Coach Bastian Believes Bulldogs will Bounce Back

The Milbank Area Bulldogs boys basketball team plans to bounce back even harder this year. “Last year was a rebuilding year, but we made great strides during the season and ended up winning four of our last seven games,” said Coach Bastian. Matt Bastian, in his tenth year as head coach, went on to say, “we won’t be a big team, but we are athletic with skills.” “Four seniors will lead the team this year. Jacob Jackson is a three-year varsity player who has the ability to score from anywhere on the floor. He’s very capable of having huge games offensively.”

Nolan Foss will be looked at to control the glass and get the tough baskets in the paint. “He has continued to improve throughout last season and the summer,” explained Bastian.

Isaac Snaza is also a three-year varsity player that will give the Dawgs the toughness on the defensive side of the ball. “Isaac has been slowed down the past two season with injuries,” noted Bastian. “We look for him to make an impact this year.”

Kyle Montag is the final senior that is very athletic and can do many things to help the team. “We will look for Kyle to continue making improvements on the offensive side to go along with his athleticism on the defensive side,” stated Bastian.

Other players that return with significant varsity experience include juniors Nate Bien and Cody Dockter and sophomore Jonny Ash. Bien has put a significant amount of time into his game and played point for the Dawgs last year. “He has the potential to be a very good player the next two seasons,” said Bastian. Dockter is an athletic player who needs to learn to play within himself. “Cody’s athleticism will be tough for teams to match up with,” mentioned Bastian. Ash was one of the underclassmen who led to the success of the team late last season.

Coach Bastian is assisted by Ryan Scoular, in his sixth season with the Bulldogs and Troy Gauer starting his third season.

Clark-Willow Lake will bring back a veteran club this year and should be competitive at the state level. Defending state champion Aberdeen Roncalli graduated a large group of players but had one of the strongest junior varsity teams the Dawgs faced last season.

Milbank Area along with Roncalli, Britton-Hecla, Groton Area, Sisseton, Tiospa Zina and Webster Area will battle for the Region 1A title and a berth to the state Class A tournament.

Following is a complete schedule for the Milbank Area Bulldogs: