Men’s basketball drops contest to Elk Grove on Break the Record Night

By Eton Tuttle,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

It was a sea of white on Friday, Jan. 29 in the North Gym, as 1021 fans filled the bleachers and cheered for the hometown Blue Devils on Break the Record Night.

The loud and raucous crowd, which stood and screamed throughout the duration of the game, was treated to a very exciting and close game as the Davis High men’s basketball team (8-13, 1-7) fell to visiting Elk Grove (15-6, 5-3) 72-62.

The fans, which were silent until DHS reached its 10th point and then went wild after a three-ball from senior Ryan Kreidler (as per the “Silent Night” tradition), set the atmosphere of the game early. And they were ecstatic when the Blue Devils took a 36-30 lead into the intermission.

“It was pretty electric in there, and as a player it’s special when you get to play in front of half of your school, representing Davis. I definitely think the crowd helped us play with energy in the first half,” Kreidler said.

The Thundering Herd lived up to its name in the second half, turning the tables on DHS and taking a 50-45 advantage into the fourth quarter.

The Devils, led by a two-pronged offensive attack from Kreidler and senior Glen Welch, who finished with 18 and 15 points respectively, fought to keep the game close in fourth period, and managed to cut the lead to four with four minutes left to play.

But the team’s second-half offensive woes proved too much to overcome as Elk Grove closed out the game with a 10-point cushion.

“[In the second half] our shots weren’t falling, our offensive rebounding struggled and we didn’t just play as carefully as we needed to in big-game situations like that,” Kreidler said. “But all-in-all, though, I think we played one of our better games this season regardless of the outcome.”

The Blue Devils will have a chance to right the ship Monday, Feb. 1 in Carmichael against Jesuit.