RAPID CITY — 20 years later, Lower Brule’s upset win over St. Thomas More still resonates across Indian Country. 

Just ask T.J. McCauley. 

On Dec. 18, 2004, McCauley and the Lower Brule Sioux shocked mighty St. Thomas More, winning the Lakota Nation Invitational boys basketball championship at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. 

The 44-40 decision was Lower Brule’s first-ever LNI championship, and is still considered one of the biggest upsets in South Dakota boys basketball history. 

McCauley, who was then a sophomore guard, fondly remembers every detail about that weekend and regularly watches the game on DVD. A Rapid City resident, McCauley annually attends the LNI tournament and basketball fans still reminisce about the epic upset with him every year. 

“It’s cool it made such a big impact,” McCauley said. “It honestly just gave those smaller schools hope, and made them want to do it and raise that trophy at the end.”

It’s easy to see why little Lower Brule raising the 2004 Lakota Nation Invitational trophy is still talked about. The championship matchup was like a scene from the basketball-movie “Hoosiers” and a true David vs. Goliath contest. 

Class B Lower Brule had an enrollment of 65, its tallest player was listed at 6-foot-3 and the Sioux defeated four Class A schools during the championship run.

St. Thomas More was the No. 1 team in Class A and was just kicking off its hoops dynasty, going onto win four state championships from 2006-12. The 2004-05 Cavaliers resembled a college basketball roster and featured eight players 6-foot-2 or taller.

Lower Brule’s unlikely run to the finals 

Before facing St. Thomas More, the Doug White Bull-coached Sioux defeated three quality Class A opponents and the buzz surrounding Lower Brule grew after each victory. 

Lower Brule, which was the lower seed in all four games, knocked off Red Cloud (78-64), Cheyenne-Eagle Butte (52-49) and St. Francis (58-45) to start the tourney. 

“Every team we played getting to the championship game was very, very tough,” McCauley said. “Each team had one of those special players, which made it that much better.”

McCauley kicked off Lower Brule’s tourney run with a 27-point performance against Red Cloud, which was led by Johnny Crow’s 26 points. McCauley drilled five of Lower Brule’s 10 3-pointers. Dorrelle Estes (15 points) and Charles Whitney (14 points) also paced the Sioux.

In the second round, Estes’ game-high 25 points powered Lower Brule past Cheyenne-Eagle Butte. McCauley added 12 points, eight steals and six rebounds. The Braves were led by 2003 Lakota Nation Invitational MVP Daelan High Wolf, who netted 17 points. 

In the semifinals, Lower Brule faced familiar foe St. Francis. The Sioux and Warriors had played in youth tournaments prior to high school, and developed a rivalry on the court. 

“It was a battle,” McCauley said. “It was a rivalry game for us because we usually go all out against them and they would do the same with us.”

Lower Brule led 40-35 after three quarters, and used a 18-10 fourth-quarter margin to earn a berth in the finals. 

McCauley (19 points) and Estes (14 points) paced Lower Brule. St. Francis was led by Kris LeRoy (17 points) and J.J. Arcoren (10 points). 

It set up the matchup against St. Thomas More, which defeated Takini (92-42), Todd County (73-30) and Pine Ridge (62-53) to reach the finals. 

Lower Brule got a glimpse of the big, bad Cavaliers after its semifinal victory over St. Francis. 

“Watching the St. Thomas More and Pine Ridge game, I was like ‘Man, St. Thomas More looked real good,’ and they were big,” McCauley remembered.  

The Cavaliers were headlined by then-junior Zach Finley, who was the 2006 South Dakota Mr. Basketball and later played college basketball at Division I Princeton University. The 6-foot-8 Finley was paired with 6-foot-6 Kyle Doerr, who was then a sophomore and later played at Division II University of Alaska Anchorage. Joey Statz, who was a 6-foot-6 senior, complemented the two big men.  

The Cavaliers also featured future college football players Jordan Den Hartog (University of Iowa), Dustin Nowotny (University of South Dakota), Chris Hurd (Northern State University), Colby McGinley (Black Hills State University) and Dylan Wince (Dakota Wesleyan University).

The odds were definitely stacked against Lower Brule, which heard all the pre-game chatter about facing the imposing Cavaliers. It only motivated the Sioux. 

“We heard all of that going into it, and it fueled us a lot more,” McCauley said. “The fire was just there.”

Fans pack Civic Center for championship night 

By championship night, the Lower Brule buzz was at an all-time high.

The Lower Brule faithful loaded up three fan buses and headed three hours west for the momentous occasion. 

When the Sioux arrived at the arena, they were treated like celebrities. McCauley recalls fans seeking out autographs and photographs with the Lower Brule players prior to the championship. 

That’s when the magnitude of the moment set in. 

“We didn’t even do anything,” McCauley joked. “We just won three games, and now it’s starting to sink in. Because we are in the championship game. We are in the last game of the LNI that people talk about every single year.”

After the girls championship game, Lower Brule and St. Thomas More took the court in front of 4,500 fans. The Sioux did so through a swarm of die-hard fans waiting to erupt. 

“There were so many people on our side where we were going to run out,” McCauley said. “Our assistant coach had to push people aside so we could get through. Because they were waiting to see us.”

McCauley recalls soaking up the atmosphere during the layup line as fans packed the Civic Center. Despite St. Thomas More being located in Rapid City, tiny Lower Brule was easily the fan favorite. 

“It was awesome to really be a part of,” McCauley said. “Just to really see what that meant to the Native community and to really have the whole gym of Natives have your back.”

On the court, the teams settled in for a low-scoring affair as points were at a premium. The Sioux utilized a 1-2-2 match-up zone defense, attempting to neutralize St. Thomas More’s height advantage. The Cavaliers struggled from deep, going 3-of-13 from beyond the arc. 

Lower Brule went 9-of-21 from the 3-point line, and just 6-of-29 when it ventured closer to the hoop against St. Thomas More’s size.  

“It was possession by possession,” McCauley said. “We never thought of getting out running. As much as we always want to say run-and-gun style basketball, we knew that wasn’t really going to work with them. Because we were going to tire ourselves out.”

Lower Brule led 14-9 after the first quarter, while St. Thomas More held a 28-25 halftime advantage. Lower Brule was clinging to a 35-34 edge after three quarters. 

In the fourth quarter, points were still limited and Lower Brule trailed 38-37 with 90 seconds left. That’s when Langdeau launched a 25-footer that swished through the net. 

“It was NBA range, and he was falling away with Dylan Wince in his face,” McCauley said. “He was jumping toward him and he nets it.”

McCauley added a breakaway layup and Langdeau’s two free throws with 1.9 seconds left cemented the upset win. 

It also sent the Civic Center into a frenzy, and the Sioux celebrated the iconic upset. 

“I looked over and here comes everybody,” said McCauley, who was named the tourney MVP. “Everyone from our bench comes charging, and rushing us. As a kid you dream to feel that. To win a big game and everyone rushing the court, and for them to all be out on the court like that was awesome to see.”

Finley led St. Thomas More with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Wince added 11 points. The Cavaliers collected 38 rebounds, compared to 24 Lower Brule boards. 

Langdeau finished with 15 points, while McCauley chipped in with 10 points. Whitney added six points and a team-high 10 rebounds. 

The next day, the Sioux players were ushered back into Lower Brule by a caravan of loyal supporters and McCauley joked, “everyone was going crazy like we won a state title.”

Lower Brule did not win another LNI championship until 2021, and McCauley, who is a basketball trainer for Venoms Athletics, worked with many of the Sioux players. Lower Brule also earned back-to-back Class B boys basketball state runner-up finishes in 2022 and ‘23. 

For McCauley, it was special to develop relationships with many of the current Sioux players and witness their basketball successes. 

But nothing compares to the night McCauley and the Sioux stunned St. Thomas More. 

“It brings back so many memories being a part of that,” McCauley said. “I will never forget it.” 

Lower Brule 44, St. Thomas More 40

Lower Brule 14 25 35 44
St. Thomas More 9 28 34 40

Lower Brule: Charles Whitney 2 1-2 6, Jordan Langdeau 2 0-0 5, Trinity Langdeau 4 4-5 15, Dorrelle Estes 2 0-0 5, T.J. McCauley 4 0-1 10, Sylvester LaRoche 1 0-0 3, Kyal Middletent 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 5-8 44.

St. Thomas More: Zach Finley 5 5-9 15, Joey Statz 2 0-0 4, Colby McGinley 1 0-0 2, Joe Gonzalez 1 0-0 2, Dylan Wince 1 3-6 11, Kyle Doerr 1 0-0 2, Jordan Den Hartog 2 0-0 4, Dusty Nowotny 0 0-0 0, Tyler Dobbs 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 8-15 44.

Three-point goals-Whitney, J. Langdeau, T. Langdeau 3, Estes, McCauley 2, LaRoche. FG percentages-LB 30 (15-50), STM 34.8 (16-46). Rebounding-LB 24 (Whitney 10), STM 38 (Finley 14). Turnovers-LB 7, STM 13. Total fouls-LB 11, 12. Fouled out-None