ABERDEEN — Louie Krogman is no longer the only White River guard with a state tournament record.

Joe Sayler erupted for 43 points and White River outlasted Freeman Academy/Marion, 75-70, in the opening round of the Class B state boys basketball tournament on Thursday.

Sayler’s 43-point performance set a Class B record for most points in a first-round game, topping the previous mark set by Krogman (40) in 2007. 

Sayler wasn’t aware of the scoring record afterward and praised his teammates for putting him in position to get it. 

“It was a team win and I think a big part of that was my team,” Sayler said. “They just got me the ball in positions for me to score and they trust me. That’s the big part right there.”

Sayler, a South Dakota State University signee, finished 13 of 25 from the field, 14 of 15 at the foul line and 3 of 8 from long range. He poured in 31 points in the second half, including 13 of 14 at the foul line. 

 “Joe had to take over,” White River coach Eldon Marshall said. “He did a great job of getting in the paint and attacking. We were able to get to the free-throw line at the end and knock some down.”

Sayler hit all 10 of his free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter, including four in the final 19 seconds to get the record and seal the win.  

“I kept on trying to get in there and force the ref to make a call,” Sayler said. “I started hitting free throws and that was when I knew I could attack the basket and get to my spots and score.”

The Tigers (20-2) needed every one of his free throw makes in the final quarter. The Bearcats (21-3) trailed 33-23 in the first half, but used a 25-16 third-quarter margin to get within 49-48 entering the final period. 

In the third quarter, FAM’s Quincy Blue and Thalen Schroeder each hit key 3-pointers to give the Bearcats the lead twice. 

“They can score and they can knock down threes and they have guys that can step up and knock them down,” Marshall said. “So credit to them. They made a big run in the third quarter and did what they needed to get back into it.”

But the fourth quarter belonged to Sayler, who added nine rebounds and four assists. In the fourth quarter, the 6-foot-3 bouncy guard regularly attacked the rim or rose over FAM defenders for contested makes. 

FAM’s Connor Epp finished with 26 points and five rebounds. Matthew Hagen finished with 13 points, while Schroeder had 12 points and nine rebounds. The Bearcats will play Castlewood in the consolation semifinals on Friday. 

Kendrell Cuevas added 11 points and eight rebounds for the Tigers. Nicolas Marshall and Dylan Marshall scored nine points apiece.  

White River will play Lower Brule in the championship semifinals. The Tigers lost to Lower Brule, 70-67, in the Lakota Nation Invitational title game this season. 

“They create a lot of problems defensively for you,” Marshall said. “So we didn’t do as well as I thought we would against their pressure. We are going to have to improve on that and take care of the ball. Hopefully we are in attack mode with them and we can make things happen inside.”