ABERDEEN — The Wall Eagles are onto uncharted territory.

Wall will play in the Class B boys basketball tournament semifinals, following a 60-57 win over De Smet at Wachs Arena on Thursday. It is Wall’s first time advancing to the Class B boys basketball semifinals in school history. Wall will play Freeman at 6:45 p.m., CT in the semifinals on Friday.  

“I can’t even express it right now,” Wall coach Ryan Kjerstad said about the win. “There is a ton of work for us coaches and the players. I am talking damn near a decade that went into that win right there. It feels really good for the boys.”

On Thursday, Wall (20-4) held off Grant Wilkinson’s 40-point and 19-rebound performance for the Bulldogs (19-5). Wilkinson’s 40 points were three shy of tying Joe Sayler for most points in a Class B boys basketball tournament first-round game. 

Wilkinson, a future South Dakota State University football player, finished 17-of-28 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. The 6-foot-10 senior had 12 offensive rebounds. 

Wall’s Teelan Kjerstad, a 6-foot-1 scoring guard, also lit it up. He finished with 31 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field, 9-of-9 from the free-throw line and 2-of-6 at the 3-point line. 

The two all-staters represented each team’s philosophy in the game. Wall looked to push, while De Smet relied on its size and looked to slow it down. 

“They’re a lot bigger than us obviously with Grant and the Wilkinsons,” Teelan Kjerstad said. “They’re big. We knew we had to go to our advantage and that’s getting out in transition and pushing the ball and finishing on the opportunities that we get and that’s what we did tonight.”

In the first quarter, Wall showed off its fastbreak style and made 7-of-10 shots from the field. The Eagles led 20-11 after the first eight minutes. 

“We said we are going to play as fast as we’ve ever played and it’s going to be from the tip and that’s what we did,” Ryan Kjerstad said.  

The Bulldogs got within 31-30 at halftime, with Wilkinson logging 19 points and 12 boards at the break.  

In a seesaw second half, De Smet went ahead 49-45 after the third quarter. Kjerstad’s 3-pointer gave Wall a 56-55 advantage with three minutes left. He added another field goal for a 58-55 lead with 37 seconds left.

After Wilkinson cut the deficit to 58-57 with 13 ticks left, Kjerstad converted two free throws with three seconds left for the final margin.

“I’ve dreamt of this moment my whole entire life,” Teelan Kjerstad said about delivering in the clutch moments. “I just had the teammates to trust me to take those shots and be able to knock them down.” 

Noah Luethmers added 11 points for De Smet, which plays Sully Buttes at 12:45 p.m., CT on Friday in the consolation semifinals. 

Emmet Dinger added 10 points for Wall. Dawson Handcock and Jace Mohr scored six points apiece. 

Wall lost to Freeman, 72-48, on Feb. 14 at the Corn Palace. Wall defeated Freeman in last season’s consolation championship game. 

“They kicked our butts the first time we played,” Ryan Kjerstad said. “So I am happy we get to play them on this stage again.”