Screaming Eagles 9-1 after blowout win

REARDAN – In the 1960s, the Reardan Indians played their games in Smith Gym and dominated the high school basketball scene. Because the wrestling team was competing in the "new" gym Friday, Jan. 3, the school's basketball team, now called the Screaming Eagles, hosted Warden on the same hallowed floor and played like the teams of old, defeating the Cougars 96-34.

From the opening tip-off, the Screaming Eagles played like a team possessed. Besides making 13 3-point shots, they dominated the inside game and pressured the Cougars on each of their possessions.

After putting 32 points on the scoreboard in the first quarter, the Screaming Eagles never looked back. They led 57-19 at the half. In the first half, Jakari Singleton thrilled the crowd with four rim-rattling dunks and led the offensive attack that saw seven players score six points or more.

Reardan head coach Jake Green substituted freely in the second half, but the scoring frenzy continued. The Screaming Eagles led 78-21 after three quarters enroute to the 96-34 win.

All 12 players scored in the lop-sided win.

Fred Frolov led the team's balanced attack with 15 points. Singleton scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Bryson Flaa sank three 3-pointers and scored 11 points. In addition, he pulled down six rebounds and recorded two steals. Levi Collier came off the bench in the second half to score 10 points. He also had four rebounds and one blocked shot. Rysen Soliday and Zander Thornton both scored nine points. Justin Vaughn scored eight points. Maveric Sobotta and Hunter Flaa both scored six points. In the second half, Hunter Flaa controlled the boards with six rebounds. Karsten Flaa scored five points, Evan Krupke scored three and Blake Wynecoop scored two.

Eli Cox was high point man for Warden with nine points.

"Each group we had out there did a good job," Green said. "It was nice for our boys to see our stuff work. It was fun to see our junior varsity players come up. They balled out. These guys played so well tonight that it was kind of hard to coach."

Though satisfied with the win, Green saw room for improvement.

"We've got to see man and ball better. If we see both the man and ball, we will have even more steals."

Bryson Flaa, who hit three 3-point shots, said everyone on the team contributed to the win.

"We played hard, and how we wanted to play," he said. "We moved the ball well and had success finding the open man for shots."

But like Green, he saw a need for improvement.

"We need to help each other better on defense," he said. "Sometimes we were out of position. We need to fix that."

Hunter Flaa said the team's focus on little things was crucial to their success.

"Before the game we said we were going to work on the little things so that we can perfect our game and the way we want to play. Our strategy was to play pressure defense, get turnovers, and score baskets. We did that pretty well. We also went deep into our bench. Everyone worked together and it all flowed."

Flaa said his team needs to work on their defense.

"We need to stay true to our defensive principles and be disciplined the entire game," he said. "We also need to work on rebounding. The other team never has to get a rebound."

The win improved the Screaming Eagles' record to 9-1. Their next home game is Saturday, Jan 11, against Medical Lake. Tip-off is at 6:00 p.m.