The 2023-24 Class A girls basketball season featured multiple contenders, and Vermillion emerged from the field for its first state championship since 2007. 

The Tanagers return a host of key playmakers, including all-staters Taylor Reuvers and Brooke Jensen. Vermillion will head into the season as the No. 1 ranked team, but a host of contenders will make for another fun Class A girls basketball season. 

Storylines to watch:

Can the Tanagers repeat?: Vermillion hoisted its first state championship since 2007, and will be among the contenders in another crowded field of contenders. The Tanagers are headlined by all-staters Taylor Reuvers and Brooke Jensen, a future University of South Dakota women’s basketball player. Vermillion will face a tough slate, including matchups against Class AA teams Mitchell and Yankton, a daunting Dak-XII schedule and some key classic contests. 

Transfers bolster Hamlin Chargers: Hamlin, which won the 2023 Class A state championship, is back in title again this season. The Chargers are headlined by all-stater Addison Neuendorf, and received three transfers from Class B runner-up Arlington in Addalyn Steffensen, Jo Steffensen and Issie Steffensen. The quartet makes Hamlin a Class A title contender in 2024-25. The Chargers will be tested during the season, including matchups against Ethan, Sioux Falls Christian, Sisseton, and some key classic matchups. 

Maȟpíya Lúta gunning for fourth consecutive tourney berth: Maȟpíya Lúta has emerged as the Class A West River girls basketball team to beat in recent years. The Crusaders have won three straight Lakota Nation Invitational tournaments, and have qualified for three consecutive state tourneys. Maȟpíya Lúta has enough pieces to make another run at state, highlighted by all-stater Ashlan Carlow-Blount. The Crusaders will also be challenged during the regular season, including the Lakota Nation Invitational and Hanson Classic dates. 

Plenty of talent in Class A: From major Division I women’s basketball prospects, and to budding stars, Class A will be full of playmakers this season. Major Division I prospect Ashlyn Koupal, of Wagner, is the headliner in the Class A. However, Class A is littered with talented players across the state. 

Players to watch: 

Note: These are players recognized on last year’s all-state basketball teams. 

Ashlyn Koupal, Wagner: A 6-foot-3 do-it-all wing, Koupal is ranked as the No. 21 Class of 2026 player, according to espnW Rankings. A first-team all-stater, Koupal averaged 21.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and four assists per game as a sophomore. She’s received scholarship offers from the likes of Duke, Baylor, Oregon, Iowa and North Carolina, among others. 

Krista Langager, Sisseton: A 6-foot-2 senior center, Langager was a first-team all-stater last season. She averaged 20.5 points and nine rebounds per game for Sisseton, which finished third at last season’s Class A tourney. 

Addison Neuendorf, Hamlin: A 5-foot-6 junior guard, Neuendorf was a first-team all-stater last season. She averaged 20.5 points, four assists and 3.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore.  

Ashlan Carlow-Blount, Maȟpíya Lúta: Carlow-Blount paced Mahpiya Luta to a sixth-place finish at the Class A state tourney last season, averaging 17.2 points, 5.7 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game. A 6-foot junior guard, Carlow-Blount was a second-team all-stater last season and is a Division I women’s basketball prospect. 

Taylor Reuvers, Vermillion: A 5-foot-5 freshman, Reuvers was a third-team all-stater last season and helped the Tanagers win the Class A state championship. Reuvers averaged 11 points, five assists and four rebounds per game during her eighth-grade season. 

Brooke Jensen, Vermillion: A 6-foot-1 senior guard, Jensen was a third-team all-stater last season, averaging 12 points and six rebounds per game. Jensen will play college basketball at Division I University of South Dakota. 

Reagan Rus, Mount Vernon/Plankinton: A 5-foot-9 senior guard, Rus averaged 16.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Rus, who was a third-team all-stater, will play college basketball at Northern State University. 

Avery Reitz, Sioux Falls Christian: A 5-foot-9 senior guard, Reitz averaged 11.6 points and five rebounds per game last season. Reitz was an honorable mention all-state selection. 

Ella Otten, Dakota Valley: Otten was an honorable mention all-state selection as an eighth-grader. A 5-foot-8 freshman guard, Otten averaged 17.2 points per game. 

Ava Hanson, Aberdeen Roncalli: Hanson was an honorable mention all-state selection last season. A 5-foot-10 senior guard, Hanson averaged 13.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game a season ago. She will play college at Northern State. 

Jodene Big Crow-Hunter, Maȟpíya Lúta: A 5-foot-6 senior guard, Big Crow-Hunter was an honorable mention all-stater last season, averaging 17 points per game. 

Shania Ferguson, Lakota Tech: A 5-foot-6 junior guard, Ferguson can score in bunches for the Tatanka. She averaged 20 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last season, earning honorable mention all-state honors. 

Addalyn Steffensen, Hamlin: Steffensen transferred to Hamlin, giving the Chargers even more scoring punch. The Class B first-team all-stater last season at Arlington, Steffensen averaged 16.2 points and six rebounds per game as a junior. She’s a 5-foot-10 guard.