By Ryan Deal

605 Sports

The Warriors (22-3) knocked off Parkston, which moved down to Class A this season, in the opener on Thursday. But they sent shockwaves across the state on Friday, knocking off Centerville (24-1) and snapping the defending state champ’s 36-game winning streak. 

“A lot of people doubted us,” Bennett County eighth-grader Peyson O’Neill said. “They didn't know who we are, but they now know who we are.”

The Warriors, who start just one senior, overcame a 12-point deficit in the second quarter and looked poised beyond their years on the state’s biggest stage. 

Bennett County closed the third quarter on a 5-0 spurt, evening the score at 31-31 going into the fourth quarter. Bennett County’s Harley Harris hit a 3-pointer in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, and the teams traded baskets after that. 

Madi Waln gave Bennett County a 40-38 lead with 2:48 left, and Harris made one free throw for a 41-38 advantage. The game went scoreless until Thomiah Poor Bear hit two free throws, pushing Bennett County’s lead to 43-38 with :20.5 seconds left. 

After Centerville’s Izzie Eide hit a 3-pointer, the Tornadoes trailed 43-41 with :6.4 seconds left. Peyson O’Neill, who tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds, split a pair of free throws for a 44-41 lead with :3.7 seconds left. 

Centerville's game-tying 3-point heave at the buzzer was off the mark, setting off a Bennett County celebration. 

“That was the most intense thing I have ever done in my life,” said Poor Bear, who is Bennett County's only senior starter. “It just felt so great to pull it out with my team.”

Centerville, which received 15 points and 12 rebounds from Emma Marshall, looked sharp in the first quarter. One day after squeaking out a win over No. 8 Deubrook Area, the Tornadoes led 14-5 after the first quarter on Friday. 

Marshall’s 3-pointer put Centerville ahead 19-7 early in the second quarter, but Bennett County chipped away at the deficit. The Tornadoes took a 23-16 lead into halftime and Evans made an adjustment at the break.  

“We planned on playing zone, and our girls are used to man to man,” Evans said. “So I think that’s maybe what threw us off the first half. I stayed too long in zone, and didn't trust we could handle it. I was worried about our legs from last night. But as we made the switch at halftime, we came out in man to man and we handled business.”

Bennett County got within 31-26 in the third quarter, when Reagan O’Neill and Peyson O’Neill combined for a 5-0 run to even it at 31-31 entering the fourth quarter. 

Reagan O’Neill, a freshman, finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Harris scored seven points, while Waln and Poor Bear scored five points apiece.

For Centerville, Eide added 12 points, six rebounds and five steals. Keira Austin had six points, while Althea Gust finished with five points and four assists. 

The Tornadoes will play Dell Rapids St. Mary in the third-place game on Saturday.

The Warriors will play Sanborn Central/Woonsocket in the championship game on Saturday. 

“The job is not finished,” Poor Bear said. “We still have to go out there and execute. Play our Bennett County basketball, as a family, as a team.”

Evans was a member of the last Bennett County team to play for the state championship in 2007, a loss to Vermillion. 

“I am excited,” Evans said. “We have our whole community, our whole reservation, our whole state is cheering us on. It’s time to put BC on the map.”