Bucs sink Vikings ship with decisive victory

By Bob Kopp

Special correspondent

ROCKFORD – Recruiters at the next level who overlook rapidly developing Kurtis Dimond will have lots of questions to answer as the 6’6″ senior continues to develop in all aspects of the game under Head Coach Aaron Pearson and top assistant Nate Lister.  Any recruiter worth his compensation can see his very, very, very high ceiling.  His teachability and team-first demeanor along with raw athleticism will attract attention.

In what some readers may challenge as redundant, Dimond looks better and better every week; and Friday night at Guilford was another building block in his increasing reputation as a major force in the NIC-10 as he blocked shots, clogged the middle, stole passes, controlled the boards, and knocked down a team-leading 12 points in the Bucs convincing 56-42 win over Guilford.

The Bucs are loaded with talent and a deep roster that matches up well with the “best of the rest” to Auburn’s supremacy in the NIC-10 with more observers hinting at a must-see match-up with the Division-1-deep Knights at Auburn on February 7 at 7:00 p.m.

Rounding out the scoring against the Vikings, junior Deante Barnes continued to step up on both ends of the court (11), senior Colton Bahling started fast and remained steady (10), senior Ron Paris remains unstoppable in the paint (8), senior Tyler Lass brings energy and unflappable leadership after an early season injury (5), sophomore Austin Revolinski will be striking fear in opponents on the field, court, and diamond for the next 2 1/2 years (5), rugged enforcer junior Eric Munoz hit on a three (3), senior Jake Konaszewski inspires the thrill of competition (2), and seniors Ryan McKnight and Alex Hernandez provided feisty defense and court management to the W.

The Bucs return home on Saturday against Freeport at 7 p.m.