By Jacob Wuertz and Ryan Deal

605 Sports

Boys

Note: This slate of games does not include the boys Hanson Classic. Those games will be featured later this week on 605sports.com. 

No. 3 De Smet at Hamlin 

Two Lake Central Conference foes — De Smet and Hamlin — will clash in Hayti on Tuesday.

Class B No. 3 De Smet will play at Class A Hamlin in a conference contest between two teams with high expectations this season. 

The Bulldogs (7-1) are again among the top Class B teams and are riding a five-game winning streak. De Smet’s lone defeat was against Class A No. 2 Sioux Valley, 67-58, at the Entringer Classic in December. 

The Bulldogs are coming off three wins last week, including a pair of dominant victories over South Dakota teams Howard (67-23) and Iroquois/Lake Preston (69-23). 

De Smet is powered by 6-foot-10 Damon Wilkinson, who has logged multiple double-doubles this season and is a college football and basketball prospect. Kadyn Fast, Kasen Janssen, George Jensen and Gannon Gruenhagen round out the starting five. 

Hamlin (4-2) is coming off a 70-31 win over Webster Area on Jan. 13. The Chargers have dropped games against Class A powers Dell Rapids (64-52) and Sioux Valley (69-65). 

Hamlin is led by a host of wings and guards, including Easton Neuendorf, Zac VanMeeteren, Brennan Keszler, Jackson Wadsworth and Tyson Stevenson. 

No. 2 Aberdeen Christian at Waubay/Summit 

A pair of undefeated teams will go head-to-head in Summit on Thursday.

Aberdeen Christian and Waubay/Summit have each swept the competition thus far in the season, and now face off with major seed point implications. The teams met in the consolation semifinal round of last season’s Class B state tournament, with Waubay/Summit winning 56-42 en route to a 5th place finish.

Aberdeen Christian (7-0 before Tuesday’s game against Faulkton Area) enters the matchup ranked No. 2 in this week’s poll and has beaten their opponents by an average of 22.7 points per game. The Knights are led by a trio of 1,000 point scorers in seniors Malek Wieker, Jackson Isakson, and Ethan Russell.

Waubay/Summit (9-0 before Tuesday’s game against Milbank) has quietly put together a good start to the season. The Mustangs have not lost since losing to De Smet in the first round of the Class B state tournament last March. Now in Class A, Waubay/Summit has been looking to prove they belong. The Mustangs are averaging 65.8 points per game, while allowing 37.1 points per game. Waubay/Summit is led by a trio of guards in seniors Damon Opdahl and Jonathan Johnston, and junior Jackson Wohlleber.

No. 5 Rapid City Christian at Lakota Tech 

Two West River foes will meet up in Pine Ridge Friday.

Rapid City Christian (10-0) comes into the game looking to continue a successful campaign so far this season. The Comets have posted several big wins, including defeating Red Cloud, Class B No. 4 Lower Brule, and Class B No. 1 White River at the Lakota Nation Invitational, while also defeating four out-of-state schools. Rapid City Christian averages 74.7 points per game, while allowing 55 points per game. In last Saturday’s win over Newcastle, Wyo., the Comets were led by Sam Fischer (16 points), Benson Kieffer (13 points) and Julius Frog (10 points).

Lakota Tech (6-3) has several common opponents to Rapid City Christian, but the outcomes have been different. The Tatanka edged Red Cloud last week, 65-64, but unlike the Comets, lost to White River and Lower Brule at the Lakota Nation Invitational. Lakota Tech’s other loss came at the hands against Campbell County, Wyo. (73-64) last Saturday. The Tatanka average 57.4 points per game, while giving up 53.8 points per game, and are led by seniors Quincy Means, Jordan Whirlwind Horse, and Kendrell Cuevas, and freshman Marvin Richard III.

No. 4 Mitchell at No. 2 Sioux Falls Lincoln

A top-five Class AA clash will take place in Sioux Falls at Lincoln High School on Saturday.

Mitchell (6-1 before Tuesday’s game against Sioux Falls Roosevelt) is coming off a 69-31 win over Brookings on Jan. 13 and has won their last three games. The No. 4 Kernels lone loss came against Harrisburg (75-57) on Jan. 2, while Mitchell’s average margin of victory is 11.5 points per game. The Kernels are led by 6-foot-5 senior Steele Morgan.

Sioux Falls Lincoln (6-1 before Friday’s game against Sioux Falls O’Gorman) has won their last four games, including defeating Sioux Falls Roosevelt, 76-59, in their last contest on Jan. 14. The Patriots are led by 7-foot-1 junior J.T. Rock, who is an Iowa State commit, as well as Elliot Whitney and Elijah Olson. Sioux Falls Lincoln’s lone loss came against Class AA No. 1 Sioux Falls Jefferson (71-57) on Dec. 20. The Patriots average 70.6 points per game, while giving up 59.6 points per game.

Girls

Hanson at RV Howard

Hanson and Howard meet for a Cornbelt Conference clash on Tuesday in Howard.

Hanson (8-2) won its last contest over Castlewood (48-42) at the Hanson Classic on Jan. 14 and look to build off of the win. The Beaverettes losses have come against Class B No. 4 Centerville (51-42) and Class B No. 1 Viborg-Hurley (54-49). Hanson is outscoring their opponents by 20 points per game and are led by a host of players, including Annalyse Weber, Alyssa Moschell, and Eliza Oltmanns.

Howard (8-2) also won its last game at the Hanson Classic on Jan. 14, defeating Mount Vernon/Plankinton (53-47) in a close contest. The Tigers losses have come against Dell Rapids St. Mary (46-42) and De Smet (59-48). Howard is led by a pair of six-foot forwards in Kate Connor and Abby Aslesen. 

No. 5 Harrisburg at No. 1 Sioux Falls Washington 

Sioux Falls area schools — Harrisburg and Sioux Falls Washington — will face off at Washington High School on Tuesday.

Both teams are undefeated in the state of South Dakota, with Harrisburg’s only loss coming against Bishop Heelan, Iowa (50-40) on Jan. 6.

Harrisburg (7-1), who has won their last three games, enters averaging 47.5 points per game, while allowing 37.8 points per game. The Tigers are led by Kayleigh Hybertson and Abigail Flanagan.

Sioux Falls Washington (7-0) has cruised through their first seven games, outscoring their opponents by an average of 17.3 points per game. The top-ranked Warriors are led by a trio of six-foot seniors in Hannah Harpe, Brooklyn Harpe, and Taylor Thompson, as well as 5-foot-8 senior Alexus Motley. Sioux Falls Washington is coming off a 52-27 win over Sioux Falls Roosevelt on Jan. 13.

Potter County at No. 5 Warner

A pair of Class B schools will meet in Warner on Thursday.

Potter County and Warner have a combined three losses and look to continue the success they have had already this season.

Potter County (7-1) has won its last three games after its lone loss to Timber Lake (60-56) on Jan. 6. The Battlers have beaten their opponents by an average of 13 points per game and are led by seniors Tyler Simon and Ashlee Kaup.

Warner (6-2) lost its last contest on Friday, a 61-36 loss to Florence/Henry. The Monarchs also have a loss to Groton Area (48-23). Warner averages 47.3 points per game, while allowing 37.8 points per game. 

RV Florence/Henry at No. 1 Hamlin 

Two undefeated Class A girls basketball teams will collide on Saturday. 

Florence/Henry (8-0) plays at Class A No. 1 Hamlin (8-0) in a big Class A girls basketball contest in Hayti. The Falcons and Chargers are two of five undefeated teams remaining in Class A. 

The Chargers are outscoring their opponents by 24.5 points and handed then-Class A No. 1 St. Thomas More a 39-34 defeat in December. Hamlin also plays De Smet (5-3) and Redfield (4-5) before hosting Florence/Henry on Saturday.

Florence/Henry is on the outside looking in for this week’s Class A poll. The Falcons are again honorable mention as they continue to coast along this season. 

Florence/Henry had a solid showing at the Hanson Classic, knocking off Parkston (63-42) to remain undefeated. The Falcons are outscoring their opponents 29.8 points per game. They will face Webster Area on Tuesday before turning their attention to the No. 1 Chargers.