Full Court Press: Class B clashes meet the moment at the Hoop City Classic
Jan. 1—It was a big week for Class B boys basketball.
Four ranked teams were in action at the Hoop City Classic, emboldening their credentials early in the new season. Start with Aberdeen Christian and White River, which took the Corn Palace court on Dec. 28 for the Hoop City Classic's Day 1 nightcap, spectators were treated to a matchup featuring two of the top ranked teams in boys Class B.
No. 3 White River crept out to an early lead, but the No. 2 Knights didn't let the Tigers get too far out of reach. As the Class B powerhouses went back and forth and were locked in a five-point game after three quarters, one star shone brighter than the rest.
White River senior guard Joe Sayler, who's committed to play collegiate basketball at South Dakota State, racked up 28 points on the night, including 17 in the second half and 10 in the fourth quarter, as the Tigers held off the Knights to win 58-48.
"Anytime you play a team the caliber of Aberdeen Christian, it makes you better whether you win or lose," said White River coach Eldon Marshall. "For a lot of our guys, it's the first time they've been in this setting, so to get a win against a very good team gives us a confidence boost."
But beyond the contest serving as an early-season measuring tape for both programs and the potential for a rematch come the postseason, the night held special significance for White River.
The victory was the 400th in Marshall's coaching career, and after shaking hands with Aberdeen, the Tigers presented their coach with a basketball emblazoned with a large '400' on one of the leather panels.
"That's just a shoutout to all the kids that've been a part of our program over the years," Marshall said. "By no means is that my 400. It's our school's, our community's and our program's. That's what it's about."
Sioux show well in quick start
The next day, in Sioux Falls, No. 4 Lower Brule met No. 5 Viborg-Hurley and both teams met the moment from the start, with 38 points scored in the first eight minutes before them. There were six lead changes but Lower Brule closed the door late and shot 61% for the game to win 63-58.
It continued what has been an impressive start to the season for the Sioux, who won four games at the Lakota Nation Invitational in Rapid City earlier in December, including a victory over White River.
Wednesday's game was Lower Brule's fourth at the Hoop City Classic and the Sioux's first win all-time after taking some lumps in past games, including two losses by 20 or more and a 93-44 loss to Houston, Tennessee at the Corn Palace on Jan. 8, 2021 as a fill-in for the canceled Hoop City Classic. So coach Brian LaRoche and his team were relishing a solid win over a diverse Cougars' attack.
"Our kids have played hard and taken on some tough teams in the past but I think it's made us better," LaRoche said. "It's fun to play well in the big games and show what we can do against some really good teams."
The schedule-anyone-anywhere Sioux saw their perfect start to the season dashed on Thursday at the Huron Holiday Classic, with Clark/Willow Lake knocking off Lower Brule 53-52. But early in the season, Lower Brule has shown a fast-paced, skilled brand of basketball with talented players all over the court, including Keshaume Thigh, Gavin Thigh and Brian LaRoche, who each had 14 or more points in the win over V-H. Watch them play and you're left with only one thought: The Sioux are legit.
"We've got some kids that believe in what we're doing and they play with confidence. I think sometimes we're overlooked because of where we come from or whatever but these kids play hard and they play together."
Classic thoughts
A few other takeaways from a busy holiday week of basketball:
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On Friday, in front of a full house at Brookings High School, De Smet earned an impressive 55-47 win over Sioux Valley at the Entringer Classic, improving the Bulldogs to 5-1 and 5-0 against South Dakota competition this year. De Smet hit 10 3-pointers and got strong efforts from Damon Wilkinson (17 points, six rebounds) and Rett Osthus (13 points, eight rebounds). All credit to the Bulldogs who have played a tough schedule and have never wavered from looking like the No. 1 team in their class.
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It is also worth noting a 56-53 win for Howard over previously undefeated Freeman Academy/Marion on Wednesday in Sioux Falls. Look for more on the Tigers retooling in 2022 in a future edition of the Full Court Press. (Of the 78 Class B boys programs, there are four remaining undefeated teams in Class B boys basketball and it's an interesting grouping: 6-0 Faulkton Area, 5-0 Timber Lake and 3-0 Canistota and Potter County.)
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Hats off to St. Thomas More, which earned a nice win over Houston, Tennessee, 43-35 on Thursday in Sioux Falls. The Cavaliers are 6-0 in Class A and almost assuredly will be in the mix in March. You can always commend coach Dave Hollenbeck's program for setting up a challenging schedule.
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Parkston is now 7-0 in Class A girls basketball, with two solid wins this past week over Viborg-Hurley and Winner, which were each receiving votes in the most recent media polls.
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Corsica-Stickney girls basketball had a challenging week, facing two solid Class A foes. Dakota Valley pulled out an exciting win over the Jaguars at the Parkston Classic on Tuesday, 67-66, before Corsica-Stickney rallied for a 54-49 win over a talented Tea Area team on Friday.
Honor roll
Boys top performers
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It came in a loss but Tea Area's Cale Lundin scored 38 points on 14-for-27 shooting in a 65-64 loss to Sioux Falls O'Gorman on Thursday.
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Caden Hinker paced Mitchell with 28 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a 84-79 win over Campbell County during the Hoop City Classic on Wednesday.
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Mount Vernon/Plankinton's Reed Rus had a game-high 28 points, while snatching 18 rebounds and tallying four steals and two blocks in a win against Winner on Tuesday.
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Corsica-Stickney's Tyson Wentland, a 6-foot-3 freshman, had 20 points and 11 rebounds in a 54-51 loss to McCook Central/Montrose during the Parkston Classic on Tuesday.
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In an overtime 75-66 win against Sioux Falls Jefferson, Brock Vice posted 18 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks for Houston (Tenn.) on Wednesday during the Hoop City Classic.
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T.J. Thomas racked up 21 points, 11 assists and five steals to help First Assembly Christian (Tenn.) take down Sioux Falls Christian 71-57 during the Hoop City Classic on Wednesday.
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Landon Wallman tossed in 26 points and six 3-pointers as James Valley Christian beat McIntosh 90-56 during the Huron Holiday Classic on Thursday.
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Enderlin, North Dakota's Joe Hurlburt posted a game-high 25 points, along with nine rebounds, four steals and two blocks to lead to a 71-46 win over Canton during the Hoop City Classic on Thursday. His brother, Gus, scored his 1,000th point in the game, and you can read more about both of them here.
Girls top performers
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Sawyer Stoebner exploded for 28 points, 10 rebounds and nine steals to lead the Kernels to their first win of the season against Campbell County on Wednesday. She nearly posted the first triple-double in Hoop City Classic history, no boys or girls player has ever done it.
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Dakota Valley's Rylee Rosenquist had 31 points and snatched 16 rebounds in a 67-66 win over No. 2 ranked Corsica-Stickney during the Parkston Classic on Tuesday.
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Parkston's Allison Ziebart recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Viborg-Hurley during the Parkston Classic on Tuesday.
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Skyler Volmer's game-high 33 points, along with 11 rebounds and four assists, led Lyman to its first win of the season against Timber Lake on Tuesday.
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Winner's Bella Swedlund racked up 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Warriors to a 56-17 victory over Bon Homme on Wednesday.
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Leah Williams poured in 21 points, 10 rebounds and three steals in Wolsey-Wessington's 56-39 win over Redfield on Wednesday.
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Brandon Valley's Hilary Behrens posted 18 points, along with four rebounds and two steals to lead to a 67-66 win over Thunder Basin (Wyo.) during the Hoop City Classic on Thursday. Laney McCarty scored 20 points and made three 3-pointers in a losing effort.
