Dragons Slay Cavaliers At Home!

The Argos Dragons were ready to defend their home court on Thursday Night, as the Culver Cavaliers invaded, hoping to pick up some momentum in their season. While the Dragons would be hospitable for their opponents, as they always are, on the floor, however, the Dragons would breathe fire throughout the game on both ends of the floor.

With a defensive intensity, known to most opponents of Head Coach Gordon Mosson, the Argos Dragons got off to a roaring start in the game. A very patient attack offensively, coupled with an intense defense, the Dragons were able to jump out to a 13-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Argos showed they were not counting on a single individual to do the scoring, rather, the entire roster would be counted on to contribute. The second quarter would see much of the same from the two teams, with the Cavaliers struggling to get the ball into the hoop, while each move the Dragons made was calculated and thought out. When the horn sounded at the half, Argos found themselves in a very comfortable lead, 31-4. Perhaps the most impressive part of the halftime score was that Argos was able to get eight different individuals in the scoring column, led by Senior Caleb Ellis, who put up seven points in the first two quarters.

The second half would see much of the same from the two teams, with Culver coming out of their shell a bit more. Owen Valiquet and Donavan Ziaja would put up six and five points, respectively in the second half effort. The Dragons, however, would just do too good of a job taking care of the ball and being meticulous with their shot selection. It was an absolute clinic in taking care of the ball and finding high-quality shots on the part of the Dragons. Once again, it would be a balanced scoring attack for Argos, as they would nearly equal the number of scoring participants in the second half, with seven individuals putting up at least two points.

By game’s end, the balance of Argos would be too much for the Cavaliers of Culver Community High School. The Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game on WKVI went to Argos Sophomore Dylan Kindig. The 6’4 forward was tied for the team lead in rebounds with five, while also putting up eleven points for the Dragons. It was the overall consistency of Kindig at both ends of the floor that led to him getting the postgame honor!

Argos will be back in action at home Saturday night, when they play host to Hammond Gavit, while the Cavaliers will get back to work tonight, when they play host to the Pioneer Panthers in a Hoosier North Athletic Conference matchup.

Game Statistics

Scoring:

Argos(66): Sam Manikowski-4, J.J. Morris-4, Jake Stults-2, Mike Richard-7, Teddy Redinger-7, Caleb Ellis-14, Owen Nifong-12, Dylan Kindig-13, Colin O’Dell-3

Culver(21): Owen Valiquet-9, Hunter Manns-4, Owen Clingler-5, Donavan Ziaja-3

3-Point Shots Made:

Argos(5): Mike Richard-1, Teddy Redinger-1, Caleb Ellis-2, Colin O’Dell-1

Culver(1): Owen Clingler-1

Free Throws:

Argos: 11-15 73%

Culver: 6-9 66%

Rebounding:

Argos(31): Sam Manikowski-4, J.J. Morris-2, Jake Stults-3, Mike Richard-5, Teddy Redinger-3, Caleb Ellis-2, Owen Nifong-4, Dylan Kindig-5, Colin O’Dell-3

Culver(11): Owen Valiquet-1, Owen Clingler-1, Donavan Ziaja-6, Braxton Conley-1, Jalen King-1Auston Zehner-1

Steals:

Culver(6): Owen Valiquet-1, Hunter Manns-1, Owen Clingler-1, Donavan Ziaja-1, Braxton Conley-1, Jalen King-1

Argos(4): Caleb Ellis-2, Owen Nifong-2

*Statistical Information Provided By Kankakee Valley Broadcast Staff. These Are Not Official Game Statistics*