Viborg-Hurley, which has qualified for three of the last four state tournaments, is somehow flying under the radar in Class B boys basketball.  

The Class B boys basketball landscape features a host of last season’s state tournament teams, including Aberdeen Christian, De Smet, Lower Brule, White River and Castlewood. The Cougars (15-2) are among a logjam of teams nipping at their heels.

“Those teams are getting attention for a reason,” Viborg-Hurley coach Galen Schoenefeld said. “They were all there last year and they all returned a lot of good players this year and they’re really good teams. There’s a lot of other teams that are where we are. There’s definitely some under-the-radar teams.”

Viborg-Hurley is among those teams. In Class B, there are no remaining undefeated teams and Faith (16-1) is the lone one-loss team. There’s a plethora of two or three-loss teams as parity reigns in the state’s smallest class.  

“There've been a lot of good games during the season and a lot of those under the top five have had some challenging games,” Schoenefeld said. “It will be interesting to see who is able to step up and come through.” 

The Cougars suffered losses against Class A Elk Point-Jefferson (59-53) and Class B Bridgewater-Emery (60-57). They’ve beaten Class A teams Hanson (11-6) and McLaughlin (9-6), along with Class B Philip (14-4) to bolster their seed points.

Viborg-Hurley's Kobee Sherman (33) looks for a teammate against McLaughlin at the Heritage Classic earlier this season. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Viborg-Hurley is currently No. 7 in the Class B seed standings and has a pair of big regular season games on deck. The Cougars host Howard (13-4) on Feb. 16 and play at Dell Rapids St. Mary (13-3) on Feb. 20. They will finish the season at home against Class A Madison on Feb. 24. 

“It definitely puts a little more stress on, to play the good teams at the end,” Schoenefeld said. “Hopefully then you are battle tested as long as you can come through all right and definitely ready for the atmosphere of the postseason.”

At the recent DWU/Culver’s Classic in Mitchell, Viborg-Hurley topped Philip by 14 points to win its eighth consecutive game. It was Viborg-Hurley’s first time facing the West River squad and Schoenefeld viewed it as a good barometer against a different opponent.

“I told coach (Brad) Hand ‘Hopefully if we see you again it’s in the state tournament and not in the SoDak 16,’ ” Schoenefeld said. “They are a really good team and preparing for those types of teams hopefully sets you up for the state tournament and playing somebody different.”

The Cougars showed off their balance, length and athleticism against the Scotties. Five players scored in double figures, with sophomore Nick Hanson (24 points and 12 rebounds) leading the way. Freshman Brady Schroedermeier, junior Kobee Sherman and junior Bryson Morrison scored 11 points apiece, while senior Gage Goettertz tossed in 10 points. 

Viborg-Hurley trots out a starting lineup with three players 6-foot-3 or taller: Sherman (6-3), Goettertz (6-4) and Hanson (6-6). Goettertz is the lone senior on the roster and Schoenefeld said the group has been receptive to anything thrown at them. 

“They’ve really taken to the coaching and are really carrying out the things on the court that we want to do,” Schoenefeld said. “They bring a good attitude and good effort every day.”