Saber Boys’ Basketball on a Roll! Reach #7 in Class 4A Rankings
By Bill Schleper
The Saber Boys’ Basketball team had it’s struggles early in the season as they tried to find their chemistry after the departure of some key players from last year’s squad. But Coach Jake Dammann and his crew have been piecing the puzzle together and it’s paying dividends over the past several games, as the Sabers have been rolling with a winning streak as the season is winding down!
The latest victim of this suddenly ferocious Saber squad was the Lakeville North Panthers, as the Sabers pretty much took control from start to finish, cranking up the defensive effort, and hitting threes at will in a decisive 82-56 victory.
Senior Luke Wherley led the Sabers with 19 points, including six three-pointers. Sophomore Luke Schroeder came off the bench and poured in 16, while brother Eli Schroeder added 14, followed by senior Devin Pass with 12. Senior Tommy Auge also netted 9 points, including a three-pointer from the 6’10” big man. Auge added a couple of blocks on the defensive end of the court, as well, playing a solid game on both ends for the Sabers. Isaac Cordes (6), Blake Betton (5), and Marcus Bailey (4) rounded out the scoring in an impressive and well-balanced offensive showing for the Sabers, with six players (Wherley, L. Schroeder, E. Schroeder, Pass, Betton, and Auge) all connecting on three-pointers.
While the offense has been impressive, it is the tenacity of the defense that has really made it’s presence known in the past few games. Coach Jake Dammann commented after the game, “Over the last week or so, we’ve challenged the guys to put their focus on improving our defense. Last game the players had a good night defensively, holding Lakeville North to 38% shooting, forced 16 steals on 21 deflections, only gave up 5 offensive rebounds - which is good against a team with North’s length and physicality."
The Sabers are on a 6-game winning streak, including an impressive 89-79 home victory over the 5th-ranked Lakers from Prior Lake last Thursday on Coaches Vs. Cancer Night in front of a large and loud crowd. That streak has catapulted the Sabers into the top 10 in Class 4A State Rankings, as they have jumped up to #7, leapfrogging the arch-rivals Lakers who dropped down to the #10 spot to round off the top ten according to the MN Boys Basketball Hub.
The Sabers are now at an impressive 10-2 record in South-Suburban Conference play, and 14-5 overall. They will be back in action at home again this Friday, February 7th, to take on the Farmington Tigers at 7:00 pm at the Shakopee High School Gymnasium.
