The team to watch out for on the court this season may come out of Fort Pierre as the Stanley County Buffs have charged out to a 5-1 start, and are doing it with flash. If you haven’t seen the Buffs play in person yet, it’s exciting to watch. Rarely do they let the shot clock get past 14 seconds, as they like to run the floor and get shots up at a furious clip.
In their 5 wins, they have averaged 61.2 points per game. Just as impressive, they’re holding teams to an average of 38.8 points in those wins. The offense runs through 6’2″ senior Kaden Montana, who is coming off a devastating knee injury from a year ago. But the aspect of this team that makes them so successful is just that, the team. Outside Montana, the Buffs are equipped with a few sharp-shooters from outside that can turn a lead into a running clock almost instantly. The Buffs get major production from guys like junior guard Paxton Deal who covers the floor consistently well, and sophomore captain Eddie Duffy who has continued to dominate outside the arc in the first portion of this season.
In the Stanley County’s 66-33 win over McLaughlin this week, the Buffs got double-digits out of those three, Montana with 16, Deal with 14 and Duffy leading all scorers with 17. But they also spread the wealth as eight different Stanley County players finished with points. When you have three players in high double-digits and that many players scoring, you know the system is working.
The team is run by head coach Joey Fischer, a Stanley County alum who also played for the Buffs when he was in school. Fischer pours into his players a confidence that is displayed in their play, and it is something that could take this team on a deep run.
The style of basketball the Buffs play with is not one that any team can implement. If you don’t have guys like Montana, Duffy and Deal, you simply cannot shoot as consistently and as quickly into the shot clock as they do. Because the Buffs have such talented shooting, they are able to earn themselves more possesions per game because of how quickly they operate. Once they get even the slightest of leads, they are able to put teams in a hole that they simply cannot get out of. And the schedule upcoming for Stanley County is a favorable one as only four of the remaining 14 opponents have a current record above .500.
I will not act like I know how the playoffs will play out because I haven’t lived here for one yet and I am still learning the ropes. But I do know one thing, if this team gets hot they are near impossible to stop. The Buffs take on Bennett County this upcoming Thursdsay before playing in the Jones County Invitataional.
Comments