FORT PIERRE — White River won the battle of the Tigers and is headed back to Aberdeen.

White River pulled away from Howard for a 72-51 SoDak 16 boys basketball win and earned their 18th straight state tournament berth. The streak started in 2006 and continued Tuesday with No. 18. 

“I just feel like we have a really special thing going here at White River,” White River senior T.J. Beardt said. “Great coaches and it’s what got us through these 18 successful years and I am just proud of everybody on my team and everybody before us. I am glad to carry on the legacy of the White River Tigers.”

At the helm for all 18 appearances has been Eldon Marshall, who has piloted the successful boys basketball program to four state championships during the run. 

“All I can think of is all the previous guys before that have done it,” Marshall said. “When I do start thinking about it, I do think about all the guys who put in all the work before.”

That includes this year’s Tigers. 

“We have a great group of kids this year,” Marshall continued. “I am really proud of them, especially our seniors. I am really glad that Gavin and Joe and T.J can take our season to the very end.”

Joe Sayler scored a game-high 22 points, while Beardt anchored the post with 19 points. Nic Marshall added 12 points, while Evastine Wright (nine points) and Gavin Folkers (eight points) were also key contributors. 

“TJ stepped up and Gavin hit some shots,” Sayler said. “He’s been on a struggle bus, but tonight he really stepped up.” 

Sayler, a 2,000-point career scorer, again faced constant pressure from Howard. That led to scoring opportunities for other players and Beardt answered the bell.

“Having Joe and Nic and a bunch of weapons on our team opens it up for the rest of us,” Beardt said. “It’s pretty easy when you have guys like Joe and Nic on our team helping you out and it opens up the rest of the floor for everybody else to get their opportunity.” 

Howard’s Kolt Koepsell had 15 points, while Luke Koepsell added 13 points. Colby Claussen scored 12 points. Kolt Koepsell (6-foot-7) and Luke Koepsell (6-3) provided a challenge with their size for White River, but Beardt and Folkers neutralized them in the paint. 

“Howard is a good team,” Eldon Marshall said. “They have that length. We just struggled with that length and their big guys, but I thought we did a good job of rebounding tonight.”

White River led at each quarter break and led 35-24 at halftime. It pulled away in the final two quarters to secure another trip back to Aberdeen.  

“It’s pretty special,” Sayler said about the streak. “Eighteen years is a long time. It says a lot about the program and what we were all about. We play for each other and for our community.”