By Ryan Deal

605 Sports

They reached their potential over the three-day tournament at the Huron Arena. The Warriors edged Parkston (51-49) in the opener, stunned defending champ Centerville (44-41) in semifinals and were on cruise control against Sanborn Central/Woonsocket (71-61) in the championship. 

“We came out and we knew what we had to do,” Evans said after the state championship win. “We knew they had length. So being able to make easier passes and not doing too much. We had to come out and play controlled. It was the third game. The girls were kind of used to it and our community showed up big tonight.” 

While the future is promising, Bennett County sent its three seniors Thomiah Poor Bear, Sophia May and Alasandra Salomon out with a state championship. 

Poor Bear, the lone senior starter, tallied 15 points and seven assists in the state championship. 

“I am still not believing it,” Poor Bear said. “I don't think it’s hit me yet. But it’s crazy because I knew we were meant for this.”

Poor Bear averaged 9.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this season, but her impact goes beyond numbers and statistics, said Evans. 

“She’s really special to us,” Evans said. “She’s the calm to our wild. My girls are crazy and she brings us all down to earth and we are going to miss her a lot next year because that’s exactly what she does. She brings the calm piece.”

But Poor Bear is leaving Bennett County, which won 22 games the past three seasons combined, in a good position. 

Bennett County is headlined by the outstanding O’Neill sisters, freshman Reagan and eighth-grader Peyson. In the state championship, Reagan O’Neill finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Peyson O’Neill had 18 points and five rebounds.

The sisters, who are also outstanding track and field athletes, combined for eight of the team’s 12 steals in the championship game. 

That’s a sampling of why Poor Bear said the Warriors will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years. 

“There’s no way of stopping those O'Neill girls,” Poor Bear said. “They are crazy.” 

But the Warriors also bring back starters Harley Harris (freshman) and Madi Waln (sophomore), along with a host of underclassmen. And there is also another O’Neill sister, Jade, that’s coming up. 

So the Warriors could just be getting started. 

“I think our team is a big role model to the little girls in our community and I think it’s going to make us all strive to keep pushing ourselves and to get here again,” Reagan O’Neill said.