By Rich Winter

605 Sports

LA PLANT — On Jan. 12, the crowd at Tiospaye Topa High School gathered in their gym with bleachers on one side, ready for their annual meeting with nearby Timber Lake. 

As the game ensued, Tiospaye Topa got off to a quick start and forged a lead. In the second half, as the lead expanded, the normally docile crowd went bonkers as the Thunderhawks delivered an 81-55 win, beating the Panthers for only the second time in school history (2007). 

“The crowd was electric,” Tiospaye Topa sophomore guard Kris Meeter said. “Everytime we got a steal or a rebound people were going wild and there were people in the crowd that night that we’ve never seen before.”

Tiospaye Topa is located in the tiny Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe town of La Plant, which is located 30 miles east of Eagle Butte and 39 miles west of Gettysburg. The Missouri River is 20 miles to the east and Pierre is 76 miles to the southeast.

The school, built in 1998 comprises two other small communities, White Horse and Swiftbird. Students will bus from several miles away each day to attend Tiospaye Topa. 

The Thunderhawks (7-2) have already matched last season’s win total (four) and first-year coach Willie Circle Eagle, a long-time referee, said the buzz is building with each win. 

Circle Eagle is regularly stopped and chatted up by fans at the grocery store or at the gas station in Eagle Butte. He continually reminds his players of the positive impact they are having on the surrounding communities. 

“ ‘You guys don’t know it but you are a blessing to all these people,’ ” he said. “ ‘They want to come to our school and they want to watch you play and you playing well is putting a smile on their faces.’ ” 

Tiospaye Topa's Kris Meeter breaks Louie Krogman's #LNI scoring record #sdpreps https://t.co/6iGEyzHyut

— 605 Sports (@605_sports) December 18, 2022

While the Thunderhawks don’t regularly make a lot of sports headlines, Meeter made some noise at the 2022 Lakota Nation Invitational where he set the all-time single-game scoring record (54) and broke Louie Krogrman’s all-time single season tournament scoring record with a four-game total of 137 points. 

Entering the first round of the Dakota Oyate Challenge that starts on Jan. 26 in Huron, Meeter is averaging 31.8 points per game and 13.3 rebounds per game. 

“He can handle the ball, he's our quickest kid out there and he can shoot,” Circle Eagle said. “He can pull up and he can drive and rebound. He has every skill you want a player to have to go on and compete at the next level.” 

He can also distribute the basketball, averaging just under five assists per game. 

“The game where he had 54 points, before halftime I took him aside and said you’re going to get your points but you have to keep all those other kids involved,” Circle Eagle said.  

The Thunderhawks opened their season with a win over McIntosh and then lost 60-36 to Region 8B foe, Faith. Meeter didn’t play in the McIntosh game and with a cast of new teammates coming together the team didn’t have the chemistry to hang with a team like Faith early in the season. 

“We were down by eight coming into the third quarter,” Meeter said. 

At the 2022 Lakota Nation Invitational the Thunderhawks finished with a 3-1 record, losing only to Santee, Nebraska, 112-72. 

“For most of our guys this was their first time playing at Lakota Nation,” Meeter said. “I played at Crazy Horse last year and we had a lot of senior leaders so I’m trying to take over some of that leadership this year.” 

The Thunderhawks enter next week’s Dakota Oyate Challenge with marked improvement from a number of different players. 

“I think the kids are buying into the program and they want to be aggressive and play tough defense,” Circle Eagle said. “Against Timber Lake we felt like they thought they were going to come beat us and we used that. Our guys were clicking on all cylinders and it was easy to remind them why basketball is such a fun game.” 

One of those players developing is sophomore guard, Dennis Sand III who finished with 20 points against Timber Lake. Another guard, senior JJ Hawk finished with 18 against Timber Lake and Circle Eagle reminded him he needs to get more shots. 

“There are going to be nights where teams are sagging off on Kris so I need you to be selfish out there,” Circle Eagle said. “When you get a shot you have to be able to knock those shots down.” 

Bailey Hall and senior T.J. Lawrence does a lot of the dirty work down low and freshman Jakolby Rousseau seems to be coming on as evidenced by nine points in the win over Bison and 11 points in the win over Timber Lake.

The Thunderhawks are eager to welcome back 6-foot-5 Ivis Lee who returns next week after being injured. 

With a packed gym and fan support growing by the day, Meeter is enjoying every second of this year’s ride. 

“I’m having the best time I’ve had in a while,” Meeter said. “I want to give our two seniors the best experience and the younger guys look up to me so I’m trying to have a good attitude at all times.”