Boys

No. 4 Castlewood vs No. 5 Lower Brule 

A top-five Class B boys basketball matchup highlights the Dakota Valley Conference Classic on Saturday in Colman. 

Castlewood (7-0) is No. 4 in the Class B poll, while Lower Brule (6-2) is No. 5 in the latest rankings. The Warriors and Sioux faced off in last year’s Class B boys basketball tournament, with Lower Brule earning an overtime win in the first round. 

The Warriors are anchored by 6-foot-8 sophomore center Byron Laue, who logged 16 points and 18 rebounds in Castlewood’s 54-51 win over Clark/Willow Lake on Jan. 10. Lane Tvedt led Castlewood with 21 points in the victory. 

Lower Brule, which averages 68.3 points per game, features three double-digits scorers: Brian LaRoche Jr., (21.5 ppg), Gavin Thigh (18.1 ppg) and Lane Gray (11.5 ppg). Ellwyn Langdeau scores 9.5 points per game. 

Mount Vernon/Plankinton at Platte-Geddes

Two teams with a combined 10-1 record will face off in Platte on Thursday.

Mount Vernon/Plankinton enters the game with a 5-1 record. The Titans began the year with three straight wins before losing to Lennox (65-52) on Jan. 6. They have since won their last two games, with wins over Tri-Valley and Wessington Springs. MVP averages 64.7 points per game, while giving up 51.3 points per game. The Titans are led by 6-foot-4 four senior guard Reed Rus and 6-foot-7 senior center Jordan Stoltz.

Platte-Geddes enters the matchup with a 5-0 record. The Black Panthers have only one win over a team with a winning record, defeating Freeman Academy/Marion (62-52) at the Sacred Hoops Classic on Jan. 7. Platte-Geddes averages 62 points per game, while allowing 38.2 points per game. The Black Panthers are led by senior Dawson Hoffman and junior Tanner Dyk.

No. 1 Sioux Falls Jefferson at No. 5 Sioux Falls Washington

A pair of top-five Class AA teams will square off at Washington High School on Friday.

Sioux Falls Jefferson (5-0) has held the top spot in the Class AA rankings all season, and look to continue to prove that they are the No. 1 team in this matchup. The Cavaliers have been a balanced team all season, relying on several key players such as Taylen Ashley, Griffin Wilde, Beau Giblin, and Kaden Year to lead the team offensively and defensively. Jefferson averages 65.6 points per game, while allowing 52.6 points per game. The Cavaliers biggest wins thus far have come against Sioux Falls Roosevelt (73-61) and Class AA No. 2 Sioux Falls Lincoln (71-57), while also defeating Orono, Minn. (63-43) at the Hoop City Classic on Dec. 29. 

Sioux Falls Washington (4-1) enters the matchup on a four game winning streak. After losing their season opener to Sioux Falls Lincoln (60-56), the Warriors proceeded to win four straight, including a win on the road over Class AA No. 3 Pierre (63-57) on Jan. 7. Washington features key players Mandalla Mohamed, Zharic Sheppard, Cole Peterson, and A.J. Akot.

Girls

Note: This set of girls games does not include Saturday’s Hanson Classic. 605sports.com will preview the classic later in the week. 

No. 4 Sully Buttes at Miller 

Timber Lake at No. 4 Sully Buttes 

The Sully Buttes girls will put their undefeated record to the test on back-to-back nights. 

The Class B No. 4 Chargers (7-0) will play at Class A Miller on Thursday and host Timber Lake on Friday. 

Sully Buttes’ signature win so far was a 49-41 win over Class A Aberdeen Roncalli (49-41) on Jan. 9. Against the Cavaliers, Stevie Wittler (24 points) and Lydia Hill (14 points) led the Chargers. Miller is 5-1 with its lone defeat against Class B No. 2 Wolsey-Wessington, 52-49. 

Timber Lake is 6-0 and is honorable mention in the latest Class B poll. The Panthers narrowly won their last two games, edging Faith (60-54) and Potter County (60-56). 

Timber Lake is led by senior guards Carlie Lawrence, a 1,000-point scorer, Shay Kraft and sophomore forward Jasmine Nash. 

No. 5 Warner at Florence/Henry

Two teams with a combined 12-1 record will collide in Henry on Friday.

Warner (6-1) cracked the top-five on Monday for the first time this season. The Monarchs have averaged 48.9 points per game through their first seven games, while allowing 34.4 points per game. Warner’s lone defeat came against Groton Area (48-23) on Jan. 3. The Monarchs have won their last three games, defeating Ipswich, North Central, and Hitchcock-Tulare.

Florence/Henry (6-0) is receiving votes in this week’s Class A poll. The Falcons have cruised through their first six games, winning by an average of 32 points per game. Florence/Henry is led by senior Trinity Watson and juniors Taylor Watson, Caylin Kelly, and Reese Schmidt.

No. 2 Sioux Falls Washington at No. 3 Sioux Falls Jefferson

A top-five Class AA girls basketball matchup takes place at Jefferson High School on Thursday.

Sioux Falls Washington (5-0) is No. 2 in the Class AA poll, while Sioux Falls Jefferson (6-1) enters the game ranked No. 3 in the latest poll. 

Sioux Falls Washington is led by seniors Hannah Harpe and Brooklyn Harpe, Taylor Thompson, and Alexus Motley, and have earned key wins over Class AA No. 4 Pierre (57-49) on Jan. 7 and Class AA No. 1 Sioux Falls O’Gorman (42-33) on Jan. 9. The Warriors average 53 points per game, while surrendering 34.6 points per game.

Sioux Falls Jefferson is led by senior Cierra Watkins and junior Jaidyn Dunn, and averages 55.1 points per game, while giving up 40.7 points per game. The Cavaliers biggest win so far this season came against Rapid City Stevens on Jan. 7, winning 52-43. Their lone loss came against Tea Area (61-55) on Dec. 20.