RECORDS/HISTORY
COACH GARDNER ERA
Greatest Games
#1 1-28-08 (W) 76-74 VS LEAD-DEADWOOD
Tanner Adler made a three pointer as time expired to tie the game 51-51 and send the game to overtime. At the end of the 2nd overtime, Adler again made a 25 foot shot to tie the game and send it into double overtime. In double overtime the Rangers would hold on to beat the Gold Diggers 76-74 as defensive stopper Andy Quenzer prevented Adler from getting the ball for a potential game winning shot.
Adler led all scorers with 36 points. Jared Mack and Tommy Anderson scored 12 each for the Gold Diggers. The Rangers were led by Andy Quenzer who made 7 three point baskets and scored 27 points. Hudson Koel scored 24 points and Clint Lewis added 13.
#2 3-2-09 (W) 48-46 VS CUSTER
The Hill City Rangers defeated Custer for the 3rd time of the season in front of a standing room only crowd and the last varsity game in the Bob Burden Gymnasium. The district victory was the first for Hill City in nearly a decade. South Dakota’s all time winningest coach, Larry Luitjens had Custer play a triangle and two defense to stop Hill City’s two leading scorers (Andy Coy 20 points per game and Clint Lewis 17 points per game). Sophomore Justin Klein, freshman Derek Skillingstad, and senior Colton McLaughlin all scored 9 points to lead the Rangers to victory. The game was tied at half time and Hill City had a four point lead going into the fourth quarter. The Rangers and Wildcats traded leads until Custer’s Jake Roddy missed a contested layup and Justin Klein grabbed the rebound with 1.5 seconds left to secure the win.
#3 1-27-08 (W) 58-57 VS SUNDANCE
The Rangers traveled to Sundance to take on Coach O’Connor’s Bulldogs. After trailing by 15 points at halftime; the Rangers staged a 19-9 3rd quarter and cut the lead to 5. With 11 seconds left Andy Quenzer made a basket to give the Rangers a 58-56 lead. With 3 seconds the Rangers committed a foul that put Hayden Johnson at the free throw line with an opportunity to tie the game. Johnson made his first free throw making it 58-57, but his second free throw rimmed out after circling completely around the rim. The final buzzer sounded as both teams battled for the rebound.
Hudson Koel led the Rangers with 20, while Andy Coy and Clint Lewis scored 11 each. Cody Emrick had 17 and Dude Humphrey had 13 for the Bulldogs. Sundance would later finish 2nd in the Wyoming State Basketball Tournament.
#4 1-16-09 (W) 51-49 VS BELLE FOURCHE
Hill City traveled to Belle Fourche in a conference battle in which neither team led by more than 4 points. Colton McLaughlin made a three pointer at the buzzer to give the Hill City boys a 51-49 win. Belle Fourche led 49-48 with 12 seconds in the game after Jason Webb made a runner in the lane. Hill City pushed the ball up the floor and Clint Lewis was fouled after an Andy Coy miss with 2.5 seconds. Hill City ran a baseline out of bounds play that got McLaughlin an open 3 pointer as time expired. Colton finished with 16 points in the game. Nash Koel added 10 rebounds to help the Rangers win. Quint Wooldridge scored 10 points. Brady Bisgaard led Belle Fourche with 16 points, Jason Webb had 12, and Alex Kling scored 11.
#5 1-20-2012 (W) 51-49 VS SUNDANCE
For the 2nd time in 2 days the Rangers won on a buzzer beater. With the game tied at 49, John Lucas made a buzzer beater with 1 second left to defeat the Bulldogs. Derek Skillingstad led the Rangers with 21 points and Gage Skillingstad scored 10; but the John Lucas buzzer beater was the shot of the night (The previous night Jared Price had a tip in to beat Lead-Deadwood as time expired.
#6 1-13-2011 (W) 60-58 LEAD-DEADWOOD
In overtime with less than 1 second on the clock, Jared Price tipped in a missed free throw to win the game 60-58. Derek Skillingstad led the Rangers with 28 points and John Lucas added 14, but none were more important than the tip in at the buzzer by Price. Lead-Deadwood was led by Garrett Mack with 16 and Markus Gould with 13.
#7 2-25-08 (L) 55-57 VS CUSTER
The Rangers traveled to Custer for the district 16A playoff game. The Rangers competed with the Wildcats but trailed by 1 at the end of the 1st quarter, by 2 at halftime, and by 7 at the end of the 3rd. The Rangers battled back in the 4th quarter and cut the lead to1 point with 30 seconds to go. The Rangers fouled Isaac Parsons who made both free throws; extending the Custer lead to 57-54. Following a time out with 3 seconds left in regulation, Co-Head Coaches Luitjens and Tucker instructed the Wildcats to foul. The ball was inbounded to Andy Coy 80 feet from the hoop, who was fouled as he shot a buzzer beater. The Ranger fans thought that Coy, the 87% free throw shooter was going to the free throw line to force overtime (for the 2nd time this season between Custer and Hill City).
The referee determined that Coy was trying to pass the ball up the court and not shoot it; thus awarding him 2 free throws instead of 3. Coy made the 1st free throw and intentionally missed the 2nd free throw with 1 second to play. The ball caromed off the rim into the hands of Nash Koel who barely missed the game tying tip in at the buzzer.
Andy Coy led the Rangers with 30 points and Clint Lewis had 10.
#8 2-24-09 (L) 76-87 VS RED CLOUD
The #8 ranked Hill City Rangers hosted the #3 ranked Red Cloud Crusaders in the Bob Burden Gymnasium in front of a sell out crowd. The Rangers led 15-8 after the first quarter. A big 2nd quarter gave Red Cloud a 34-33 halftime lead. The Crusaders led by 4 points after the third quarter and would eventually win by 11. Clint Lewis had 27 points, Andy Coy 21, and Colton McLaughlin had 11. Bryer Cottier led Red Cloud with 26 and Carl Swallow had 23.
#9 1-17-2017 (W) 69-68
Hill City beat Spearfish for the first time in school history at Coach Gins Court. The Rangers led every quarter and had a ten-point lead going into the 4th quarter. With 2:20 left in the game, the Rangers led by 14. Spearfish got red hot from the field and Hill City did not convert free throws, which led to a huge comeback for the Spartans. Spearfish scored 28 points in the 4th quarter and took the lead with 20 seconds left in the game. Hill City would regain the lead on a Ryan Skillingstad put back with 11 seconds in the game. Spearfish raced down the court and missed a contested shot but the rebound was a jump ball with the possession arrow pointing to Spearfish. With 3.2 seconds left, Spearfish ran a baseline out of bounds play and got a shot and a tip in opportunity that just rimmed out! Ryan Skillingstad led the Rangers with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Chance Simmons had 13. Jacob Harris and Noah Krull had 12. Brady Gregor led Spearfish with 14, Michael Chaffin had 13, and Dawson Sunstead had 12.
#10 2/16/08 (W) 55-53 VS BELLE FOURCHE
Hill City jumped out to a 23-9 lead after the 1st quarter, but the Broncs would not go away quietly as the lead would change hands 4 different times. Hill City had a 2 point lead with Andy Quenzer at the free throw line. After missing the free throw; Belle Fourche’s Daniel Herman was able to get an open 3 pointer that just missed and the Rangers held on to win in the Bob Burden Gymnasium.
TJ Schmidt has 11 points and 13 rebounds. Andy Coy scored 11, while Hudson Koel and Kyle Haverly each scored 10.
#11 1-29-07 (W) 58-49 VS SUNDANCE
In a rivalry that saw overtime games in the previous 3 games, the Rangers jumped out to a 22-17 lead. At half the Rangers trailed 32-38. Using a triangle and 2 defense to neutralize Bulldog leaders Dude Humphrey and Cody Emrick, the Rangers only allowed 11 points in the second half as they were victorious 58-49. Hudson Koel led the Rangers in scoring with 21 points. Hudson was 5-6 from the three point line. Kyle Haverly added 15 points. Sundance would qualify for the Wyoming State Basketball Tournament.
#12 1-26-2012 (W) 58-52 VS WALL
Wall traveled to Hill City for the first matchup between the two teams in over 30 years. Derek Skillingstad led the Rangers with 32 points and 18 rebounds. John Lucas scored 10 points. Wall was led by Chavis Shull with 18 and Kale Lytle with 15.
#13 3-5-09 (L) 69-83 VS RED CLOUD
Red Cloud defeated Hill City at the Civic Center in the district 15A championship. Despite Andy Coy’s 6 three pointers, the Crusaders defeated the Rangers 83-69. Andy Coy led the Rangers with 24 points, Clint Lewis added 15, and Colton McLaughlin poured in 12. The Rangers finished the season with 16 wins as seniors Andy Coy, Clint Lewis, Colton McLaughlin, Quint Wooldridge, and Nash Koel played their final game. The Crusaders, led by Bryer Cottier and Carl Swallow, would advance to the state tournament. It was the first district championship game for the Rangers in 10 seasons.
#14 1-30-07 (W) 53-51 VS LEAD-DEADWOOD
The Rangers traveled to Lead and got off to a slow start as the Gold Diggers took a 23 point lead into half time. The Rangers without all-conference point guard Andy Coy, turned to TJ Schmidt as he scored 18 points in the second half. Hill City earned a come from behind victory 53-51.
#15 2-17-09 (W) 68-45 VS DOUGLAS
The Rangers sealed their 15th win of the season and runner up in the Black Hills Conference with a big victory over Douglas. Clint Lewis led the Rangers with 31 points and 6 three point baskets. Andy Coy scored 15. The Rangers stretched their winning streak to 8 in a row against Douglas.
#16 2-5-07 (L) 46-49 VS NEWELL
Hill City hosted Newell in a defensive battle. Hill City could not convert a sideline out of bounds play with just seconds left in the game and Newell held on to win. TJ Schmidt and Nash Koel led the Rangers in scoring with 14 points. It was Nash Koel’s first start as he started in place of the injured Andy Coy. The sophomore shot 6 of 8 and grabbed 7 rebounds.
#17 1-23-09 (W) 73-46 VS SUNDANCE
Andy Coy would score the first 7 points of the game to become the first Hill City boy to eclipse the 1,000 point mark. Coy would finish 1,248 career points. The Rangers would win 16 games during the 08-09 season and make the district championship game.
#18 2-14-2012 (L) 37-44 VS BELLE FOURCHE
Midway through the 1st quarter of the game in Belle Fourche, Derek Skillingstad scored his 1,000th point. Belle Fourche stopped the game to acknowledge the accomplishment. Derek is only the 2nd Hill City boy to score over 1,000 (Andy Coy is the other). Derek would finish his career 2nd all time with 1,062 points.
Derek led the Rangers with 15 points and John Lucas added 11. Tyler Burr led Belle Fourche with 14 points.
#19 2-20-09 (W) 44-41 VS BELLE FOURCHE
The Ranger boys defeated Belle Fourche 44-41 Friday night despite shooting 14 % from the floor. Andy Coy led the Rangers with 19 points and Clint Lewis added 15. Nash Koel grabbed 11 rebounds. Hill City trailed Belle Fourche by 2 points going into the 4th quarter but used pressure defense and stellar free throw shooting to outscore the Broncs by 5 in the final quarter. Hill City finished the game shooting 20 of 24 from the free throw line.
#20 1-7-2010 (L) 69-49 VS CUSTER
Hill City hosted Custer during the dedication of the Gins Gym in memory Cory Ginsbach. Mr. Ginsbach was the athletic director, coach, and teacher in the Hill City district for 23 years. In Cory’s earlier days he coached Dupree to back to back state tournament berths in the days of the big “B” state tournament. Hill City was grateful that Custer allowed the dedication ceremony between the boys and the girl’s game and also honored to name the gym in memory of a great man. In addition to the gym dedication, Hill City’s previous state track champions were honored, as well as Coach Gardner’s 2009 Coach of the year award presented to him by Coach Larry Luijens (South Dakota’s All Time Winningest Coach).
During the game: Derek Skillingstad led the Rangers with 17 points, Justin Klein scored 15, and Ryan Gimbel scored 10. Custer was led by Luke Roddy with 19, Chad Bryant with 14, and Brandon Miller with 13.
#21 1-22-2006 (L) 42-41 VS CUSTER
Fans were on the edge of their seats as Custer defeated Hill City 42-41 in overtime. Hill City was up 39-37 with 10 seconds to go when Custer ran a screen and roll to tie the game and force overtime. In overtime, Custer won the jump ball and scored on their first possession. Hill City scored on its next two possessions to take the lead. Custer was fouled with 4.6 seconds to go in the game as Issac Parson’s made 2 free throws to give Custer a 41-42 advantage. The Rangers could not convert the out of bounds play as Custer held on to win. TJ Schmidt led the Rangers with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
#22 2-14-2010 (L) 67-70 VS HOT SPRINGS
Hill City lost an overtime thriller as the largest lead either team had was 3 points. Tyler Triplet had a dynamic game scoring 18 points. Derek Skillingstad led the Rangers with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Housely led the Bison with 23 points and Jake Derr added 15.
#23 1-27-2012 (W) 72-53 VS HOT SPRINGS
On back to back nights Derek Skillingstad scored over 30 points as he dropped 36 on the Hot Springs Bison. John Lucas added 15 points for the Rangers in the victory. Ryan Merchen led the Bison with 26. Skillingstad would eventually be the 2nd leading scorer in Hill City History behind Andy Coy.
#24 12-12-08 (W) 63-29 VS NEWELL
Hill City traveled to Newell for the season opening game against the Irrigators. Both the Rangers and the ‘Gators were picked to finish near the top of the Black Hills Conference. Hill City played a near flawless first half and led 33-13. The Rangers were able to secure a 34 point victory and prevent any Newell players from reaching double figures. Clint Lewis led the Rangers with 22 points and Andy Coy added 14. The Rangers would finish 2nd in the Black Hills Conference during the 2008-2009 season.
#25 2-12-08 (W) 65-57 VS DOUGLAS
The Rangers led from the opening tip off and held on to win by 8 points. Despite sitting out the 4th quarter as punishment for a technical foul; Hudson Koel scored 24 points and grabbed a school record 21 rebounds. Andy Quenzer scored 14 points and Andy Coy scored 13 points. Nate Koch and Pete Melendez led the Patriots in scoring.
1,000 POINT CLUB
Only 3 Ranger Boys have eclipsed the 1,000 point mark. Andy Coy was the first ever (2009) and the all time leading scorer. He entered the Sundance game 6 points shy of 1,000. He scored the first 7 points of the game. The second player was Derek Skillingstad (2012). He broke the barrier in Belle Fourche. Devin Buehler broke the mark in 2023 against STM as an 11th grader making him the fastest Ranger to reach 1,000..
RECAP OF THE CUSTER VS HILL CITY DISTRICT GAME IN 2009
WRITTEN BY CHANCE CLASON (Class of 2010)
As a team we all knew it would most likely be the last varsity boy’s basket ball game ever played in the Bob Burden Gymnasium. The next year we would have the privilege to play in a brand new gym, but we didn’t care now. We had to go out in style. All the two-a-days were over, all the blood sweat and tears of the prior four months of the season and the summer work outs and camps. All the hard work, desire, and determination had to pay off. It was time to take what was ours, we knew they wouldn’t just give it to us, but we believed we wanted it more, we deserved it more, and we earned it.
The pre-game was just like we imagined it when we were little in elementary. Hundreds of fans all standing waiting to see their 2009 Rangers come storming out of the locker room with the fire and determination that they had seen all year. The band was playing so loud that upstairs while in our “locker room”, actually a science classroom due to construction; we could hear it pounding against the walls as if they were right next door.
The Custer Wildcats came out first and their section of fans roared in the bleachers. They wanted revenge for the two prior losses earlier in the season. For us it had been the same for the last three or four years, a first round district loss to our rival the Wildcats at their home thirteen short miles away. It was our turn now at home. We were more disciplined, we worked harder, and we wanted it more and were proud of that.
We ran down stairs into the front of the gym and grouped into a circle just like a bunch of Spartan warriors before battle. We yelled out our battle cry and it got the crowd excited, it got our coach excited, it got out parents and friends and family excited because they wanted us to succeed. I knew I wouldn’t play because of the starting talent but I didn’t care. We had the best group of seniors a team could ask for. All five starters had played together since they were little out on the playground during recess. At point guard we had Andy Coy the 1000 point scorer along with Clint Lewis and his silky smooth shooting at the other gaurd. Our playmaker Colton McLaughlin at one forward with all the hustle plays and Quint Wooldridge at the other. At center we had 6’5” Nash Koel replacing his older brother Hudson. It wasn’t just our starters either; we had depth full of young talent who wanted it just as bad as the seniors.
It was time. The pregame routine was over. The crowd was all on their feet and it was game time. The first quarter started out hot for us with a slick behind the back pass from Lewis to Woods. We could not keep it in our favor though with Custer leading 14-12 at the end of the first. We knew it was going to be a battle and we had the confidence we could win. How could it be possible to lose to them now? The second quarter was ours and we outscored them 13-11 to make the score going into the locker room 25-25. In the back of my mind I could not help but keep thinking about last year’s district game and how we went into halftime with the score tied and lost the game by one point. It didn’t seem to bother anyone else. We weren’t yelling or arguing with each other like many games before. We were the team that had come together like a family and knew we could win it all.
It was the second half and the fire and intensity form the first half had increased. We owned the third quarter. The conditioning showed. Custer was subbing starters in and out and they were not making the plays of the first half. The third quarter ended with us ahead 34-30, all we had to do was finish the fight. It was gut check time, who really wanted it more. The fourth quarter looked more like a school yard basketball game with no refs to call fouls. It wasn’t because either of us started playing sloppy or dirty basketball, it was because of the rivalry. Both teams wanted it and neither of us was going to give up till the last buzzer.
With just couple seconds left on the clock our hearts stopped. The score was 48-46 with us ahead but it all came down to one shot. This time the shot was for them and not us like the the year before when Andy threw up a quick jumper to win the game. Everyone was on their feet, the crowd screaming at the top of their lungs. Roddy took the shot…it hit the rim and bounced off. That was it, we had finally done it. It was our time. We basked in the moment because the moment was finally ours.
