By Rich Winter

605 Sports

When Waubay/Summit coach Mark Amdahl took over the boys job six years ago he joined the program with two goals. One was to get invited to the Hanson Classic, the other, to make it to the state tournament. 

While the state tournament berth won’t be hashed out until March, the Mustangs (8-3) reached a program milestone with Saturday’s Hanson Classic matchup against Ethan. 

“To get the invite was rewarding,” Amdahl said. “It is not the state tournament, but it is the next best thing to gain experience on that kind of platform.” 

In Saturday’s game, Waubay/Summit lost to Ethan, 61-54. Waubay/Summit’s Damon Opdahl tossed in a game-high 27 points and added five steals. J Gulbraa finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Jonathan Johnston had nine points. 

Two nights before Ethan (7-3), the Mustangs led No. 4 Aberdeen Christian, 48-41 with five minutes remaining. Big game experience came through as the Knights closed the game on a 16-2 run.  

“Both of us play defense and we had that lead before Aberdeen Christian went on a run,” he said. “They’ve been battle tested and it came down to them making the plays down the stretch. 

Big games with big-time atmospheres are starting to become the norm for the Mustangs. Last season ended with a loss to White River in the SoDak 16, an experience that carried over into the 2021-22 season. 

“Just to have the big game atmosphere and feel the tension in the gym was special,” Amdahl said. “Our players needed to go through that, even us coaches needed to experience that type of playoff atmosphere.”

Junior Damon Opdahl leads the Mustangs with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals per game. 

“He makes us tick,” said Amdahl, who is also Opdahl’s step-father. “He’s the complete package, fills up the stat sheet and usually guards the other teams second or first best player.”

 Gulbraa, a 6-foot-7 senior, averages close to 13 points and eight rebounds per game. 

“He weighs about 270 pounds, he’s a big dude and he makes his presence known,” Amdahl said. “He’s a good shot-blocker, has good hands and can be tough to handle.” 

Other starters and Amdahl’s comments

Jonathon Johnson, 6-foot-3 junior: People that have seen us faceguard him because they know not to give him an open look.

Jackson Wohlleber, 5-foot-9 sophomore: He’s from the Wohlleber blood line and he has the highest basketball IQ of any player I’ve coached. 

Seth Gaikowski, 6-foot-2 senior: Our lock down defender. Can guard any position and buys into that role and that’s a big deal for us. 

The season has gone well so far but Amdahl thinks his guys have room to improve. 

“I think that rebounding is so critical,” he said. “We need to end more possessions on defensive rebounds. They say rebounding is one of the little things and we actually think it is a very big thing for us.” 

Amdahl reaches 300th overall win: 

Waubay and Summit began their co-op seven years ago. Amdahl, who coached girls basketball for 12 years, took over the boys’ program six years ago.

Amdah recently earned his 300th overall coaching win. He recorded a 252-41 record in 12 seasons coaching girls basketball, including eight state tournament berths and three state championships. 

“It’s very humbling,” Amdahl said. “People don’t understand how much time goes into it, how many moving parts there are and how crucial it is to have parents on the same page.”