Tag: Boys Basketball

Night Hawks avoid tragedy, soldier on despite injuries to key players

Of the millions of bus trips taken every year by schools around the country for extracurricular activities, few were as scary as the one the Hettinger-Scranton boys basketball team took on Jan. 13. That afternoon, on their way to play a basketball game against Dickinson Trinity, the team’s chartered bus went off the road when it hit an ice patch attempting to negotiate a curve widely regarded as dangerous along the border of Slope and Hettinger counties three west of New England. Icy road conditions, which were ruled the reason for the accident, caused the bus to go off the road.

After it went off the road and into the ditch the bus came upon an adjacent north-south gravel road, which had a steep incline. The bus hit it hard and launched into the air, rolling onto the driver’s side, which slowed it down to an eventual stop.

Continue reading “Night Hawks avoid tragedy, soldier on despite injuries to key players”

Hettinger 4, Regent 2: Players, coaches and officials recall the infamous low-scoring basketball game

This image, taken from the Hettinger County Herald, shows the lack of action that was prevalent during the District 24 boys basketball tournament game that was played Feb. 27, 1992, at Bowman’s Solberg Gymnasium. Regent, a heavy underdog against Hettinger, chose to slow the pace of the game and take advantage of its four-corners offense. What ensued was a contest that likely will never be duplicated.

Curt Honeyman knew the idea was a little crazy.

Then again, it was also so simple he wondered if it also wasn’t the perfect plan.

In the days leading up the 1992 District 24 boys basketball tournament, Honeyman preached patience to his Regent Rangers team.

“Patience to the extreme,” said Scott Sheldon, the Rangers’ sophomore guard and leading scorer that season.

Honeyman’s theory was that if the Rangers could sit in their fourcorners offense long enough, they could force the taller, more talented Hettinger Black Devils into defensive errors, put points on the scoreboard and keep the game from spiraling out of their reach.

On the evening of Feb. 27, 1992, at Solberg Gymnasium in Bowman, Honeyman sent his team onto the court with simple goals: be deliberate and patient on offense and control the tempo.

He never expected, 20 years later, people would remember the game.

Then again, he also never expected the final buzzer to sound with this score: Hettinger 4, Regent 2.

“We knew we couldn’t play with them basket for basket,” Honeyman said. “We had to try and keep the score close and keep it low. But nobody in the gym, including myself, knew that it was going to turn out that way.”


Continue reading “Hettinger 4, Regent 2: Players, coaches and officials recall the infamous low-scoring basketball game”

Killdeer starter may miss tourney game after father’s death, Cougars coach offers support

Killdeer sophomore Brock Pittsley's status for the Region 7 boys basketball tournament is uncertain following the death of his father, David. Pittsley is the Cowboys' starting power forward.

The Killdeer boys basketball team will be playing through some pain on Monday in the Region 7 tournament quarterfinals.

Sophomore Brock Pittsley, the Cowboys’ starting power forward, is dealing with the death of his father, David Pittsley, who passed away Thursday at age 45. David Pittsley’s funeral is at 10 a.m. Monday at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Killdeer. The Cowboys are scheduled to play Heart River at 4:30 p.m. that day.

Asked whether or not Pittsley will play, Killdeer coach Wayne Sanders said, “we’re not real sure.”

Sanders said David Pittsley’s death has greatly affected his team. The Cowboys practiced Thursday and Sanders said, “We had a tough day.”

Heart River head coach Greg Pruitt said he has reached out to Pittsley and the Cowboys for two reasons. First, many Heart River players are good friends with Pittsley. Second, Pruitt said he also lost his father at a young age.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Brock,” Pruitt said. “Our hearts go out to him.”