The Class AA Boys Basketball State Tournament at the Monument Ice Arena in Rapid City
Saturday, March 21, 2026
No. 3 Huron 59, No. 1 Sioux Falls Lincoln 47 – State Championship
Huron turned a defensive slugfest into a championship celebration Saturday night.
Behind a balanced scoring effort and a dominant second quarter, third-seeded Huron knocked off No. 1 Sioux Falls Lincoln 59-47 in the Class AA boys basketball state championship game at the Monument Ice Arena.
The title is Huron’s first since 2004 and caps a 20-4 season, while Lincoln finished 23-1 and saw its two-year run of dominance come to an abrupt end.
Lincoln, which entered averaging 70 points per game, never found its rhythm offensively. The Patriots shot just 27% from the field and 6 of 33 from 3-point range, both season lows, as Huron dictated tempo from the second quarter on.
After trailing 11-8 at the end of the first quarter, Huron flipped the game with a 15-5 second period. Blake Ellwein and Myles Ellwein sparked the surge, combining for key perimeter shots as Huron took a 23-16 halftime lead.
Lincoln’s struggles continued after the break. Despite a brief push early in the third quarter, Huron answered with timely shooting and a 10-point run to stretch the lead to double digits. The Tigers led 38-28 entering the fourth.
Huron then methodically pulled away in the final period, shooting 75% from the field in the quarter and extending the lead to as many as 17 points. Lincoln never got closer than 10 the rest of the way.
Blake Ellwein led Huron with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Myles Ellwein added 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Chase Davis contributed six points and 10 rebounds, anchoring the interior defense.
Chase Schuchhardt provided a key spark off the bench with eight points, all in the first half, helping Huron build momentum.
Lincoln was led by Samuel DeGroot, who scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Brody Schafer added 14 points, but needed 14 shots to get there, and Sam Ericsson struggled to just three points on 1-of-14 shooting.
The Patriots’ 47 points marked their lowest output since a 32-29 loss to Watertown in the 2024 SoDak 16, snapping a 49-game stretch without being held that low.
Huron’s defense forced 12 turnovers and consistently contested Lincoln’s perimeter looks, holding the Patriots to 18% shooting from beyond the arc.
The loss ends a dominant two-year stretch for Lincoln, which went 45-3 over that span, including a third-place finish last season and its lone loss this year coming in the title game.
For Huron, the win also carries historical weight. The Tigers avenged a previous championship loss to Lincoln in 2009 and secured their long-awaited return to the top of Class AA.
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No. 2 Sioux Falls Roosevelt 76, No. 4 Harrisburg 72 – 3rd Place
Sioux Falls Roosevelt built a first-half cushion and made just enough plays down the stretch to hold off Harrisburg 76-72 in the Class AA boys basketball state tournament third-place game Saturday at the Monument Ice Arena.
Roosevelt (19-5) used a balanced scoring effort and strong inside play to secure the victory, finishing the tournament on a high note after leading 40-32 at halftime.
Deondre Painter led the Rough Riders with 18 points off the bench, including a key 3-pointer with 1:50 remaining that pushed the lead to seven. Justin Bilal added 16 points and knocked down four 3-pointers, while Memphis Bylander contributed 15 points and six rebounds. Bryson Skogsberg chipped in 14 points.
Roosevelt shot 48% from the field and hit 10 of 23 from beyond the arc, while also dominating the paint with a 36-14 scoring edge.
Harrisburg (17-7) stayed within striking distance behind strong perimeter shooting. Cole Kooiker scored a team-high 19 points, hitting five 3-pointers, while Crayton Jibben added 18 points and four assists. Stellan Larson recorded a double-double with 15 points and 18 rebounds.
After trailing by eight at halftime, Harrisburg rallied in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 58-53 heading into the fourth. The Tigers continued to push in the final period, tying the game at 66 on a Kooiker 3-pointer with 3:44 remaining.
Roosevelt responded with a composed closing stretch. Bylander and Painter combined for key baskets, and Bilal added a late bucket to help the Rough Riders regain control. Painter’s late 3-pointer created separation before Roosevelt sealed the game at the free-throw line in the closing seconds.
Harrisburg shot 38% from the field but stayed close by converting 12 3-pointers and going 18 of 22 at the free-throw line.
Roosevelt’s bench proved decisive, outscoring Harrisburg’s reserves 25-4.
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No. 5 Watertown 64, No. 7 Brandon Valley 60 – 5th Place
Watertown closed the game on a clutch fourth-quarter surge Saturday to defeat Brandon Valley 64-60 in the fifth-place game of the Class AA Boys Basketball State Tournament at the Monument Ice Arena.
Trailing 43-40 entering the final period, Watertown (18-6) erupted for 24 fourth-quarter points, fueled by timely shooting and near-perfect free-throw execution, to erase the deficit and pull away late.
Jack Mack led Watertown with 18 points, including an 11-of-12 performance from the free-throw line. Carter Buisker added 16 points, knocking down three 3-pointers and going 7-for-8 at the stripe, while Kaden Decker chipped in 13 points and Jackson McClemens finished with 12.
Brandon Valley (14-10) was paced by Ayuel Deng’s game-high 28 points on 11-of-20 shooting. Lincoln McInerney added 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and Austin Dowd contributed nine.
The Lynx built momentum in the third quarter, outscoring Watertown 11-6 to take a 43-40 lead into the final frame. McInerney hit a pair of key 3-pointers in the period, and Deng added interior scoring to help Brandon Valley seize control.
Watertown answered quickly in the fourth. Decker scored seven early points in the period, and Buisker tied the game at 45 with a 3-pointer. The teams traded baskets and free throws down the stretch, with neither side able to create separation until the final minute.
With the game tied at 57, Mack converted two free throws to give Watertown the lead for good. Buisker followed with a pair at the line to extend the margin to 59-57 with one minute remaining.
Deng kept Brandon Valley within reach, scoring inside and converting free throws to cut the deficit to 59-58 with 43 seconds left. But Watertown responded by going 5-for-6 at the line in the final seconds, sealing the win.
Despite shooting just 37 percent from the field, Watertown capitalized at the free-throw line, finishing 23-of-28 (82 percent). Brandon Valley shot a more efficient 46 percent from the field but struggled at the line, converting just 9-of-17 attempts.
Watertown also held a slight edge on the glass, 30-27, and scored seven second-chance points.
The game was tightly contested throughout, with Watertown holding a slim 34-32 lead at halftime. Neither team led by more than 10 points, and the outcome remained in doubt until the closing seconds.
Watertown secured fifth place with the win, while Brandon Valley finished sixth.
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No. 9 Tea Area 63, No. 6 O’Gorman 51 – 7th Place
Gavin Shawd poured in a game-high 30 points to lead No. 9 Tea Area to a 63-51 victory over No. 6 O’Gorman in the seventh-place game of the Class AA Boys Basketball State Tournament on Saturday at the Monument Ice Arena.
Tea Area (14-10) used a dominant second half, particularly a decisive third quarter, to pull away after the teams were tied 29-29 at halftime.
Shawd sparked the surge, scoring from all levels while finishing 10 of 23 from the field and 7 of 8 at the free-throw line. He scored 18 of his 30 points after halftime as the Titans outscored O’Gorman 34-22 over the final two quarters.
After trailing 17-10 at the end of the first quarter, Tea Area settled in during the second, outscoring O’Gorman 19-12 to pull even at the break. The Titans then seized control in the third quarter, opening on a 19-9 run to build a 48-38 lead heading into the fourth.
Griffin Wiebenga added 14 points and six rebounds for Tea Area, while Mitch Grant contributed 10 points and eight rebounds. The Titans controlled the glass 39-32 and outscored O’Gorman 38-24 in the paint.
O’Gorman (13-11) was led by Kamden Cisse, who finished with 20 points and eight rebounds. Jaxson Weeldreyer added 11 points, including three 3-pointers, while Mason Clark chipped in nine.
The Knights shot just 30 percent from the field and struggled to keep pace offensively after a strong opening quarter. O’Gorman led 17-10 after one and pushed its advantage to as many as 11 points in the second before Tea Area rallied late to tie the game.
Tea Area’s efficiency proved to be the difference, as the Titans shot 43 percent from the field and converted 11 of 12 free throws (91 percent).
A 3-pointer by Weeldreyer midway through the fourth quarter cut the deficit to seven, but Tea Area answered with a 6-0 run to push the lead back to double digits and seal the win.