Travis Kriens
KORN News Radio Sports Director
The road to the Class B state boys basketball tournament continues Tuesday night as the SoDak 16 tips off across South Dakota.
Eight games will determine the final teams advancing to the Class B State Tournament, scheduled for March 19-21 at the Barnett Center in Aberdeen.
Top seeds headline the bracket
No. 1 seed Viborg-Hurley (19-3) will face No. 16 White River (12-10) at 5:30 p.m. at Mitchell High School. Viborg-Hurley advanced after defeating Centerville 58-35 in the Region 4B semifinals behind 19 points and eight rebounds from Brady Schroedermeier.
The nightcap in Mitchell features No. 2 seed Freeman (20-2) against No. 15 Lower Brule (12-10) at 7 p.m. Freeman enters the matchup riding an 18 game winning streak after defeating Parkston 63-54 in the Region 4B semifinals. David Walter led the Flyers with 30 points and 15 rebounds in that victory.
No. 3 seed De Smet (18-4) will meet No. 14 Ipswich (14-8) at Huron Arena. De Smet rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat Deubrook Area 53-51 in region play, with Grant Wilkinson scoring 27 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
Strong middle matchups
Several SoDak 16 games feature teams that were ranked in the final media poll of the season.
No. 5 Castlewood (19-3) will take on No. 12 Timber Lake (15-7) in Miller. Castlewood enters the postseason ranked No. 1 in the final media poll and defeated Wessington Springs 55-53 in region action behind 18 points from Kamden Keszler.
No. 6 Wall (18-4) travels to Kadoka to face No. 11 Sanborn Central/Woonsocket (17-5). The Blackhawks earned their spot by defeating Ethan 51-47 in overtime in the Region 3B semifinals. Grant Edwards led SCW with 15 points and eight rebounds.
No. 4 Aberdeen Christian (19-3) faces No. 13 Sioux Falls Lutheran (16-6) in Watertown. Lutheran advanced after upsetting top-seeded Bridgewater-Emery 52-43 behind 22 points from Kade Matthies.
Historic opportunities for several teams
Other matchups include No. 7 Leola-Frederick Area (17-5) hosting No. 10 Lyman (16-6) in Huron and No. 8 Sully Buttes (17-5) taking on No. 9 Dupree (18-4) in Gettysburg.
Several programs are chasing historic appearances. Dupree is looking to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2013, while Sanborn Central/Woonsocket has never qualified for the State B tournament since the schools formed a co-op. Woonsocket last appeared in 1992 before the co-op began.
Recent state tournament success
Many of the contenders have recent experience in Aberdeen.
Castlewood won last year’s Class B championship, defeating Viborg-Hurley 52-31 in the title game. De Smet captured the 2024 state championship and previously finished runner-up three straight years from 2021-23.
Freeman also returns after making the state tournament last season for the first time since 1999 and is considered one of the favorites.
Class B Boys SoDak 16 — Tuesday, March 10
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No. 1 Viborg-Hurley vs. No. 16 White River — 5:30 p.m., Mitchell
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No. 2 Freeman vs. No. 15 Lower Brule — 7 p.m., Mitchell
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No. 3 De Smet vs. No. 14 Ipswich — 5:30 p.m., Huron
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No. 4 Aberdeen Christian vs. No. 13 Sioux Falls Lutheran — 6 p.m., Watertown
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No. 5 Castlewood vs. No. 12 Timber Lake — 5:30 p.m., Miller
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No. 6 Wall vs. No. 11 Sanborn Central/Woonsocket — 7 p.m., Kadoka
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No. 7 Leola-Frederick Area vs. No. 10 Lyman — 7 p.m., Huron
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No. 8 Sully Buttes vs. No. 9 Dupree — 7 p.m., Gettysburg
The eight winners will advance to the Class B State Tournament in Aberdeen, March 19-21, at the Barnett Center in Aberdeen.