To kick off the first week of February, the Mineral Point Pointers traveled to the Potosi Chieftain’s homecourt and faced off in an intense nighttime battle. Mineral Point Varsity had just fallen to the Darlington Redbirds the week prior, so they were looking to bounce back and destroy the following competition.
JV set the night in motion with a hot start; the atmosphere was great, and the crowd was boomin’. Unfortunately, the Pointers came out slow, which would set the tone for the remainder of the game. Potosi came out swinging with a hard drive and heavily contested shot right under the basket by the starting small forward. The Pointers immediately swung back, moved the ball around, and looked for their shot; Mineral Points Keaton Dempsey dumped the ball down to Points Five, Cole Ripp. It was already a heated game, and both teams would fight for their win.
As the game progressed closer to halftime, the Pointers ran a play for Keaton Dempsey to get an open shot for him in the corner. The play was a success, but the defense from Potosi was tough, and they could close out on Keaton, which would interrupt his shot and make him miss. The Pointers scrambled for the rebound and subsequently knocked the ball out of bounds, leaving five seconds for Potosi. The Chieftain’s guard, Dawson Wheeler, brought the ball up, dribbled through the defense, and miraculously managed to get to his shot on the wing. He chucked it up and sunk it. The Pointers walked away with their tails tucked but still had high hopes for the second half.
Potosi came out with the same fire they had in the first half. The Pointers matched it. At this point, both teams were hot and going shot for shot, each play running something new and getting different players involved. The leading force for the pointers was Keaton Dempsey, hitting that recurring outside shot play after play. For Potosi, it was point guard Dawson Wheeler. However, almost every player on each team stepped up and played a significant role in the team’s success. Two other honorable mentions are Brylen Lee and Tyce Sylvester. Brylen had some fantastic finishes through contact throughout the whole game, keeping the pointer’s spirit in this battle. Tyce Sylvester came in when the Pointers were down by 6. When he got subbed out, the Pointers were up by 4. Tyce had two assists, three steals, and 6 points, all in 6 minutes. Both assists were capitalized by Keaton, who hit a wing three and a layup.
Nearing the end of the last half, both teams had competed well, but it looked like Mineral Point would come out victorious. As the final moments ran from the clock, the Pointers sighed a breath of relief, knowing they’d go home still riding on their win streak.
Following Mineral Point’s JV victory was a heavily anticipated Varsity matchup. The student section was electric, and Potosi was looking to get their revenge from the game previously stated.
Mineral Point came out with poise. The calm and collected energy has led the Pointers to most of their victories throughout the season. All players and staff maintain this mindset in every game to try and get the best result for each and every play. Playing calm like this allows the Pointers to make rational decisions that ultimately win them games.
To begin the game, Potosi came out hot, getting a hard-fought layup from big man Isiah Groom. The Pointers came down and tried to swing the ball baseline but instead collected a turnover. As usual, Point stayed calm and kept rocking with what had always worked, moving the ball and getting open looks. The Pointer’s defense was solid, but Potosi had planned for Mineral Points’ tough defense, where hitting shots and getting to the line left and right. Tonight was going to be a dog fight.
Going deeper into the match, the score was still close, and both teams were still hungry. The Pointers were up by one until the final three minutes of the first half, where Mineral Point went on a tear and got eleven consecutive points, most of which came from Mineral Points shooting guard Alex Ross. Eli Linsey and Landon Thousand also contributed to the eleven. Mineral Point went out of the half up, 25-36.
To kick off the second half, you could tell Potosi had a game plan. Still, the Pointers overpowered it with their phenomenal defense and aggressive offense, continuing their run before the halftime buzzer, making big-time contributions to the success of the pointer where Eli Linsey, Alex Rozz, and Landon Thousand, all three players of Mineral Point have stepped up this year as leaders and seem to know exactly what to say and when to say it when the road gets rough.
As the game progressed, the Pointers maintained their significant lead and got rotations and big minutes for players coming off the bench, showcasing how deep the talent in Mineral Point goes; as the final seconds ran down, the Pointers prepared for a long ride home as they just won over the Potosi Chieftains.
