By Matt Gade

605 Sports

RAPID CITY — Playing travel basketball since they were sixth-graders, it’s safe to say Benson Kieffer and Julius Frog know each other’s skillset quite well.

The duo couldn’t be more opposite when you watch them on the court. 

Kieffer is known as the vocal and exuberant leader of the team, while Frog is the level-headed poised player who doesn’t really get shaken up.

“(Frog’s) demeanor on the court, yeah, we're pretty opposite,” Kieffer said. “I like to get after it and yell a little bit, celebrate a little bit, just have a little more fun. I know he's having fun too, but he's more dialed in. He doesn't smile until the last buzzer goes off and we win. So we both have a lot of fun, just in different ways.”

Benson, listed at 5-foot-10, plays point for the Comets while Frog, listed at 6-foot-5, plays at the inside post position which makes defensives have to rethink traditional man-to-man defenses. 

Teams typically have to double-team one or both when they get possession of the ball.

“I think the connection that we have is really great,” Frog said of Kieffer. “You know, me being a great inside scorer kind of helps bring the double-outs and that opens a lot of things up. So just having that great connection with us.”

“He's a great player, and so he draws a lot of tension. And when I have the ball, I draw a lot of tension, so we're always at an advantage, I feel like on offense, whether we're inside or outside,” Kieffer said. 

Rapid City Christian's Benson Kieffer (12) is pumped heading into a time out during the boys championship game against Pine Ridge during the Lakota Nation Invitational in Dec. at Summit Arena at The Monument. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

The Comets' other three starters of Simon Kieffer, Aiden Roberts and Wes Schlabach have also been teammates since that sixth-grade travel team.

“I give them a lot of freedom. I give them a lot of trust,” Comets head coach Kyle Courtney said. “At the end of the day, they know we're still going to do things my way. But they're kind of like coaches out on the floor, you know, we've been together so long. They know how we want to do things.

“They thrive in that in our fast-paced style. They've done it since they were little kids, and they're so instinctive. And so I think you got to let players make plays. And we're fortunate that we have a group of kids that can make plays well.”

Just this past Tuesday, Frog and Kieffer both reached career-scoring marks of 1,000 points during the first half of the Comets’ game against Belle Fourche. 

“I think it's a testament to how hard both of us have worked,” Kieffer said. “And getting to do it together is pretty special. You don't see that very often in high school basketball, so having the opportunity to do that and actually doing it was a lot of fun.”

“Achieving it together was a great memory to have, great environment to achieve it in,” Frog said. “And it just shows the hard work and dedication over the years that we've put in together.”

This season the Comets have faced Class A’s No. 1 Sioux Falls Christian and No. 2 Hamlin. Losing both games late in the second half.

“The kids' goal has been to try to compete for a state title, and we know it's going to be tough, right? Class A is loaded,” Courtney said. “And we're not the favorite. So these guys, this group of kids, have knocked down a lot of barriers in Rapid City Christian history. And I think they're hungry to see how high they can set the bar.”

In Region 8A action, the Comets have struggled for a long time to defeat cross-town rivals St. Thomas More. 

Not until their junior year did Kieffer and Frog finally take down what seemed like a proverbial juggernaut in the Cavaliers.

“Dave Hollenbeck’s program, STM, has been the gold standard out here and one of the best teams in the state, right over the last 20 years,” Courtney said. “And for our kids to be able to finally break through and beat them, and now have beat them three times is big for our program and says a lot about STM and how much we respect them as well.”

Rapid City Christian's Julius Frog brings the ball up the court against Pine Ridge during the boys championship game during the Lakota Nation Invitational in Dec. at Summit Arena at The Monument. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

During their junior campaigns, each faced new challenges as Benson Kieffer would suffer multiple injuries throughout the season forcing the Comet to miss a major portion of the regular season while Frog had his break-out year.

“Benson, you know, last year got hurt, so I knew that a bunch of us had to step up. So I had to take on some of the responsibilities to help our team succeed,” Frog said.

Kieffer suffered a broken foot, concussion and hurt ankle but came back in time to help the Comets finish fourth in Class A and qualify for the state tournament for just the second time in school history. The Comets took 8th in 2003 in the Class B state tournament.

“Being on the bench is definitely one of the worst feelings,” Kieffer said. “So getting out there, being able to play with my guys and all these seniors this year, is something that I definitely haven’t taken for granted.”

Following Thursday night’s victory of Lead-Deadwood, Frog currently sits with 1,015 points and Kieffer with 1,018.

Sitting 14-2, the Comets have four regular-season games remaining including key matchups against Class B No. 1 Viborg-Hurley in the DWU/Culver’s Classic and Class AA’s Spearfish and Rapid City Stevens.

The Comets are hoping to use these games as good lessons heading into the postseason. 

“My hope is that playing those two teams (Sioux Falls Christian and Hamlin) will hopefully benefit us down the road,” Courtney said. “We have a chance to see in that state tournament.”