South Dakota state boys basketball action continued on Friday with the semifinal and consolation semifinal rounds. Here's a recap from Friday and the schedule for Saturday.
Friday
Class AA
Semifinals
No. 1 Mitchell 72 No. 5 Sioux Falls Washington 51
Top seeded Mitchell advanced to the championship game by defeating Washington 72-51 on Friday night. The Kernels shot 53% from the field, which included an impressive 47% from three-point range. Mitchell was led by Gavin Soukup, who scored 22-points and had eight assists. Markus Talley also put up 21-points. Washington’s top scorer in the contest was Jhace Woods, who finished with 16-points.
No. 3 Brandon Valley 61 No. 2 Harrisburg 52
Brandon Valley defeated Harrisburg 61-52 on Friday in the semifinal round. Josh Olthoff had a big day for the Lynx, scoring 20-points and snagging seven rebounds. Aiden Zerr also scored 15-points and Heyde Anderson contributed 14-points for Brandon Valley. Harrisburg was led by Jacoby Mehrman, who finished with 15-points.
Consolation Semifinals
No. 8 Sioux Falls Jefferson 60 No. 4 Sioux Falls Roosevelt 38
Jefferson will play Saturday for the consolation championship after defeating Roosevelt 60-38 on Friday afternoon. The Cavaliers were led by Daniel Jones, who scored 12-points. Damaris Fields and Dawson Sechser each tallied 11-points as well for Jefferson. The Cavaliers shot 43% from the field. Naser Ismail led the scoring for Roosevelt with 12-points in the contest.
No. 7 Watertown 54 No. 6 Huron 51
Watertown squeaked past Huron on Friday 54-51 to advance to the consolation championship. A last second three by the Tigers didn’t beat the buzzer, and the Arrows were victorious. Dylon Rawdon scored 20-points to lead Huron, ten of which came from the charity stripe. Huron was led by Blake Ellwein, who recorded 27-points and nine rebounds in the loss.
Class A
Semifinals
No. 1 Sioux Falls Christian 50 No. 5 Dakota Valley 48
Sioux Falls Christian survived a near upset against Dakota Valley on Friday 50-48 to advance to the state title game. At one-point, the Panthers trailed by eleven. Dakota Valley had a look from beyond the arc with two-seconds to play, but the bucket hit back iron, and the Chargers celebration began. Griffen Goodbary had 20-points and nine rebounds for Sioux Falls Christian. Dakota Valley was led by Jaxson Wingert, who scored 20-points and had eight boards in the loss.
No. 2 Hamlin 62 No. 6 Rapid City Christian 45
For the first time since 1983, Hamlin will play for a boys state basketball title. The Chargers defeated Rapid City Christian 62-45 in the semifinal round on Friday night. Hamlin shot 45% from the floor. Tyson Stevenson and Easton Neuendorf both led the scoring for the Chargers with 17-points. The Comets were led in scoring by Simon Kieffer, who dropped 17-points in the contest.
Consolation Semifinals
No. 4 Pine Ridge 79 No. 8 Vermillion 63
Pine Ridge bounced back on Friday with a 79-63 win over Vermillion. As a team, the Thorpes shot 46% from the floor and 40% from beyond the arc. They also were +8 in the rebound category. Jaylin Rouillard finished with 26-points for Pine Ridge, while Marvin Richard III also contributed 19 in the scoring column and grabbed 13-rebounds for the Thorpes. Trey Hansen led Vermillion with 20-points and 11 boards.
No. 3 Sioux Valley 67 No. 7 Groton Area 58
Sioux Valley came into Friday coming off a double overtime quarterfinal loss to Rapid City Christian. The Cossacks defeated Groton Area in the consolation semifinals 67-58. Alec Squires finished with 31-points and 12 rebounds to lead Sioux Valley. On the other side, Ryder Johnson scored 19-points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Tigers.
Class B
Semifinals
No. 5 Howard 48 No. 1 White River 42
Howard took down top seeded White River 48-42 in the semifinals on Friday night. Both teams shot 37% from the field. Howard won the rebound battle with a +14 differential. Carson Hinker led the scoring for Howard with 11-points. Taiden Hoyer, Luke Koepsell, and Kolt Koepsell all scored ten-points for Howard as well. Nicolas Marshall scored 20-points for White River in the contest.
No. 2 De Smet 40 No. 3 Castlewood 37
De Smet edged past Castlewood 40-37 on Friday night, and the Bulldogs, the three-time defending state champs, are returning to the ‘B’ title game. Tom Aughenbaugh led De Smet with 12-points. George Jense, who was the hero in the quarterfinal game, dropped 11-points in the contest. Castlewood’s leading scorer was Jamison Keszler, who finished with 14-points.
Consolation Semifinals
No. 4 Wessington Springs vs No. 8 Viborg-Hurley
Wessington Springs defeated Viborg-Hurley 52-39 on Friday afternoon in Aberdeen during the consolation semifinals. As a team, the Spartans shot 41% from the field in the contest. Parker Graff led Wessington Springs in scoring with 18-points. Blake Larson also contributed with 16-points for the Spartans in the win. Viborg-Hurley was led by Brady Schroedermeier, who scored 17-points. Nick Hanson also had 15-points for the Cougars and led the team in rebounds with nine.
No.7 Gregory 65 No. 6 Leola/Frederick Area 64
After suffering a heartbreaking loss to De Smet in the quarterfinals, Gregory bounced back to defeat Leola/Frederick Area 65-64 on Friday. As a team, the Gorillas shot 49%. Danie Mitchell and Cruz Klundt both dropped 18-points for Gregory. The Titans were led in scoring by Brayd Sumpton, who scored 18-points and grabbed four rebounds.
Saturday Schedule
Class AA
7th: No. 4 Sioux Falls Roosevelt vs No. 6 Huron – 12 pm CT
5th: No. 7 Watertown vs No. 8 Sioux Falls Jefferson – 1:45 pm CT
3rd: No. 2 Harrisburg vs No. 5 Sioux Falls Washington – 6 pm CT
Championship: No. 1 Mitchell vs No. 3 Brandon Valley – 7:45 pm CT
Class A
7th: No. 8 Vermillion vs No. 7 Groton Area – 12 pm MT
5th: No. 4 Pine Ridge vs No. 3 Sioux Valley – 1:45 pm MT
3rd: No. 5 Dakota Valley vs No. 6 Rapid City Christian – 6 pm MT
Championship: No. 1 Sioux Falls Christian vs No. 2 Hamlin – 7:45 pm MT
Class B
7th: No. 6 Leola/Frederick Area vs No. 8 Viborg-Hurley – 12 pm CT
5th: No. 4 Wessington Springs vs No. 6 Gregory – 1:45 pm CT
3rd: No. 1 White River vs No. 3 Castlewood – 6 pm CT
Championship: No. 2 De Smet vs No. 5 Howard – 7:45 pm CT
