FORT PIERRE — Wessington Springs was shorthanded on Tuesday, but it didn’t look like it. 

All-state guard Parker Graff missed Wessington Springs’ SoDak 16 game with a knee injury, but the Spartans showed off their depth and size in a 75-49 win over Timber Lake. As a result, Wessington Springs will play in the Class B boys basketball tournament on March 20-22 in Aberdeen. 

It is Wessington Springs’ second straight season qualifying for the state tournament. 

“We took 30 years off and to go back-to-back, even with another coach, Joey (Mitchell) has been awesome throughout the year,” Wessington Springs junior Colby Flowers said. “He just really knows how much our potential is. So that’s why you saw us go 10 deep in the game. It’s amazing to be able to play that many guys.”

On Tuesday, the Spartans (21-2) showed off their depth and used a size advantage to roll past the Panthers, who did not have a player taller than 6-foot-1. Wessington Springs, meanwhile, had seven players 6-foot-2 or taller.  

“We knew they had a lack in size, and Flowers is a dog inside,” Wessington Springs coach Joey Mitchell said. “He’s just a workhorse and then we’ve got (Ryder) Michalek back now. He’s averaging about seven rebounds a game.”

Colby Flowers, a 6-foot-4 junior forward, finished with 16 points and Michalek, a 6-foot-3 senior forward, scored 10 points. Karter Mebius, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, netted 26 points. 

Timber Lake’s tallest player was Kanton Hunt, a 6-foot-1 sophomore that finished with a team-high 12 points. 

“We tried to throw a lot of guys at them, and hopefully we could double down when we needed to,” Timber Lake coach Cody Lawrence said about the size disadvantage. “Hopefully through sending a bunch of guys at their bigs and hopefully they missed a few outside shots and neither of them seem to work.”

The Spartans jumped out to a 24-8 first-quarter lead and led 42-24 at halftime. The Panthers (15-8) shot themselves in the foot with 13 missed free throws and turnovers, which led to Wessington Springs’ points in transition. 

“Free throws are huge,” Lawrence said. “Free throws and layups win games. We say that all year long. I am not saying the ones we missed were going to be enough, but it definitely changes things a little bit. It puts a little bit more pressure on the team that’s the higher seed if you can knock them down. That’s for sure.” 

Wessington Springs continued to show off its size and depth in the second half, pushing its lead to 20 points and later it was a running clock. 

“We knew we were bigger,” Flowers said. “But it really comes down to who works in these games. We just knew we had to work harder than them.” 

Flowers said the Spartans also wanted to work hard for Graff, a 1,000-point scorer.  

“It was a bummer because I really wish we could have done it with Parker,” Flowers said. “But it’s just an amazing feeling that he’s on the sidelines and he will always cheer us on. He’s a great teammate to have and I'll always love having Parker as a teammate.”

Mitchell said Graff’s initial diagnosis is a loose ACL and MCL tear, but they will know more in the coming days. But the Spartans have battled injuries all season long and Mitchell said they’ve developed into a more well-rounded team because of it. 

“We’ve had three or four guys hurt the whole year,” Mitchell said. “Other guys have constantly had to step up and he’s made other guys on our team better because of how good of a player he is.” 

Up next, the Spartans will play Wall in the opening round on March 20 in Aberdeen. Wessington Springs finished as last season’s consolation champs. 

“I think the experience is going to pay off and just being able to play numerous guys as we’ve shown,” Mitchell said. “We can play eight-nine guys. I think that’s going to help when you have to play three nights in a row.”