Area girls basketball SoDak 16 previews: Trio of regular-season rematches on tap

Feb. 28—MITCHELL — With the Class A and B girls basketball SoDak 16 round on Friday, several teams are gearing up for re-runs of games played during the regular season.

Ethan and Andes Central/Dakota Christian clash against one another, while Tripp-Delmont/Armour meets up with Centerville and Hanson squares off with Florence/Henry. In a pairing of two unfamiliar foes, Winner takes on Vermillion.

Here's what to know about each contest:

As No. 4 Ethan (19-2) and No. 13 Andes Central/Dakota Christian (14-8) prepare to battle on Thursday night in Parkston for a place in the Class B state tournament, they do so each looking to write a new chapter in program history.

On one side, the Rustlers are seeking a ninth state tournament trip since 2015 and the 10th overall. On the other, the Thunder are chasing their first-ever tournament berth as a cooperative, and the two schools claim just one appearance between them (Dakota Christian 2004).

A seasoned Rustlers' roster guided by a steady core of seniors including Ava Lingemann, Maddy Bartscher and Leah Klock. A proficient shooting squad, Ethan stretches the floor with the lines of Lingemann — who earlier this season tied a state record for 3-pointers in a single game with 12 — along with Bartscher and sophomore Marissa Storm.

The junior guard duo of Josie Brouwer and Mahpiya Irving lead the way for ACDC, as Brouwer averages 16.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game alongside Irving's 10.4 points and 2.8 assists per game. Sophomore forward Halle Olson, at 6-foot, is a strong presence in the paint, putting up 9.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.9 blocks and 2.3 steals per game this season.

ACDC reached the SoDak 16 as the No. 3 seed from Region 5B, taking out Marty and 2-seed Avon each by at least 15 points. After a stretch where they dropped four of five toward the end of January, the Thunder regrouped and have won seven of their past nine games leading into Thursday.

Meanwhile, Ethan needed only one win to reach the statewide postseason, receiving a quarterfinal bye before advancing past Chester in the Region 3B tournament. The Rustlers dropped their season opener to Class A Hanson and have lost just once since to Freeman on Feb. 13.

The two programs met during the first week of the season back on Dec. 12, an 83-44 Ethan win in Lake Andes.

When No. 14 Tripp-Delmont/Armour (13-9) and No. 3 Centerville (20-2) played on Jan. 23, the Tornadoes notched a 63-43 win. But look no further than the Nighthawks' last outing to see how much can change in just a few weeks time.

Facing a top-seeded Wessington Springs squad in the Region 5B semifinals that had bested TDA 57-28 in Armour less than three weeks prior, the Nighthawks looked like a different team, leading for much of the night en route to a 53-49 victory. On Thursday night in Irene, TDA will aim to pull a similar feat against the Tornadoes.

A win would give TDA its second state tournament appearance as a cooperative, the last coming in 2018, when Matti Reiner (who went on to an NAIA All-American career at Dakota Wesleyan) helped lead the Nighthawks to a third-place finish. At the forefront for TDA this season are another pair of Reiners, senior Megan and freshman Mia, with the former pouring in 27 points in the win over Springs.

Eighth-grader Kinley Spaans is also a top option for the Nighthawks, and gives the youthful squad (Megan Reiner is one of three upperclassmen on the roster) a formidable interior presence alongside both Reiners, as the trio all stands 5-foot-10 or taller.

Opposite, Centerville has

had a pair of close calls with the state tournament

, reaching the SoDak 16 each of the past two seasons but falling short. But this season, the Tornadoes have secured their best seed ever and look to take the next step behind a veteran squad that includes senior standouts such as Lillie Eide and MaKayla Heesch. Centerville is after a third state tournament appearance in program history and the first since 2011.

Separated by just two points the first time around, No. 8 Hanson (16-5) and No. 9 Florence/Henry (17-5) meet on a neutral court for the second time in a month, this time to decide a Class A tournament berth.

In the first matchup, the Falcons emerged with a 47-45 win over the Beavers on Feb. 3 at the Corn Palace in a game rescheduled from the weather-impacted Hanson Classic. Of the five SoDak 16 rematches in Class A and B girls basketball, its the only one where the winner of the first game enters as the lower seed.

Led by a balanced squad that features four double-digit average scorers, Hanson is in pursuit of the program's 10th state tournament appearance all-time and its first at the Class A level.

Senior Alyssa Moschell paces the Beavers in points (14.4) and rebounds (9.1) per game, while sophomore Taziah Hawkins puts up 13.3 points and a team-leading 4.1 assists per contest. Eliza Oltmanns, another senior, averages 12.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and a team-best 3.8 steals alongside junior Kylie Haiar's 11.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per outing. Of note, coach Jim Bridge also

became South Dakota girls high school basketball's all-time wins leade

r earlier this season.

Florence/Henry is headlined by all-state forward/center Caylin Kelly, who the Beavers limited to three points in the first meeting, alongside guard Taylor Watson, who poured in a game-high 22 points during the matchup at the Palace.

Behind the senior duo, the Falcons are chasing a first-ever appearance in the state tournament as a cooperative. The lone appearance between the schools individually came for Henry in 1987.

Rounding out the area slate, No. 13 Winner (16-4) meets No. 4 Vermillion (18-4) for a showdown in Menno, as both programs set their sights on a return to the Class A state tournament.

The Warriors are a balanced squad, with no individual averaging double figures in points but six who average at least five. That group is led by sophomore Kylie Sachtjen, Winner's top scorer (9.0 points) and rebounder (4.1) by average who also adds 3.3 steals per game. Ava Craven (8.1 points per game), Keelie Kuil (6.4) and Cici Watson (6.4) are also among the Warriors' leading scorers, with Kuil offering team-bests in assists (4.6 per game) and steals (4.6).

Winner bullied its way through the bottom side of the Region 7A bracket as the No. 2 seed, outsourcing Pine Ridge and Todd County by a combined 132-44 in its two postseason games.

On the other side, the Tanagers are headlined by junior Brooke Jensen, an Augustana commit, alongside senior Chandler Cleveland and eighth-grade standout Taylor Reuvers. Vermillion emerged from a top-heavy Region 4A bracket by cruising past Parker before hanging on for a five-point win over Lennox.

With a victory, Winner would secure its place in the Class A tournament field for the 12th time overall and first since qualifying three straight years (with one state title in the mix) between 2019 and 2021. Meanwhile, Vermillion is shooting for its first tournament since 2018 and the ninth in program history.