The Class AA Boys Basketball State Tournament at the Monument Ice Arena in Rapid City
Friday, March 20, 2026
No. 1 Sioux Falls Lincoln 53, No. 4 Harrisburg 48, Semifinals
Top-seeded Sioux Falls Lincoln found itself in a fight Friday night.
Behind 24 points from Samuel DeGroot and a clutch defensive effort down the stretch, unbeaten Lincoln held off No. 4 Harrisburg 53-48 in the Class AA boys basketball state semifinals at the Monument Ice Arena.
The Patriots (23-0) advanced to the state championship game, but not without a scare. After winning the regular-season meeting by 13 points, Lincoln had to grind through one of its lowest-scoring performances of the season. Its 53 points marking the second-lowest total for a team averaging 71 per game.
Harrisburg (17-6) never led but stayed within striking distance throughout, pulling even twice in a tightly contested second half.
Lincoln led 26-25 at halftime before Harrisburg surged in the third quarter. The Tigers briefly grabbed momentum with a 7-0 run to open the half and later tied the game at 37 and 41. DeGroot answered each push, scoring in the paint and converting key free throws to keep the Patriots in front.
DeGroot finished 10 of 16 from the field and added five rebounds and four blocks, anchoring a Lincoln defense that limited Harrisburg to just seven points in the fourth quarter.
Lincoln created separation midway through the final period. Baskets by Owen Duffy and DeGroot pushed the lead to 49-42 with 5:38 remaining, and the Patriots maintained control from the free-throw line. Brody Schafer, who finished with 11 points and seven assists, knocked down four late free throws to seal it.
Harrisburg had chances late but struggled offensively in the fourth, shooting just 2 of 10 from the field. Cole Kooiker’s 3-pointer at the buzzer accounted for the final margin.
Stellen Larson led Harrisburg with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Kooiker and Crayton Jibben each added 11. The Tigers leaned heavily on perimeter shooting, hitting nine 3-pointers, but were outscored 32-12 in the paint.
Lincoln, which has now gone 45-2 over the past two seasons with both losses coming last year to Mitchell, used its interior presence and defense to survive a game that featured no lead changes and no ties after the opening minutes.
The Patriots will play for the Class AA state championship Saturday.
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No. 3 Huron 53, No. 2 Sioux Falls Roosevelt 44 – Semifinals
The Huron Tigers used a dominant second half and clutch free-throw shooting to pull away from Sioux Falls Roosevelt Rough Riders for a 53-44 victory in the Class AA boys basketball state semifinals Friday night at the Monument Ice Arena.
Huron (19-4) trailed 23-21 at halftime but seized control with a 19-10 third quarter, fueled by defense and timely scoring, to take a 40-33 lead into the final period. The Tigers then iced the game at the free-throw line, finishing 28 of 32 (87%) to secure their spot in Saturday’s championship.
Blake Ellwein led all scorers with 23 points despite shooting just 4 of 21 from the field, doing most of his damage at the line by going 15 of 17. He also added 13 rebounds. Anderson Porisch chipped in 13 points and five rebounds, while Myles Ellwein added eight points, including a key 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter.
Roosevelt (18-5) started strong, taking a 14-12 lead after one quarter and holding a slim halftime edge, but struggled offensively down the stretch. The Rough Riders shot just 29% from the field and went more than five minutes without a field goal in the fourth quarter.
Memphis Bylander paced Roosevelt with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while Deondre Painter added 14 points, including eight free throws. Akol Thyab contributed seven points and four rebounds off the bench.
The turning point came midway through the third quarter when Huron used a 13-2 run, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Carter Porisch and a string of Ellwein free throws, to turn a one-point deficit into a seven-point advantage.
Roosevelt cut the margin to 42-40 on Painter’s 3-pointer with 5:30 remaining, but Huron responded with six straight points and never allowed the Rough Riders to get closer than four the rest of the way.
Huron also capitalized on Roosevelt’s mistakes, scoring 20 points off 15 turnovers, while controlling the glass with a 34-27 rebounding edge.
The Tigers will play for the Class AA state championship Saturday night vs. undefeated Sioux Falls Lincoln, while Roosevelt moves to the third-place game vs. Harrisburg.
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No. 5 Watertown 73, No. 9 Tea Area 68, Consolation Semifinals
Fifth-seeded Watertown erupted in the fourth quarter to rally past No. 9 Tea Area 73-68 in the consolation semifinals of the Class AA boys basketball state tournament Friday at the Monument Ice Arena.
Trailing by 10 entering the final period, Watertown (17-6) outscored Tea Area 32-17 in the fourth, using a barrage of 3-pointers and clutch free-throw shooting to complete the comeback.
Carter Buisker led Watertown with 34 points, including five 3-pointers, and went 15-for-16 from the free-throw line. Jackson McClemens added 24 points and hit three 3s, including key baskets down the stretch as the Arrows took control late.
Tea Area (13-10) was powered by Gavin Shawd, who poured in a game-high 40 points on 15-of-25 shooting. Grifin Wiebenga contributed 16 points for the Titans.
Tea Area led 28-25 at halftime and stretched its advantage to 51-41 after a strong third quarter behind Shawd, who scored repeatedly in the paint and at the line.
Watertown turned the game early in the fourth. Buisker hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two, and Dane Stark tied the game at 51-51 with a layup moments later. The teams traded the lead until Watertown gained separation in the final two minutes.
McClemens gave Watertown the lead for good at 66-63 with 1:49 remaining, then scored again on the next possession to extend the margin. Buisker and the Arrows sealed the win at the free-throw line, hitting 10 of their final 12 attempts.
Watertown finished 23 of 36 at the line and held a 36-30 rebounding edge, including a 13-5 advantage on the offensive glass that led to key second-chance points.
The Arrows advance to the consolation championship, while Tea Area will play in the seventh-place game.
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No. 7 Brandon Valley 57, No. 6 O’Gorman 52 – Consolation Semifinals
No. 7 Brandon Valley built a big first-half cushion and held off a late surge from No. 6 O’Gorman to secure a 57-52 win in the Class AA boys basketball consolation semifinals Friday at the Monument Ice Arena.
Brandon Valley (14-9) used a strong second quarter to take control, outscoring O’Gorman 20-13 in the period and carrying a 36-25 lead into halftime. The Lynx shot efficiently early, hitting 8 of 12 field goals in the second quarter, including four 3-pointers, to stretch the margin to as many as 11.
O’Gorman (13-10) chipped away in the second half behind Mason Clark, who led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting. The Knights trimmed the deficit to six by the end of the third quarter and continued to apply pressure in the fourth.
A 3-pointer from Chace Hermanson and a three-point play by Clark pulled O’Gorman within 50-48 midway through the final period. The Knights later cut it to 52-50 on a basket by Talec Schlimgen and to 55-52 after Jaxson Weeldreyer scored inside with 1:40 remaining.
But Brandon Valley answered at the free-throw line and on a key late possession. Ayuel Deng knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:09 left to push the lead back to five, and the Lynx converted 16 of 24 free throws overall to help seal the win.
Brayden Knutson paced Brandon Valley with 17 points, including four 3-pointers, while Austin Dowd added 13 points and eight rebounds. Lincoln McInerney contributed 12 points, going 7 of 9 from the free-throw line.
Weeldreyer added 10 points for O’Gorman, and Leyton Arend chipped in six off the bench with a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter.
O’Gorman shot just 36 percent from the field and 24 percent from 3-point range, which proved costly despite a strong effort inside and a 29-29 rebounding battle.
Brandon Valley advances to the consolation championship, while O’Gorman moves to the seventh-place game.