FORT PIERRE — Stanley County’s first Jones County Invitational championship since 1997 was a little sweeter for Kaden Montana. 

Montana suffered a season-ending knee injury on Jan. 19, 2024, when he drove through the lane and his knee twisted after a hop step. Montana fell to the floor and knew something was wrong. 

“It was a bunch of mixed emotions,” Montana said. “It was not good. It was mostly pain. All I could think about was the pain.”

An MRI later revealed an ACL tear, forcing Montana to miss the remainder of the season. Montana’s absence left a void in Stanley County’s lineup, said coach Joey Fischer. 

“We missed having him last year,” Fischer said. “He’s one of those kids that just lives and breathes basketball. So you could tell it really took a toll on him when he went down.”

Montana assisted from the bench, encouraging and coaching up his teammates as best he could. 

“From the bench you see so much more stuff you can work on and everyone can work on,” Montana said. “I just realized what I could have gotten better on, and I helped my teammates walk through on some of the plays. You just see so much more from watching than with playing.”

But for Montana, who is a gym rat and said he spends every day in the gym, it wasn’t the same as playing. That’s why he attacked his rehab and begged his physical therapist to allow him to form shoot shortly after surgery. 

“The first two weeks were hard,” Montana said. “But after the first two weeks I skyrocketed and I finally got my quad muscles to start working. After I got my quad muscles to start working is when it really started going good.”

Montana was in the weight room about a month and half after surgery, was cleared to jog in July and was playing in open gyms in October. 

For Fischer, who has coached Montana since middle school, it was special to see him attack the rehab and develop as a player and person. 

“The rehab process wasn’t easy for him,” Fischer said. “But there was never a day where he felt like it was too much. It’s like I told him one step at a time. Each one of those steps is going to lead you back to your ultimate goal, which was getting back on the floor on opening night and that’s exactly what he did.”

Stanley County Buffaloes guard Kaden Montana (10) drives to the hoop during the opening round of the Jones County Invitational Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 in Murdo. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Montana didn’t want to overdue his recovery, but was ready to go for preseason practices and played the season opener against Miller on Dec. 12. 

Montana described the first game back as “something special,” and said he will never forget it. But admits where there were some nerves entering the game. 

“I usually don’t get nervous,” Montana said. “But that game I was nervous just to see how my body would hold up. It held up well. There was still some soreness after the game, but it got better as the season went on.”

Montana has played in all 10 games for the Buffaloes (9-1). A 6-foot-2 senior guard, Montana has scored in double figures in multiple games this season, including a 23-point outing against Philip on Dec. 19. 

“He provides such a spark offensively and defensively, too,” Fischer said. “He’s such a leader. He’s matured a lot and he’s provided us with such a presence that you can’t really replace when a guy goes down like that. So just having him back has been grateful for us and it’s really led to the start we’ve had this year.”

Montana and Stanley County’s season has been highlighted by recently winning the Jones County Invitational championship. The Buffaloes defeated Bennett County (71-42), Crazy Horse (67-32) and Kadoka Area (60-52) during the championship run. 

“It’s been 27 years since Stanley County has brought one home,” Fischer said. “That was a team goal we circled at the beginning of the year. To be able to achieve that is something we are hoping springboards us, and gives us a lot of momentum heading into the rest of the year.”

Stanley County rallied past Kadoka Area in the championship game on Jan. 18, 2025, almost one year to the day Montana tore his ACL. 

Montana said he was “full of emotion,” and “happy as could be,” after winning the Jones County Invitational one year after the knee injury. 

“That was something special,” Montana said. “We were all hyped. It was something we are never going to forget, that's for sure.”

Montana earned all-tourney honors and scored in double figures all three games. Stanley County’s Eddie Duffy and Paxton Deal also earned all-tourney honors. Duffy also captured MVP honors. 

Fischer calls the trio Stanley County’s three-headed monster, and they’ve developed chemistry since playing elementary basketball together. They’ve taken turns leading the Buffaloes in scoring this year, and Fischer said their best qualities are their unselfishness. 

“They are just as happy for one of them to go off then they would be themselves,” Fischer said. “They are super unselfish. We’ve really have that family culture that we’ve tried to build in and it’s shown this year.”

For Montana, he’s gotten more comfortable with each game and said his knee is 100% healthy after sustaining the injury one year ago. 

“He’s a special guy,” Fischer said. “He’s one of those special athletes. He’s the first one at practice, and the last one to leave. He puts his heart and soul into it. I just can’t be happier for him to be where he’s at right now and I can’t wait to see how he finishes out this year.”