The Class A Boys Basketball State Tournament is set for March 19-21 at the Summit Arena in Rapid City
No. 1 Sioux Falls Christian 82, No. 8 St. Thomas More 59
Top-seeded Sioux Falls Christian left little doubt in its Class A state tournament opener Thursday, using a blistering offensive performance to run past No. 8 St. Thomas More 82-59 at Summit Arena.
The Chargers (21-1) shot a scorching 60 percent from the field and never trailed, steadily building separation each quarter to punch their ticket to the semifinals.
Sioux Falls Christian set the tone early, jumping out to a 20-15 lead after one quarter behind efficient interior scoring from Brant Wassenaar. The Cavaliers (17-5) kept things within reach early, getting strong play from Wyatt Gylten and Broeden Sales, but the tide turned decisively in the second quarter.
The Chargers dominated the middle eight minutes, outscoring St. Thomas More 22-10 to take a commanding 42-25 halftime lead. Sioux Falls Christian shot better than 64 percent in the quarter and repeatedly found success in the paint, while also getting a spark from the bench.
Wassenaar led the charge with a game-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting, consistently finishing around the rim and facilitating offense with six assists. Canyon Prins added 14 points off the bench, while Mitchell Hofer chipped in 11, including three 3-pointers.
The Cavaliers struggled to keep pace offensively, particularly from beyond the arc where they shot just 4-of-21 (19 percent). Gylten paced St. Thomas More with 21 points and nine rebounds, while Sales added 16 points on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting night.
Any hopes of a second-half comeback were quickly erased. Sioux Falls Christian extended its lead to 61-41 by the end of the third quarter, continuing to capitalize on high-percentage looks and ball movement. The Chargers finished with 14 assists and outscored the Cavaliers 52-40 in the paint.
Sioux Falls Christian’s depth also proved decisive, outscoring St. Thomas More 28-6 in bench points and maintaining fresh legs throughout the game.
The Chargers pushed the lead to as many as 26 in the fourth quarter before emptying the bench in the final minutes.
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No. 4 Hamlin 65, No. 5 Groton Area 61
In a game that never strayed far from reach, fourth-seeded Hamlin delivered when it mattered most.
Behind a dominant fourth quarter from Boden Stevenson, Hamlin erased a late deficit and held off No. 5 Groton Area for a 65-61 victory in the opening round of the Class A Boys Basketball State Tournament on Thursday at Summit Arena.
Stevenson poured in a game-high 27 points, including a pair of clutch 3-pointers and key free throws in the final minutes, as the Chargers (21-3) advanced to the semifinals.
Groton Area (18-5) led 43-41 entering the fourth quarter and briefly regained control midway through the period when Easton Weber’s third 3-pointer of the half put the Tigers ahead 55-54 with 2:46 remaining.
But Hamlin answered immediately.
Stevenson drilled a go-ahead 3 with 2:21 left to give the Chargers a 57-55 edge, then buried another triple with 34 seconds remaining to stretch the lead to four. He added two free throws in the final seconds to seal it.
Jackson Wadsworth added 20 points for Hamlin, doing much of his damage at the free-throw line, while Jack Stormo contributed eight points and five assists. The Chargers shot a blistering 52.6 percent from 3-point range (10-of-19), including 5-of-6 in the fourth quarter.
Groton Area was equally efficient offensively, shooting 54.5 percent from the field, but struggled to match Hamlin’s perimeter surge late.
Karson Zak led the Tigers with 23 points on an efficient 10-of-12 shooting night, while Gage Sippel added 12 points and six rebounds. Weber provided a spark off the bench with nine points, all coming on 3-pointers, including two critical makes in the final period.
The Tigers controlled much of the middle portion of the game. After trailing 11-9 at the end of the first quarter, Groton Area used a strong second quarter to take a 26-24 halftime lead, then carried that momentum into the third.
A buzzer-beating 3 from Weber at the end of the third quarter gave Groton Area a 43-41 advantage heading into the final eight minutes.
From there, it turned into a back-and-forth battle featuring six ties in the fourth quarter alone before Hamlin’s outside shooting ultimately made the difference.
Hamlin also capitalized on second-chance opportunities late, grabbing key offensive rebounds in the closing minute that helped extend possessions and draw fouls.
Despite the loss, Groton Area found success inside, outscoring Hamlin 32-22 in the paint and getting 11 points from its bench.
In the end, though, it was Stevenson and the Chargers’ hot shooting from beyond the arc that proved decisive.
Hamlin advances to the Class A semifinals, while Groton Area moves to the consolation bracket.
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No. 2 West Central 75, No. 7 Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 41
No. 2 West Central opened the Class A Boys Basketball State Tournament with a dominant 75-41 victory over No. 7 Cheyenne-Eagle Butte at the Summit Arena.
The Trojans (22-0) set the tone early, jumping to an 18-8 lead in the first quarter behind Connor Mebius, who scored nine points in the opening period. West Central’s pressure defense forced turnovers and created transition opportunities, while Mebius and Hayden Heier hit timely baskets to keep the Braves off balance.
West Central extended its lead in the second quarter, building a 32-14 halftime advantage. Will Kuhl’s scoring and rebounding, combined with contributions from Boche Knight and Bubba Kono, allowed the Trojans to dominate both the paint and the perimeter. Cheyenne-Eagle Butte struggled to find offensive rhythm, making just 30% of their shots in the first half. Damien Clown and Levi Elknation provided some offense for the Braves but couldn’t keep pace.
The Trojans’ dominance continued in the third quarter, outscoring Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 26-10. Mebius remained a constant threat inside, while Knight and Kuhl added key 3-pointers. Cheyenne-Eagle Butte’s Nicholas Woods II had a few offensive rebounds and free throws, but the Thunderbirds never cut the deficit below 20 points.
West Central controlled the fourth quarter, with Tanner Wagner, Carter Gross, and Austin Johnson chipping in, allowing the Trojans to maintain their lead comfortably. West Central finished the game shooting 51% from the field, compared with Cheyenne-Eagle Butte’s 30%, and outscored the Braves in nearly every statistical category, including points in the paint (50-18) and points off turnovers (23-4).
Clown led Cheyenne-Eagle Butte with 15 points, including three 3-pointers, while Elknation added 10. Mebius finished with 25 points and four rebounds for West Central, while Kuhl added 11 points and eight rebounds.
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No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake 66, No. 6 Stanley County 36
In a dominant performance at the Summit Arena, No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake (21-2) cruised past No. 6 Stanley County (20-3) 66-36 in the opening round of the Class A Boys Basketball State Tournament on Thursday night.
Clark/Willow Lake jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back, outscoring Stanley County 16-4 in the second quarter to take control. The Warriors showcased efficient shooting, hitting 52% from the field and out-rebounding Stanley County 42-31.
Chris Bevers led Clark/Willow Lake with 24 points, adding six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Emmerson Larson contributed 18 points, while Sullivan Felberg added 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Bo Begeman chipped in 10 points with seven rebounds and four assists.
Stanley County struggled offensively, shooting just 22% from the field and 13% from three-point range. Paxton Deal led the Stallions with 15 points, while Eddie Duffy added six.
Clark/Willow Lake dominated inside the paint (44-18) and forced 11 turnovers while limiting Stanley County to just seven points off turnovers. The Warriors’ balanced attack and stout defense were too much for Stanley County, who managed only 36 points on the night.
The victory advances Clark/Willow Lake to the quarterfinals, where they will face No. 2 West Central at 7:45 pm CST