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De Smet's Kalen Garry scores 87 points, hits game-winner and creates national headlines in whirlwind week

michael mccleary, sioux falls argus leader
·2 min read
De Smet's Kalen Garry and Tory Holland compete with Viborg-Hurley's Gradee Sherman and Calvin Rasmussen for a rebound on Saturday, January 2, the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
De Smet's Kalen Garry and Tory Holland compete with Viborg-Hurley's Gradee Sherman and Calvin Rasmussen for a rebound on Saturday, January 2, the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.

De Smet boys basketball guard Kalen Garry had a huge week.

The 3-1 Bulldogs are enjoying a strong start to the season, losing just one of their first four games — but that one loss isn't even to a team in South Dakota. Garry's 87 points in De Smet's three games this week are a big part of that success.

Garry started his whirlwind week that would eventually create national attention Tuesday by creating a stir at the end of the Bulldogs game against Clark/Willow Lake. De Smet was down three points with just under seven seconds left when Garry hit a 3-pointer to tie the game.

It looked like Clark/Willow Lake would have one last chance to go ahead, but De Smet's Rett Osthus stole the inbounds pass and got it right back to Garry. Garry hit a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded to give him 32 points for the game and steal the Bulldogs its first victory of the week.

It only got better from there.

Garry had 20 points in a 68-17 win over Estelline/Hendricks, a game that wouldn't turn any heads had Garry not gotten a breakout opportunity late in the first half. Off a bad pass by the Redhawks, Garry stole the ball and threw down a left-handed windmill in transition.

That would have been enough for the senior — an explosive game and a highlight to finish out the week — but the very next day the Bulldogs had a matchup with Dream City Christian, a nationally-ranked team from Arizona. So, Garry had to keep going.

And he did. In a matchup that featured the No. 1-, No. 29- and No. 52-best players in the country per ESPN 100, Garry was one of the best players on the court. His 35 points in the game nearly had De Smet pull off a massive upset, losing 61-57. It gained national attention, where posts emphasized the small town he's from.

But Garry's a big-time player. And after this week, maybe not just in South Dakota.

Follow Sioux Falls Argus Leader reporter Michael McCleary on Twitter @mikejmccleary.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Kalen Garry: You'll never believe De Smet senior's incredible week