mental toughness of his players.
“We feel that every night we have to bring it, Gardner said. “They do a nice job of getting up for every game.”
Now, the Warriors will have to bring their best effort to the state tournament, as the Class A Tournament will feature some of the best teams in the state. Winner will face Dakota Valley in the first round, a team that features North Dakota Commit Paul Bruns.
“Arguably [the tournament has] the 8 best teams, so every game is going to be challenging and Dakota Valley is really good,” Gardner said. “Their well coached and we are going to have to really defend and rebound.”
And even though the Warriors are the #7 seed in the tournament, Coach Gardner thinks his team can compete with the best, just like they have proved all season.
“We don’t look at seeds, its just two teams that are going to battle.”
Brett Gardner- Winner Warriors
