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South Dakota Prep Media basketball polls for Dec. 11: Lyman girls move up to No. 2 in Class B

landon dierks, the daily republic, mitchell, s.d.
·5 min read

Dec. 11—MITCHELL — All six classes of South Dakota high school basketball are officially tipped off, marking the start of the three-month-long march toward state tournament time.

Already, votes are shifting and programs are moving up and down the polls, as the first week featured a new No. 1, teams entering and falling out of the top-five rankings and plenty more action.

The South Dakota Prep Media basketball polls for the week of Dec. 11, 2023, are listed below, ranking the top-five teams in each class. First-place votes are indicated in parentheses and teams are ranked by total points received.

1. Sioux Falls Roosevelt (10), 1-0, 69; 2. Harrisburg (3), 1-0, 57; 3. Mitchell (1), 1-0, 41; 4. O'Gorman (1), 1-0, 28; 5. Sioux Falls Jefferson, 0-1, 22.

Others receiving votes: Sioux Falls Lincoln (1) 17, Rapid City Stevens 4, Brandon Valley 2.

Top-ranked Riders: After just one game, there's already a new No. 1 in Class AA boys, as preseason No. 2 Sioux Falls Roosevelt usurped west-side rival Sioux Falls Jefferson for the top spot following a 47-38 head-to-head victory. Jefferson held on to enough votes to stop their skid at No. 5, while Harrisburg, Mitchell and O'Gorman all climbed one spot. The Rough Riders now own 10 of 16 first-place votes, with Harrisburg grabbing three and Mitchell, O'Gorman and Sioux Falls Lincoln (receiving votes) at one apiece.

1. Sioux Falls Christian (14), 1-0, 78; 2. Hamlin (1), 1-0, 60; 3. Dakota Valley (1), 1-0, 48; 4. Sioux Valley, 1-0, 31; 5. Dell Rapids, 1-0, 9.

Others receiving votes: St. Thomas More 4, Rapid City Christian 3, Hot Springs 3, Lennox 2, Pine Ridge 1, Madison 1.

Tied no more: A preseason tie at No. 5 in Class A boys between Dell Rapids and Lennox was broken early in favor of the Quarriers. Dell Rapids defeated West Central in overtime to start the new season, while Lennox got out to an 0-2 start, dropping the Orioles into the receiving votes section. Lennox was the lone Class A team to receive votes in the preseason to lose in the opening weekend (the other 10 teams went a combined 11-0), though one loss was to No. 1 Sioux Fall Christian.

1. De Smet (13), 1-0, 75; 2. Castlewood (2), 1-0, 55; 3. White River, 1-0, 43; 4. Viborg-Hurley, 1-0, 36; 5. Lower Brule (1), 1-0, 19.

Others receiving votes: Faith 5, Howard 2, Wessington Springs 2, Dell Rapids St. Mary 2, Canistota 1.

Trimming the field: The preseason Class B boys poll featured seven teams receiving votes outside of the top five, tied for the most of any class. While the top five held firm as each team went 1-0, two of the chasers — Gregory and Wolsey-Wessington — fell out after the opening weekend. Despite three more voters in the polls compared to last week, the share of total vote points that fell outside the top five shrunk considerably, going from 27 to 12.

1. O'Gorman (11), 1-0, 69; 2. Sioux Falls Washington (4), 1-0, 68; 3. Sioux Falls Jefferson (1), 1-0, 53; 4. Harrisburg, 1-1, 23; 5. Aberdeen Central, 2-0, 11.

Others receiving votes: Mitchell 9, Rapid City Stevens 7, Pierre 2.

Govs go down: Preseason No. 4 Pierre, which received one first-place vote last week, fell out of the top five following a 63-35 season-opening loss at home to Rapid City Stevens. The Governors went from 23 total vote points to just two, allowing Harrisburg to move from No. 5 to No. 4 and making way for Aberdeen Central at No. 5. Mitchell held firm as the top team receiving votes outside the rankings after a came-from-behind win at Huron.

1. Wagner (14), 1-0, 78; 2. Sisseton (1), 3-0, 55; 3. Tea Area (1), 1-0, 41; 4. Vermillion, 1-0, 23; 5. Sioux Falls Christian, 2-0, 20.

Others receiving votes: Flandreau 9, Hamlin 8, Red Cloud 4, Hanson 1, Aberdeen Roncalli 1.

Flawless first week: One of two classes (Class B boys) that went unchanged through the opening week, the Class A girls top five went a combined 8-0, the most wins of any class. Wagner maintained a strong grip on the No. 1 spot with 14 of 16 first-place votes this week, while No. 2 Sisseton went 3-0 for the most wins among the top-five. Outside the top-five, five more teams received votes, two fewer than in the preseason. Hanson joined the group, while St. Thomas More, Florence/Henry and Lakota Tech dropped out.

1. Wall (15), 1-0, 79; 2. Lyman (1), 0-0, 41; 3. Centerville, 1-0, 32; 4. Sully Buttes, 2-0, 27; T-5. Arlington, 2-0, 24; T-5. Ethan, 0-1, 24.

Others receiving votes: Avon 11, Howard 2.

Idle Raiders rise: Not playing a game in the opening week of action ended up being fortuitous for the Lyman girls basketball program, which moved from No. 3 to No. 2 in Class B ahead of its first action. Wall stayed put at No.1, while former No. 2 Ethan lost a close contest to Class A Hanson in its season opener, dropping into a tie with Arlington at No. 5. Centerville and Sully Buttes, which were in a tie for fifth last week, slotted in at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. Avon remained the top vote-getter outside of the top-five, while Howard fell from No. 4 to receiving votes.