ABERDEEN — The Class B boys basketball state championship is set. 

After the No. 1 seed fell in the first round and a memorable semifinal, Freeman will face Castlewood for the Class B state championship at Wachs Arena.

The No. 5 Castlewood Warriors (22-3) will play the No. 2 Freeman Flyers (23-2) at 6:45 p.m., CT for the state championship, capping off an electric tournament.  

It began Thursday with No. 8 Lyman upsetting No. 1 Viborg-Hurley, setting the stage for tight contests and a thrilling semifinal contest. In Friday’s final semifinal game, Freeman outlasted Wall 74-70 for its first state championship appearance since 1997. 

“Remarkable,” Freeman coach Lance Friesen said. “It was a heckuva game. They shot it so well and they played so hard and we have so much respect for Wall.”

It sets up a state championship game against Castlewood, which defeated Lyman 56-28 in its semifinal contest. The Warriors are the reigning champions and are looking to become the first Class B back-to-back champions since De Smet (2021-23). 

“I told our guys we did something pretty special tonight to get ourselves back,” Castlewood coach Paul Raasch said. “Mid January we weren’t very good, and if somebody would have told me ‘You are going to be playing for a state title,’ I would have said you are crazy.”

Freeman Flyers guard Tayden Kerrigan (11) celebrates the Flyers 74-70 semifinal win over Wall Friday during the state Class B boys basketball tournament in Aberdeen. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

The Warriors defeated Aberdeen Christian (53-50) and Lyman (56-28) en route to the title berth. Against the Raiders, Castlewood used a 20-7 third-quarter burst to secure its berth in the state championship. The Warriors again relied on defense, rebounding and limiting turnovers to key the semifinal victory. 

“We always focus on that — defend, rebound, value the ball,” said Raasch, who is the third most winningest boys basketball coach in South Dakota. “We have for 40 years and we are not going to change. We are not always the flashiest team, but we think if we can hold teams to 45 or less we have a good chance to win most nights and tonight it really worked.”

The Flyers defeated Sully Buttes (63-55) and Wall (74-70) to earn their state championship appearance. In the semifinals, Freeman outlasted the Eagles after the game was tied six times and featured 10 lead changes. 

But Friesen immediately knew the Flyers faced a tall task in the Warriors. 

“We have to process quickly,” Friesen said. “There’s a mountain to climb yet. … We are going to have to be really good inside boxing out and rebounding. It’s going to be a totally different game, it looks like we are going to be playing against a 2-3 zone some, too.” 

The Flyers are looking for their first state championship since 1975, their only title in school history. The Warriors, meanwhile, are gunning for their fourth state title in school history. 

“I think we will be really prepared and I think we will play well tomorrow and looking forward to it,” Raasch said. “I am confident our guys will come play a good game and if we do that we will have a chance.”