The Class A Boys Basketball State Tournament at the Summit Arena in Rapid City
Friday, March 20, 2026
No. 1 Sioux Falls Christian 58, No. 4 Hamlin 47, Semifinals
Top-seeded Sioux Falls Christian leaned on its inside dominance and depth Friday night to defeat No. 4 Hamlin 58-47 in the Class A boys basketball state semifinals at the Summit Arena.
The Chargers (22-1) advanced to the championship game for the fourth straight season, continuing a remarkable three-year run that now stands at 71-3.
Sioux Falls Christian controlled the game from the outset and never trailed, building a 29-22 halftime advantage behind a strong interior presence. The Chargers scored 38 points in the paint and added 13 second-chance points, consistently wearing down Hamlin’s defense.
Brant Wassenaar led the way with 28 points on 12-of-19 shooting, anchoring the Chargers’ attack inside. Canyon Prins provided a major lift off the bench with 14 points and nine rebounds, helping Sioux Falls Christian win the rebounding battle 36-24 and outscore Hamlin’s bench 17-0.
Hamlin (21-4) kept things close in the third quarter, trimming the deficit to one point at 29-28 on a 3-pointer by Jack Stormo. The Chargers responded with a surge, closing the period on a 13-9 run capped by a Cooper Goodbary 3-pointer at the buzzer to take a 42-37 lead into the fourth.
Sioux Falls Christian put the game away midway through the final quarter. Back-to-back baskets from Prins and Wassenaar pushed the lead to double digits, and the Chargers capitalized on turnovers to extend the margin to 51-39 with 2:31 remaining.
Hamlin briefly rallied behind Aiden Abraham and Jackson Wadsworth, who combined for 26 points, cutting the deficit to seven. But Sioux Falls Christian sealed the win at the free-throw line, knocking down 6 of 8 attempts in the final minute.
Wadsworth led Hamlin with 15 points, while Abraham added 11 and Stormo finished with eight. The Chargers held Hamlin to 38.6 percent shooting and forced 12 turnovers.
The victory adds another chapter to a budding Class A rivalry. Sioux Falls Christian defeated Hamlin in last year’s championship game, while Hamlin claimed the 2024 title meeting between the two programs.
Now, the Chargers will have a chance to defend their crown.
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No. 2 West Central 56, No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake 43, Semifinals
Second-seeded West Central wasted little time asserting control Friday night.
Behind a dominant start and a steady parade to the free-throw line, unbeaten West Central pulled away for a 56-43 victory over No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake in the Class A boys basketball state semifinals at Summit Arena.
West Central (24-0) advances to Saturday night’s championship game, while Clark/Willow Lake ends its season at 21-2.
The tone was set early. West Central held Clark/Willow Lake to just one field goal in the opening quarter and raced to a 10-2 lead. The Cyclones’ defensive pressure forced tough shots throughout the first half, as Clark/Willow Lake shot just 34 percent from the field and 3 of 17 from 3-point range for the game.
West Central extended its lead to 21-14 at halftime and then created separation in the third quarter. A 15-7 run in the period pushed the margin to 36-21, highlighted by inside scoring from Will Kuhl and timely perimeter play from Boche Knight.
Kuhl led West Central with 16 points and nine rebounds, anchoring the paint on both ends. Connor Mebius added a game-high 22 points, doing most of his damage at the free-throw line where he went a perfect 14-for-14. West Central finished 21 of 28 from the stripe.
Clark/Willow Lake never led and struggled to find consistent offense until the fourth quarter, when it scored 22 points and shot nearly 70 percent. By then, the deficit was too large to overcome.
Sullivan Felberg paced Clark/Willow Lake with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Bo Begeman added eight points and five boards. Chris Bevers contributed seven points but was limited to 3-of-12 shooting.
West Central outrebounded Clark/Willow Lake 37-28 and capitalized on turnovers for a 10-5 edge in points off miscues.
Clark/Willow Lake closed the gap to 10 points late, but West Central sealed the game at the line in the final two minutes, with Mebius knocking down a series of free throws to keep the Wildcats comfortably in front.
With the win, West Central remains unbeaten and will look to cap its perfect season with a state championship on Saturday night vs. Sioux Falls Christian.
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No. 5 Groton Area 96, No. 8 St. Thomas More 92 (2 OT), Consolation Semifinals
No. 8 St. Thomas More survived a double-overtime thriller Friday, edging No. 5 Groton Area 94-92 in the consolation semifinals of the Class A Boys Basketball State Tournament at the Summit Arena.
The Cavaliers (17-6) capped a back-and-forth game with a late basket from Max Speed with one second remaining in the second overtime, breaking a 92-92 tie and sending St. Thomas More into the consolation championship.
Groton Area (18-5) had taken a 92-90 lead earlier in the second extra session on a Ryder Johnson basket, but St. Thomas More answered down the stretch, getting a tying bucket from Noah Wald before Speed delivered the game-winner.
The Tigers came out hot, building a 22-12 lead after the first quarter behind strong perimeter shooting. Groton Area knocked down 13 3-pointers in the game, including six from Johnson, and maintained a 35-30 halftime advantage.
St. Thomas More gradually chipped away in the second half. The Cavaliers used a strong fourth quarter, fueled by outside shooting from Wyatt Gylten and Wald, to erase a six-point deficit and force overtime. Johnson tied the game at 73-all with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send it to the extra period.
The first overtime solved nothing. Both teams traded big shots, including a pair of late 3-pointers from Karson Zak, the final one tying the game at 84-84 at the end of the first overtime.
In the second overtime, Groton Area briefly seized momentum behind Johnson’s scoring, but St. Thomas More responded with efficient inside play and clutch execution in the final minute.
Wald provided a major spark off the bench for St. Thomas More, scoring 21 points, while Gylten added 24 points, including six 3-pointers. Broeden Sales chipped in 16 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
Groton Area was led by Zak and Johnson, who each scored 26 points. Zak went 10-of-11 from the free-throw line, while Johnson hit six 3-pointers. Keegan Tracy added 15 points, and Gage Sippel finished with 12.
St. Thomas More held a slight edge on the glass, outrebounding Groton Area 37-31, and got a key boost from its bench, which outscored the Tigers’ reserves 21-5.
The loss drops Groton Area into the seventh-place game, while St. Thomas More advances to play for fifth place.
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No. 7 Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 58, No. 6 Stanley County 57 – Consolation Semifinals
Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Braves survived a back-and-forth battle Friday afternoon, edging Stanley County Buffaloes 58-57 in the Class A boys basketball consolation semifinals at the Summit Arena at The Monument.
Damien Clown delivered the decisive moment, knocking down a free throw with 33 seconds remaining to give the Braves a one-point lead they would not relinquish. Stanley County had a final possession, but a turnover in the closing seconds sealed the outcome.
Clown led all scorers with 23 points, adding four steals, while Levi Elknation provided 16 points as Cheyenne-Eagle Butte improved to 20-4. The Braves capitalized on turnovers throughout the game, turning them into a 16-2 advantage in points off miscues.
Stanley County (20-4) was paced by Paxton Deal’s 18 points, including four 3-pointers, while Eddie Duffy added 15 points and seven assists. Teegyn Breitag controlled the glass with 14 rebounds to go along with 10 points.
The game featured multiple momentum swings. Cheyenne-Eagle Butte led 18-15 after one quarter, but Stanley County responded to take a 32-31 halftime advantage behind hot perimeter shooting.
The Braves seized control in the third quarter, shooting 63% from the field and outscoring Stanley County 16-12 to take a 47-44 lead into the final period. Elknation and Clown combined to fuel the surge with efficient scoring inside.
Stanley County battled back in the fourth, reclaiming the lead at 57-55 after a Brendon Bothwell 3-pointer with 2:29 remaining. However, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte answered, tying the game on a Nehemiah Veaux basket before Clown’s late free throw proved to be the difference.
Cheyenne-Eagle Butte also held a 30-20 edge in points in the paint and received a boost from its bench, which outscored Stanley County’s reserves 9-1.
The Braves advance to the consolation championship, while Stanley County will play for seventh place.