All-Conference Honors for DCC Basketball
After a 27-3 regular season and a 13-1 conference mark, three Buccaneers were named to the Mon-Dak Conference 1st Team in men's basketball. Seth Amunrud, Justin Asi and Jordan Jasper were all recognized.
"It is a pretty big honor to have three guys on the first team," shared Dawson Coach Joe Peterson. "It is a testament to our team's success and the guys around them. I think these three are very deserving. One of the most impressive things to me is their efficiency offensively. They get a lot of production without taking a lot of shots or playing a lot of minutes. But it is so much more than scoring, it is their willingness to do whatever it takes to help the team be successful and the way they lead our team as well. A big part of their success is how unselfish these guys are on and off the court. They are true winners in basketball and in life."
Seth Amunrud was named the Mon-Dak Conference MVP unanimously. This was the first time since 2004 that a Buccaneer has been named Conference MVP. Amunrud is currently averaging 21.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.6 apg and 2.8 spg while shooting 55.8% from the field, 47.1% from the 3-point line and 88.6% from the free throw line. He led the Bucs in scoring, assists, steals, assist to turnover ratio, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and free throw percentage. Those numbers placed Amunrud as the 3rd leading scorer in the conference and the 15th leading scorer in the nation. He had the highest 3-point percentage in the conference and the 9th best in the country. His free throw percentage was the 2nd best in the conference and ranks 16th in the country. He also led the conference in steals and ranks 8th nationally. He was in the top five in the conference in nine different statistical categories. Amunrud was named the Region Tournament MVP on Sunday after scoring 32 points in the semifinals and 22 points in the championship game to help the Buccaneers claim their 4th Region Championship in the past six years.
Justin Asi averaged 20.4 points in conference games and pulled down 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 54% from the field and 40% from 3 point range. In the conference he ranks 5th in scoring, 2nd in offensive rebounding, 7th in overall rebounding, 12th in steals, 4th in 3 point percentage, and 8th in field goal percentage. Asi was also a first team selection last year. Asi got the Bucs off to a good start in their Region Championship game by scoring the first nine points of the game. Asi scored in double figures in 32 of their 33 games so far this season. He scored over 20 points eleven times. His season high was 31 points against Gillette College and against Bismarck State College.
Dawson's third leading scorer, Jordan Jasper, also was selected to the first team all-conference. He averaged 14.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals on the season while shooting 54.7% from the field, 44.9% from the 3-point line and 74.6% from the free throw line. Jasper missed 9 games in the middle of the conference season because of injury. Among the conference ranks, he was 11th in scoring, 7th in field goal percentage, 3rd in 3 point percentage, 4th in free throws made per game, 7th in free throw percentage, 1st in assists and 4th in steals. Jasper came up big in the regional semifinals with 20 points, 9 steals and 8 assists. Jasper scored in double figures in 20 of his 23 games this year. He scored over twenty points four times and had a season high 26 points playing at Gillette College.
Having claimed the Mon-Dak Conference regular season championship, Dawson Coach Joe Peterson was named the Coach of the Year. This was the third time he has earned that recognition.
The Bucs will be back in action on Saturday night at 6:00 pm hosting #3 ranked Indian Hills Community College in the North Central District Championship Game.
