No. 2 Class A Hamlin turns battle with No. 3 Class B Castlewood into one-sided affair
CASTLEWOOD — Hamlin made sure the battle for Hamlin County boys basketball bragging rights was a one-side proposition on Monday night.
The second-rated Class A Chargers (12-3) canned 11 of 14 3-pointers in the first half and rolled to a 71-47 win over third-rated Class B Castlewood (13-2).
The long-range marksmanship not only helped Hamlin bounce back from its second loss to No. 1-rated Class A Sioux Falls Christian (12-0) in three weeks but also helped the Chargers turn a 12-12 tie into a 45-23 halftime lead.
"We knew we'd have to catch them on a night where they didn't shoot the ball well and that didn't happen," Castlewood coach Paul Raasch said.
"I don't know if there's any team in South Dakota like that. They have six guys who are real threats from the 3-point line. They have great guard play and they're very physical. You can look all across the state and it's hard to find a team of Hamlin's caliber.
One definite Class A title contender
Hamlin took third place in the state Class A touranment in its first trip to state in 30 years last winter, losing to repeat champion Dakota Valley, and is all about making a run at the school's first state title in 40 years (State B, 1983) this winter.
Yes, they've fallen twice to Sioux Falls Christian but they missed a potential game-tying layup in the closing seconds of a 54-52 loss at home on Jan. 6 and trailed by only two points after three quarters before falling 61-53 on Saturday in the DAK XII-Northeast Conference Clash at Madison.
Hamlin showed up Monday.
"It's kind of a rivarly between us and them (Castlewood)," Hamlin's 6-foot-2 sophomore guard Jackson Wadsworth said. "We just wanted to come out and beat them after losing to Christian. Obviously we were a little ramped up after losing to them a second time."
The two teams battled to a 12-12 draw for most of the first quarter before Hamlin got hot and took control. Wadsworth was a big factor, hitting five 3-pointers and scoring all of his team-high 17 points in the first half.
"I can't get all those shots off without my teammates finding me," he said. "They knew I was kind of hot so they all pitched in. Our defense also was really good. Dawson (Noem) and Zac (Van Meeteren) did a wonderful job of shutting down (Bryon) Laue for them."
The Chargers maintain a 20-point lead or better for the entire second half and can now focus on another big meeting next Monday at home when No. 3 Class A Sioux Valley (13-0) comes calling. Juniors Evan Stormo and Easton Neuendorf added 15 and 14 points, repsectively, and senior Tyson Stevnson added 12.
"We've had a good season so far, we just have to keep it rolling," Wadsworth said.
The loss won't diminish Castlewood's state B title hopes
The lopsided outcome won't affect the Warriors' belief that they can make a run their first State B title since 2001 this winter. Castlewood was No. 1-rated before watching an 18-point first half lead slip away in a 55-54 loss to Viborg Hurley recently in the Hanson Corn Palace Classic.
The combination of Hamlin's talent, red-hot shooting and big lead all played a role in Monday's showdown turning into a blowout.
"They were 11--for-14 from 3-point land in the first half. That's hard to do even in open gym," Raasch said. "We just ran into a buzzsaw tonight. We're going to stick together, regroup and get ready to make a run in the postseason."
Hamlin's defense played a role with Van Meeteren, a 6-6 junior, and Noem, a 6-4 junior, working to hold down Castlewood's Laue, a 6-9 junior. Laue had only two points at halftime and finished with nine.
Senior guard Lane Tvedt led Castlewood with 17 points. Junior Luke Baumberger contributed 11.
"We're in good shape yet. Sometimes there are nights where the matchups determine stuff a little bit," Raasch said. "We certainly can play better. We let things get away from us when they started hitting shots and we went away from what we wanted to do. That's the way basketball goes sometimes."
Here's other area basketball highlights from Jan. 23-29:
Last Week's Top Individual Performances
There were again some notable individual performances last week in area high school basketball, including Sioux Valley's Isabelle Bloker scoring her 1,000th career point in the Big East Conference tournament.
Krista Langager of Sisseton produced 30 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Hamlin in girls basketball. Addison Neuendorf of Hamlin scored 55 points in two games and Warner's Kyra Marcuson and Faulkton Area's Carley Cotton each had 28-point games. Hadlee Holt of Iroquois-Lake Preston hauled in 19 rebounds in one game.
Lincoln Woodring of Northwestern scored 33 points and Gabe Sather of Deuel 30 to lead area boys basketball performers. Brothers Patrick and Jackson Maynard of Hitchcock-Tulare each recorded double-doubles in a win over Sully Buttes, combining for 32 points and 25 rebounds.
Other Girls Basketball
(From Reported Games, All Points Unless Otherwise Indicated)
Tuesday, Jan. 23 — Faulkton Area 32 (Kelli Stoecker 10 plus 13 rebounds, Carley Cotton 14), Northwestern 28 (Tara Blachford 13, Sophia Troske 9, Ashley Haven 12 rebounds, Ella Boekelheide 11 rebounds); Minneota, Minn. 59, Canby, Minn. 29 (Ava Danielson 10 plus 6 rebounds); Redfield 31 (Katie Rozell 11), Hitchcock-Tulare 30 (Katelyn Schroeder 10 plus 6 rebounds, Cambree Hoekman 9); Warner 52 (Stacia Carda 20, Ava Nilsson 10), Langford Area 20 (Alex Darling 10); Sisseton 60 (Krista Langager 26 plus 6 rebounds, Emmalee Nielsen 10 plus 6 rebounds), Lennox 49 (Dani Highum 16, Carli Kuyper 15).
Colman-Egan 39 (Natalie Akin 9 plus 6 rebounds, Gracie Haug 8 and Cassidy Kirwan 8), Colman-Egan 37 (Kylee Voelker 11); Great Plains Lutheran 57 (Halle Bauer 13 plus 6 steals and 6 assists, Olivia Holmen 13, Abby Kjenstad 10), Wilmot 39 (Addison Heinje 24 plus 7 rebounds, Jada Cameron 7 plus 8 rebounds and 4 steals); Arlington 51 (Jaelyn Huntimer 14 plus 8 rebounds, Addie Steffensen 14, Isabelle Steffensen 9, Harley Johnson 8), Florence-Henry 44 (Caylin Kelly 19 plus 10 rebounds, Taylor Watson 10 and Haley Hlavacek 10 rebounds); Mobridge-Pollock 53, McLaughlin 35; Hamlin 52 (Addie Steffensen 27, Marissa Bawdon 11), Aberdeen Roncalli 41 (Ava Hanson 14, Maddie Huber 12); Britton-Hecla 34 (Sterling Brassfield 10, Jayden Bender 10, Tiyanna Schott 9), Leola-Frederick Area 32 (Laura Sumption 15 plus 8 rebounds, Sofi Losure 9 plus 9 rebounds); Wolsey-Wessington 39 (Payton Kemnitz 11 plus 6 rebounds, Lainey Uttecht 11), Sunshine Bible Academy 26 (Sadie Konechne 7).
Sargent County, N.D. 74, Tiospa Zina 39; Sioux Valley 56, De Smet 42; Elkton-Lake Benton 27, Dell Rapids 24; Dell Rapids St. Mary 54, Deubrook Area 38.
Thursday, Jan. 25 — Sisseton 75 (Krsita Langager 30 plus 11 rebounds, Chloe Langager 12 plus 8 rebounds, Emmalee Nielsen 9 plus five assists, Hannah Leverson 10 assists), Hamlin 61 (Addie Neuendorf 28, Musonda Kabwe 15 plus 6 rebounds and 6 assists); Clark-Willow Lake 50 (Brynn Roehrich 14, Teyha Vig 14 plus 7 rebounds, Shelby Begeman 10 plus 78 rebounds), Redfield 37 (Katie Rozell 17 plus 7 rebounds); Florence-Henry 59 (Taylor Watson 16, Reese Schmidt 14, Caylin Kelly 10 plus 8 rebounds and 5 steals, Ashlynn Vavruska 9, Haley Hlvacek 8 plus 7 rebounds and 4 steals); Faulkton Area 45 (Carley Cotton 21, Presleigh Martinmaas 9 plus 7 rebounds), Leola-Frederick Area 37 (Laura Sumption 11 plus 8 rebounds, Kalyce Achen 9).
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Sully Buttes 49 (Stevie Wittler 24, Addison Chicoine 13), Hitchcock-Tulare 40 (Rebecca Huizenga 12, Katelyn Schroeder 11); Milbank 49 (Josie Riveland 15, Claire Snaza 12, Averie Schunaman 8), Deuel 16 (Josie Andersen 6, Jaycee Hourigan 7 rebounds); Potter County 61, North Central 36; Aberdeen Christian 62 (Chloe Holt 17, Chloe Bosma 15, Bailey Hundstad 13), Wilmot 35 (Addison Heinje 14, Jada Cameron 12).
Friday, Jan. 26 — Canby, Minn. 59 (Addison Driessen 17, Brynn Kockelman 16 plus 6 rebounds, Josie Frank 7 plus 8 rebounds), Yellow Medicine East, Minn. 35; Groton Area 42, Webster Area 27; Aberdeen Roncalli 60, Britton-Hecla 21; Strasburg-Zeeland, N.D. 43, North Central 36l Arlington 57 (Jaelyn Huntimer 19, Jolyssa Steffensen 11, Harley Johnson 10, Addie Steffensen 9 plus 5 assists), Estelline-Hendricks 40 (Sadie Johnson 12, Ayla Texley 12); Oldham-Ramona-Rutland 62, Elkton-Lake Benton 40; Mobridge-Pollock 43, Chamberlain 30; Sioux Valley 68, Beresford 46.
Warner 53 (Kyra Marcuson 28), Waubay-Summit 40 (Eva Benike 16, Peyton Rumpza 15, Madison Zirbel 9); Herreid-Selby Area 49, Ipswich 21; Castlweood 66 (Sophia Kudrna 17 plus 6 rebounds, Presley Knecht 13 plus 6 rebounds, Claire Horn 10), Iroquois-Lake Preston 44 (Adison Moore 27, Hadlee Holt 11 plus 19 rebounds, Faith Steffensen 9 rebounds); Colman-Egan 46 (Kaylee Voelker 16, Lanie Mousel 13 plus 11 rebounds, Brynlee Landis 11), De Smet 38 (Hazel Luethmers 19, Brooke Jennings 9 plus 10 rebounds); Northwestern 53 (Ana Ratigan 20 plus 14 rebounds, Ashley Haven 10 plus 11 rebounds, Ella Boekelheide 8 plus 9 rebounds), Langford Araea 43 (Alex Darling 18, Megan Gustafson 15 plus 11 rebounds).
Saturday, Jan. 27 — Elkton-Lake Benton 48 (Kylie Ramlo 25 plus 6 rebounds and 4 assists, Tevan Erickson 15), Great Plains Lutheran 43 (Halle Bauer 13, Madeline Prahl 9, Olivia Holmen 9); Flandreau 55, Sioux Valley 29 (Big East Conference Tournament Championship); Florence-Henry 49 (Caylin Kelly 18 plus 5 assists Ashlynn Vavruska 10), Wagner 40 (Ashlyn Koupal 23); Arlington 62 (Addie Steffensen 24, Jaelyn Huntimer 13), Parkston 56 (Keeara Oakley 13); Northwestern 59 (Ana Ratigan 14 plus 8 rebounds, Ashley Haven 14, Sophia Troske 13, Josie Sparling 9 plus 8 rebounds), Potter County 48 (Kayden Cronin 17-9, Emma Schlachter 10); Faulkton Area 52 (Carley Cotton 28 plus 7 rebounds, Kelli Stoecker 6 plus 8 rebounds), Hitchcock-Tulare 31 (Katelyn Schroeder 14 plus 6 rebounds, Cambree Hoekman 9 plus 6 rebounds).
Warner 52 (Kyra Marcuson 15, Kyeigh Schopp 11, Stacia Carda 10), Sully Buttes 35 (Stevie Wittler and Oliva Olson 11 each); Leola-Frederick Area 60 (Sofi Losure 16, Laura Sumption 10 plus 7 rebounds, Jocelynn Ellwein 8), Timber Lake 31; Vermillion 56 (Brooke Jenson 12), Milbank 29 (Isabella Anderson, Claire Snaza and Belle Pauli 6 each); Aberdeen Christian 37 (Chloe Holt 12, Chloe Bosma 12, Payton Skarin 9), Waverly-South Shore 35 (Carlee Mushitz 14, Jaina Johnson 7); James Valley Christian 73, Iroquois-Lake Preston 32; Britton-Hecla 48 (Sterling Brassfield 15, Heather Storbakken 12), Tri-State 40 (Shali Laurence 15, Iceli Rabbithead 14); Lemmon 49, Herreid-Selby Area 33.
Monday, Jan. 29 — Groton Area 39 (Jerica Locke 10, Brooklyn Hansen 8), Florence-Henry 34 (Caylin Kelly 20 plus 5 rebounds; Waubay-Summit 52 (Eva Benike 14, Kayce Berger 10), Langford Area 47 (Alex Darling 18, Megan Gustafson 12); Lyman 73, Potter County 60; Aberdeen Roncalli 63 (Maddie Huber 14, Ava Hanson 13, McKenna O'Keefe 12), Tiospa Zina 23 (Cadin Smith 9, Journey Halle 7); Sioux Valley 60, McCook Central-Montrose 31; Montevideo, Minn. 60, Canby, Minn. 49 (Brynn Kockelman 12, Josie Frank 11 plus 7 rebounds).
More: Other highlights for area boys and girls basketball teams from the past week
Other Boys Basketball
Tuesday, Jan. 23 — Hitchcock-Tulare 60 (Erik Salmen 17, Jackson Maynard 16, Devin Enander 11), Redfield 39 (Justin Ratigan 13, Tristan O'Daniel 12); Florence-Henry 66 (Carson Vavruska 17, Ty Bergh 14 plus 11 rebounds, James Schroeder 10, Logan Koll 12 plus 8 rebounds, Logan Vavruska 9 plus 9 rebounds), Arlington 55 (Paxton Rheault 18, Riley Miller 14, Miles Antonen 9 plus 11 rebounds, Brecken Vossler 9); Leola-Frederick Area 58 (Brayden Sumption 11, Lucas Gulbranson 11), Britton-Hecla 20 (Jordyn McGregor 6); Dell Rapids 50 (Jack Henry 18, Treyse Eastman 17), Elkton-Lake Benton 40 (Tanner Drietz 18, Carson Griffith 10).
Websteri Area 61 (Brent Bearman and Matthew Mount 14 each, Jeron McCreary 10 plus 7 rebounds), Waverly-South Shore 34 (Sam Appelhof 16, Colton Kran 8); Castlewood 76 (Bryon Laue 18 plus 15 rebounds, Lane Tvedt 15, Luke Baumberger 12, Brody Bass 9), Colman-Egan 30 (Jace Mousel 16); McLaughlin 56 (Reymin Yellow Earring 21, Cass Demery 15 plus 8 rebounds), Mobridge-Pollock 31 (Shane Henderson 11), Tiospa Zina 73, Sargent County, N.D. 44; Hamlin 77 (Jackson Wadsworth 19, Tyson Stevenson 19, Easton Neuendorf 15, Evan Stormo 10); Aberdeen Roncalli 38 (Keegan Stewart 17).
Aberdeen Christian 62 (Joey Johnson 16, Becker Bosma 15), Herreid-Selby Area (Trevor Gill 15); Faulkton Area 70 (Layne Cotton 33 plus 17 rebounds and Spencer Melius 17), Northwesern 49 (Lincoln Woodring 16, Nathan Melius 15); Faith 64, Potter County 62; Wolsey-Wessington 56, Sunshine Bible Academy 20; abd Dell Rapids St. Mary 73, Deubrook Area 62.
Thursday, Jan. 25 — Hitchcock-Tulare 54 (Patrick Maynard 17 plus 14 rebounds, Jackson Maynard 15 plus 11 rebounds), Sully Buttes 46 (Wesley Wittler 22); Groton Area 66 (Ryder Johnson 19 plus 7 rebounds, Lane Tietz 17 plus 6 rebounds, Jacob Zak 10 plus 6 rebounds), Webster Area 30 (Matthew Mount 11, Ian Lesnar 8 plus 6 rebounds); Milbank 60 (Joe Schulte 20, Yohana Ajwanga 15, Jaxson Wildung 10 rebounds), Deuel 48 (Trey Maaland 16, Gabe Sather 11 plus 8 rebounds, Troy Jenson 11); Elkton-Lake Benton 65 (Tannjer Drietz 16, Colt Beck 13), Oldham-Ramona-Rutland 43 (Cooper Merager 11).
Estelline-Hendricks 77 (Mattix Hausman 20 plus 13 rebounds and 6 asssits), Kyler Carlson 14, Matthew McAninch 10 plus 8 rebounds, Wyat James 10), Arlington 47 (Miles Antonen 18 plus 8 rebounds), Tommy Bacon 9); Ipswich 73 (Trevor Heinz 24, Chet Peterson 21 plus 9 rebounds, Jace Konsor 12), Herreid-Selby Area 43 (Wayde Grage 13, Mason Vetter 12); Great Plains Lutheran 63 (Alex Heil 17 plus 6 assists, Austin Rubendall 13 plus 9 rebounds, Myles York 13), Florence-Henry 35 (Carson Vavruska 11, Ty Bergh 9 plus 7 rebounds); Hamlin 64 (Evan Stormo 13, Tyson Stevenson 11), Sisseton 31 (Mason Herzog 11); Faulkton Area 63 (Layne Cotton 29, Gian DiMaria 13, Spencer Melius 12), Leola-Frederick Area 55 (Brayden Sumption 10 Milo Sumption 8); Potter County 62, North Central 35; Sioux Valley 70 (Alec Squires 16 plus 12 rebounds, Maverick Nelson 16, Hudsyn Ruesink 11 plus 6 assists, Maxwell Engebretson 12, Jase Christensen 10 plus 5 asssits), McCook Central-Montrose 30 (Mason Sabers 10).
Friday, Jan. 26 — Waubay-Summit 53 (Traveion Neilan 20 plus 5 steals, Jackson Wohlleber 19), Warner 41; Clark-Willow Lake 57, Redfield 27; Mobridge-Pollock 71, Chamberlain 55; De Smet 70 (Tom Aughenbaugh 20, Britt Carlson 16, George Jensen 9), Colman-Egan 30 (Jase Mousel 19); Northwestern 65 (Lincoln Woodring 33, Nathan Melius 20), Langford Area 48 (Rennan Bruns 15, Dylan Harmon 12, Kalen Godel 12, Jacob Samson 11); Castlewood 80 (Jamison Keszler 22, Bryon Laue 16, Lane Tvedt 16), Iroquois-Lake Preston 36 (Lucas Peskey 13, Ryne Greene 9, Josh McMasters 9); North Central 59, Strasburg-Zeeland, N.D. 26.
Saturday, Jan. 27 — Leola-Frederick Area 60 (Ethan Petrich 13 plus 10 rebounds, Noah Kippley 10, Gavin Nickelson 10, Milo Sumption 10 rebounds), Platte-Geddes 52 (Tamnner Dyk 17); Highmore-Harrold 46 (Trake Cowan 15 plus 16 rebounds), Ipswich 44 (Trevor Heinz 16, Jace Konsor 12, Chet Peterson 9 plus 13 rebounds, Tucker Kadlec 10 rebounds); Great Plains Lutheran 46 (Austin Rubendall 21 plus 7 rebounds, Myles York 9 plus 7 rebounds), Elkton-Lake Benton 42 OT; Mobridge-Pollock 66 (Kale Knudson 15 plus 6 rebounds, Michael Wald 15, Shane Henderson 12 plus 13 rebounds, Simon Fried 10), Lakota Tech 61 (Treyton Sam 18); Sioux Valley 66 (Alec Squires 24 plus 8 rebounds, Maverick Nelson 15, Maxwell Engebretson 13 plus 9 assists), Hot Springs 55 (Josh Kleinsasser 19).
Lemmon 58, Herreid-Selby Area 24; Aberdeen Christian 36 (Joey Johnson 19, Becker Bosma 8), Waverly-South Shore 34 (Sam Appelhof 12, Brady Eschen 10); Sully Buttes 52, Warner 38; Britton-Hecla 44, Tri-State 40; James Valley Christian 69, Iroquois-Lake Preston 31; West Central 72 (Conner Mebius 14), Webster Area 38 (Jack Shoemaker 11, Jeron McCreary 8); Lennox 76 (Porter Ihnen 27), Tiospa Zina 49 (Carvin Fish 28); Dell Rapids 56 (Jack Henry 18), Milbank 48 (Yohana Ajwanga 17, Garrett Mertens 9, Joe Schulte and Jaxson Wildung 8 each); Tri-Valley 87 (Brody Jewett 23), Redfield 41 (Tristen O'Daniel 19 plus 6 rebounds, Grady Hulscher 12).
Tea Area 61 (Marshall Smythe 13), Clark-Willow Lake 35 (Emmerson Larson 9); Elk-Point Jefferson 61 (Ashton Fairbanks 15), Sisseton 47 (Nate Tchida 14, Dana Bravebull and Christian Shepherd 8 each); Canton 81 (Matt Anderson 24 plus 10 rebounds), Deuel 79 (Gabe Sather 30 plus 9 rebounds, Trey Maaland 27 plus 7 rebounds); Dakota Valley 62 (Jaxson Wingert 23 plus 13 rebounds), Groton Area 57 (Jacob Zak 16, Ryder Johnson 14 plus 8 rebounds), Lane Tietz 13); Sioux Falls Christian 61 (Griffen Goodbary 25, Cole Snyder 17), Hamlin 53 (Easton Neuendorf 15, Tyson Stevenson 10); Aberdeen Roncalli 62 (Maddox Miller 25, Keegan Stewart 20), Madison 51 (Ben Brooks 16).
Monday, Jan. 29 — Mobridge-Pollock 65 (Jackson Eisemann 19, Unique White Twin 14, Simon Fried 11), Timber Lake 41 (Cole Ducheneaux (13); De Smet 54 (George Jensen 17 plus 6 rebounds, Tom Aughenbaugh 12, Trace Van Regenmorter 10 rebounds), Canistota 35 (Tage Olson 23); Waverly-South Shore 63 (Zach Ries 15, Cody Thompson 15, Brady Eschen 13, Colton Kranz 8), Arlington 40 (Paxton Rheault 10, Riley Miller 8, Miles Antonen 8); Potter County 57, Lyman 42.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Area boys and girls basketball highlights from Jan. 23-29/
