I am in basketball heaven from mid-December to mid-March.

Over the past four months, it’s been a privilege to chronicle basketball players chasing their state championship dreams. It’s the best stretch on South Dakota’s sports calendar, with fans packing gyms as teams represent their towns with pride.

The 2025-26 season once again delivered — packed with epic games, dazzling individual performances and jam-filled gyms. It never disappoints, only deepening South Dakota’s passion for basketball, the state’s most beloved sport.

So without further ado, here are my best moments of the 2025-26 South Dakota high school basketball season. 

Best game

The Lakota Nation Invitational will forever be circled on my South Dakota sports calendar. 

The ultimate showcase of Native American basketball never disappoints, and this season’s boys basketball championship was an instant classic.

On Dec. 20, Mahpiya Luta outlasted Cheyenne-Eagle Butte for the Oceti Sakowin championship, 76-74, in double overtime. Mahpiya Luta rallied back from a 14-point deficit and edged the Braves at an electric Summit Arena in Rapid City. 

The contest featured momentum swings, lead changes and Native ballers shining on the biggest stage. It will forever be remembered as one of the Lakota Nation Invitational’s greatest games, and it was a blast to cover.

As fate would have it, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte and Mahpiya Luta squared off again March 10 in the SoDak 16. CEB got its revenge in Sturgis, topping Mahpiya Luta (70-57) for its first state tourney berth since 2014. 

Stanley County advanced to the Class A state tournament on March 10 in Flandreau. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Best atmosphere

You can’t beat SoDak 16 basketball nights in South Dakota.

The anticipation of making state tournaments are at an all-time high. It’s win or go home, and communities are buzzing with excitement as tickets are punched for state. 

On March 10, I trekked to Miller for Castlewood vs. Timber Lake and Stanley County vs. Flandreau for a SoDak 16 boys basketball doubleheader. Castlewood (Class B) and Stanley County (Class A) secured spots in their respective state tournaments. 

Stanley County advancing to the Class A state tournament was a special moment for both me and my sports-crazed family. My little brother, Jack, and my cousin, Paxton, were members of Stanley County’s first state tournament appearance since 1997. 

There was nothing better than watching my brother, my cousin and their teammates make the Deal clan beam with pride.

Best individual performance

Pine Ridge’s Marvin Richard III etched his name in the South Dakota record books on March 3. 

The scoring sensation erupted for a state record 73 points against Lakota Tech. Richard III’s 73-point performance set South Dakota’s all-time scoring record, breaking the 72-point outing by Argonne’s Delbert Gillam in 1953. Richard III hit 29 field goals, finished 12-of-12 at the free-throw line and nailed three 3-pointers. 

The Thorpes won 108-30 against the Tatanka, and say what you will about the score, but Richard III’s name is atop the record books. 

And that should be celebrated.

Richard III, a 6-foot-1 guard headed to Division I South Dakota, finished his career as South Dakota’s sixth all-time leading scorer in boys basketball history with 2,689 points. 

Pine Ridge's Marvin Richard III set a state record 73 points against Lakota Tech on March 3. (Dale Pine / Courtesy photo)

Best championship performance

Sioux Falls O’Gorman and Brandon Valley played in the Class AA girls basketball state championship for the third consecutive season. 

The Knights won the previous two state championships over the Lynx, and Sydney Terveen was largely responsible for this year’s title.

Terveen totaled 33 points and six rebounds in O’Gorman’s 59-53 win over Brandon Valley on March 14. Terveen finished 10-of-17 from the field, 7-of-9 from the 3-point line and 6-of-8 at the free-throw line in all 32 minutes. 

Terveen, a 5-foot-11 senior guard, will play college basketball next season at Division I Nebraska-Omaha. 

Best Cinderella 

The Harding County Ranchers had all of West River rooting for ‘em.

The Harding County girls basketball team entered the Class B girls basketball tournament as the No. 6 seed, and pulled off two upsets during its run to a state runner-up finish.

The Ranchers defeated No. 3 seed and reigning champion Bennett County in the first round, 58-50. In the second round, Harding County knocked off No. 2 seed Parkston, 58-42.

In their first state championship appearance since 2001, Jay Wammen’s crew lost to perennial power Ethan, 48-39.

The Harding County community prides itself on a blue-collar work ethic, deep ranching roots, and a hard-nosed mentality.

For three days in Brookings, the Ranchers embodied exactly that.

Best upset(s)

The Class B boys and girls basketball tournaments delivered not one, but two No. 8 vs. No. 1 upsets on back-to-back weekends.

On March 12, No. 8 Corsica-Stickney defeated No. 1 Lyman at the Class B girls basketball tournament in Brookings. On March 19, No. 8 Lyman knocked off No. 1 Viborg-Hurley at the Class B boys basketball tournament in Aberdeen. 

The Jaguars and Raiders each fell in the semifinals of their respective state tournaments, but in a month defined by upsets, they added their own chapter to the madness.

Best quote

There’s nothing better than the raw emotions of student-athletes realizing their state championship dreams. 

On March 22, faced with a 13-point third-quarter deficit against reigning champ Castlewood, Freeman rallied back for the Class B boys basketball state championship. 

The Flyers are now the Class B champs after winning a combined six games in the 2021-22 and 22-23 seasons. 

Luke Peters summed up Freeman’s first state championship since 1975 with an awesome quote. Peters, who totaled 14 points in the state championship, was a key cog in Freeman’s steady climb atop the Class B mountaintop.

Take it away, Luke. 

“I honestly thought I would be crying,” Peters said. “But I am not and I think it’s just because this is like a dream for me. This is what I have been dreaming of. We went 0-21 my seventh-grade year, 1-20 my eighth grade, only won like five games my freshman year. So to bring that program from where it was to this is a dream come true, and I really mean that. It’s a dream come true.”

Congrats to all the South Dakota hoopers for realizing their state championship dreams. 

See ya’ll next season.