By Ryan Deal and Jacob Wuertz 

605 Sports 

The girls Class B SoDak 16 games are Thursday across the state. The eight winners qualify for the Class B state girls basketball tournament on March 10-12 in Watertown.

Here’s a look at each Class B SoDak 16 matchup: 

Note: Times are Central

No. 1 Aberdeen Roncalli (21-1) vs. No. 16 Bison (10-13), 6:30 p.m.

IPSWICH — Aberdeen Roncalli, which has been ranked No. 1 all season, is one step away from another trip to Watertown.

Last season’s Class A champs, the Cavaliers have cruised through the season and their lone loss was against Hamlin, last year’s Class A state runner-ups. Roncalli is powered by Northern State University signees Madelyn Bragg and Morgan Fiedler. Olivia Hanson, Ava Hanson and Ella Hanson also pace the Cavaliers, who have outscored their opponents by 22.5 points per game. 

Bison, which was the No. 7 seed in Region 8B, upset the region’s No. 2 seed (Timber Lake) and No. 3 seed (Wakpala) to qualify for the SoDak 16. The Cardinals haven’t qualified for the state tourney since 1997. 

Avon’s McKenna Kocmich looks to pass the ball during the second half of the Pirates’ win over the Black Panthers in the Region 6B playoffs at the Corn Palace in Mitchell. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

No. 2 De Smet (21-1) vs. No. 15 Avon (13-9), 7 p.m.

HURON — De Smet is gunning for its third state tourney berth since 2019, when the Bulldogs won the state championship. 

De Smet enters the contest on an 11-game winning streak and its lone defeat was against Hamlin (74-47) on Jan. 18. The Bulldogs are led by 6-foot senior Kennadi Buchholz, who recently became the program’s all-time leading scorer. Buchholz anchors a defense that allows 41 points per game, while the Bulldogs score 56 points per contest. 

Avon advanced to the SoDak 16 after knocking off Platte-Geddes, 42-28, in the Region 6B tournament. Avon averages 45.2 points per game, while it allows 42.6 points a contest. Sophomore guard Courtney Sees averages 14 points per game. 

The Pirates are after their first state berth since 2018, when they advanced three straight seasons from 2016-18. 

No. 3 Wall (20-2) vs. No. 14 Howard (15-7), 7:30 p.m.

KADOKA — Howard, fresh off a double-overtime Region 4B win, makes the 227-mile trek to play No. 3 seed Wall. 

Wall, which was the No. 1 seed in Region 7B, defeated Lyman (58-45) and Kadoka Area (68-49) to qualify for the SoDak 16. The Eagles have three players that average double figures in points per game: Paige Kjerstad (15.1), Ava Dinger (12.1) and Nora Dinger (11.2). Kjerstad also grabs a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game. Wall is gunning for its first state tourney berth since 2016. 

Howard’s postseason was kept alive with a 61-56 double-overtime win over Colman-Egan in Region 4B action. Howard’s Canyon Kidd’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer bounced off the rim and fell through the hoop as time expired to send it to the second overtime. 

Kate Connor powered Howard with 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Abby Aslesen added 14 points and 12 rebounds in the region victory. 

Corsica-Stickney’s Avery Broughton grabs a rebound during the second half the Jaguars’ win over Gregory in the Region 6B playoffs at the Corn Palace. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

No. 4 Corsica-Stickney (19-3) vs. No. 13 Bridgewater-Emery (14-8), 7 p.m.

PARKSTON — Corsica-Stickney is one win away from its fourth straight Class B state tournament appearance. 

The Jaguars, who placed fourth last season, will face a familiar foe in the SoDak 16 round. Corsica-Stickney defeated Bridgewater-Emery, 71-55, on Jan. 24. 

Corsica-Stickney is powered by junior all-stater Avery Broughton, who averages 18.7 points, 10 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. The future University of South Dakota Coyote has scored in double figures in each game this season and has scored 30 or more points three times this season. Rachel Gerlach chips in with 14.1 ppg and 5.2 rpg for the Jaguars. 

Corsica-Stickney opened Region 6B play with a 66-28 win over Kimball/White Lake and edged Gregory (44-39) to secure a SoDak 16 berth. The Jaguars are outscoring their opponents by 22.9 points per game. 

Bridgewater-Emery is searching for its first state appearance as a co-op. The Huskies advanced to the SoDak 16 with Region 4B wins over Oldham-Ramona/Rutland (59-47) and perennial power Ethan (58-54). 

In the win over Ethan, Morgan Uptagrafft led the Huskies with 16 points and Julia Weber netted 14 points. Cara Meyer and Taylor Schallenkamp added 13 and 10 points, respectively. 

No. 5 White River (17-3) vs. No. 12 Herreid/Selby Area (15-6), 7 p.m.

FORT PIERRE — White River and Herreid/Selby Area square off in Fort Pierre to determine who will get a repeat bid at the Class B tournament.

White River enters the SoDak 16 as the Class B defending state champions, and they are now one win away from getting a chance to defend their title. Although the Tigers graduated star guard Caelyn Valandra-Prue last season, another star has emerged to take over the Tigers scoring attack of 60.1 points per game. White River senior Maleighya Estes enters the contest as the state’s 21st all-time leading scorer with 2,121 career points. Kelsey Morrison and Karlie Cameron also pace the Tigers. White River’s losses came to Class A SoDak 16 qualifiers Red Cloud and West Central, as well as Class B rival Jones County (68-57). White River defeated New Underwood (60-31) and avenged the Jones County loss (54-42) in Region 7B action to reach the SoDak 16.

Herreid/Selby Area returns to the SoDak 16 one year after qualifying for the state tournament, where the Wolverines took home a sixth-place finish. Three of the Wolverines six losses are to SoDak 16 qualifying teams (Aberdeen Roncalli, Faith, and Sully Buttes). Herreid/Selby Area defeated Potter County (58-41) and Miller (55-49) to advance to the SoDak 16. 

No. 6 Castlewood (16-5) vs. No. 11 Viborg-Hurley (18-4), 7:30 p.m.

MADISON — Castlewood is looking for its fourth trip to the state tournament in the last five years. 

The Warriors won the state championship in 2018, qualified in 2020 (canceled due to COVID-19), and were last year’s state runner-ups. Four of Castlewood’s five losses came to teams playing in the SoDak 16 (Class A: Hamlin, Florence/Henry, Flandreau; Class B: De Smet). The fifth loss was to Arlington, which the Warriors avenged in the SoDak 16 qualifying round (59-43) in Region 3B. The Warriors are led by Madeline Horn and Mackenzie Everson and average 52.3 points per game as a team.

Viborg-Hurley returns to the SoDak 16 one year after qualifying for the state tournament, where it finished in seventh place. Three of the Cougars four losses are against teams playing in the SoDak 16 (Class A: Dakota Valley and St. Thomas More; Class B: Centerville), with the fourth loss coming at the hands of Parkston. Viborg-Hurley defeated Gayville-Volin (56-39) and Irene-Wakonda (59-46) to advance to the SoDak 16. The Cougars are paced by senior Delana Mach and juniors Shelby Lyons, Estelle Lee, Coral Mason, and Denae Mach, as well as freshman Charley Nelson and average 54.2 points per game as a team.

No. 7 Faith (17-5) vs. No. 10 Sully Buttes (18-4), 7 p.m.

MOBRIDGE — Faith and Sully Buttes, a pair of recent state tourney qualifiers, will collide for a spot in this year’s Class B tournament. 

Faith last advanced in the 2020 before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Longhorns also qualified in 2016 and ‘18. Faith punched their ticket to the SoDak 16 with a 39-38 win over Harding County in the Region 8B tournament. Faith senior Kaycee Groves drilled a shot with five seconds left to propel Faith into the SoDak 16. 

The Chargers are after their first state tourney appearance since 2018 when they finished up a seven-year run of qualifying for state. Sully Buttes advanced to the SoDak 16 with Region 2B wins over North Central (67-43) and Highmore-Harrold (52-43). 

In Sully Buttes’ win over North Central, Lydia Hill finished with 26 points and Stevie Wittler added 16 points. 

No. 8 Centerville (20-2) vs. No. 9 Aberdeen Christian (19-3), 6 p.m.

MITCHELL — Centerville is one step away from their first trip to the state tournament since 2011 when the Tornadoes finished in fourth place.

Centerville has flown under the radar, but has quietly put together one of the best seasons in recent memory with a record of 20-2, including a 17-game winning streak before a late-season loss. The Tornadoes two losses have come at the hands of Hanson (63-37) and Corsica-Stickney (67-34).

Led by Lillie Eide and Thea Gust, the Tornadoes average 53.2 points per game, while holding their opponents to 39.4 points per game. Sophie Eide, MaKayla Heesch, Bailey Hansen, and Keira Austin also pace the Tornadoes. Centerville narrowly escaped an upset bid from Freeman (52-50) to reach the SoDak 16.

Aberdeen Christian defeated Warner (49-44) to reach the SoDak 16 for the second consecutive year. The Knights are led by 6-foot-1 senior guard Hanna Miller and 6-foot-4 junior center Mallory Miller. Aberdeen Christian is looking for its first state tournament berth in school history.