State Class A and B fields completed SoDak 16 state-qualifying games on Thursday

WATERTOWN — Sure it took more than one play to decide the game, but the opening possession of Thursday's Class A SoDak 16 state-qualifying girls basketball game in the Civic Arena foretold the story.

Six-foot-2 junior center Krista Langager grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to put top-seeded Sisseton (21-1) on top for good in a 63-52 victory over No. 16 seed Tri-Valley.

The win punched a return trip to next week's state Class A touranment for Sisseton, which finished third in its first appearance at state in 11 years last March.

Sisseton, which was rated No. 1 for most of the year and will be the No. 1 seed at state, has plans to make a run at the school's sixth State A title March 7-9 at the Dacotah Bank Center in Brookings.

"Being seeded No. 1 and ranked No. 1 certainly adds some tremendous pressure but as the kids have grown the last couple of years, they've been able to handle it a little better," Sisseton head coach Sara Lincoln said. "Our kids are ready. If we can take care of the ball and limit our turnovers, i think we've going to be fine."

It was a tall task for Tri-Valley

Many teams have enountered difficulty these past couple of years trying to shut down Krista Langager and her 6-1 senior sister Chloe, who form a potent 1-2 inside attack for Sisseton. The squad also has a bevy of talented perimeter players.

Tri-Valley never found an answer for Krista Langager, who tallied 15 points and eight rebounds to help Sisseton turned a 17-11 first-quarter lead into a 33-16 halftime advantage.

The Mustangs (12-11) trailed by 15-to-20 points for most of the second half before using some full-court pressure to create a comeback. In the end, they never got closer than 12 points down the stretch.

"We watched a couple of their games and we knew what our game plan was," Sisseton senior point guard Hannah Leverson said. "We did a good job of sticking to it. We executed on offense and played good defense."

Krista Langager converted 11 of 12 field-goal attempts in the game and led all players with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Leverson, who will play collegiately at Minnesota State Mankato, added 16 points. Chloe Langager and senior reserve Rylie Huff each added eight.

Sisseton, thanks to its advantage inside, ended up shooting 55 percent (27 of 49) from the field and overcame the 19 turnovers.

"I know we had quite a few turnovers that we're not going to be happy out tomorrow but at the end of the day, they got it done," Lincoln said. "That's something they always do but we're going to have to clean it up a little bit if we want to be state champions next week."

Following the Sisseton tradition

Tri-Valley beat Sisseton in the 2003 state Class A championship, preventing Sisseton from capturing four consecutive state titles.

The Mustangs were hoping to pin another painful loss on Sisseton on Thursday but played catch-up from the beginning. Madelyn Wenzel scored 16 points, Lauren Grinde 13 and Hillary Hastings nine.

Outrebounded by a 40-22 margin, Tri-Valley also shot only 34 percent (21 of 61) from the field. That included a 4-for-23 performance from 3-point range.

In the end, the Mustangs couldn't derail a Sisseton team that has its sights set on the big prize next week.

"Coming in as the No. 1 seed may help us get an easier path to the finals, but we know we still have to get to work this whole next week to get ready," Leverson said.

One of the team's assistant coaches, Kayla (Fritz) Hawkins, played with a group of Sisseton players who won state titles in the 2000, 2001 and 2004.

"Kayla has been really vocal about how it is to be in a state championship and to play at that level," Lincoln said. "We're excited to try to bring home another banner for her this year."

Arlington, Warner qualify for State B

Two other area teams, Arlington and Warner, each qualified for the state Class B tournament with SoDak 16 wins on Thursday.

At Madison High School, top-seeded Arlington (21-2) took advantage of a 12-0 run in the second quarter to grab control on the way to a 69-57 win over No. 16 seed Gayville-Volin (15-8).

The Cardinals, who qualified for state for the first time since 2011, led only 15-13 before scoring the next 12 points on the way to a 33-24 halftime lead.

Jaelyn Huntimer scored 23 points, Addalyn Steffensen 16 and Harley Johnson 16 for the Cardinals, who shot 52 percent (24 of 46) from the field. Arlington is coached by Watertown native Tara (Heiser) King.

Taylor Hoxeng's 23 points and Maiah Achen's 18 points and seven rebounds led Gayville-Volin (15-8), which made 23 of 49 field-goal attempts for 47 percent and won the rebounding battle 30-24.

At Ipswich, No. 6 seed Warner (21-2) also erupted in the second quarter on the way to a 61-47 win over No. 11 seed Herreid-Selby Area (15-8). The Monarchs used a 26-11 scoring spurt in the period to grab a 38-20 halftime lead.

Lauren Marcuson poured in 20 points and Kyra Marcuson and Ava Nilsson contributed 15 and 12, respectively, for the Monarchs. Nilsson added six rebounds and Sophia Hoeft six assists.

Herreid-Selby Area received 12 points from Taryn Hettich, 11 from Stephanie Allbee and 10 from Jordyn Rossow. Mya Ebels grabbed seven rebounds.

Warner, which qualified for state for the first time since 2019, made 21 of 50 field-goal attempts for 42 percent comapred to Herreid-Selby Area's 16 of 45 for 36 percent.

Here's highlights from other SoDak 16 games involving area teams on Thursday:

State A-B Pairings: Tourneys scheduled for March 7-9 at Brookings (Class A) and Rapid City (Class B)

Class A (Mount Vernon-Plankinton 46, Aberdeen Roncalli 40)

HURON — Tenth-seeded Mount Vernon-Plankinton (18-5) got off to a fast start and held on to beat No. 7 Aberdeen Roncalli (19-4).

MVP led 13-6 after one quarter, 22-16 at halftime and 36-26 after three quarters.

South Dakota State signee Emilee Fox finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds for MVP, which also got 12 points and eight rebounds from Reagan Rus.

McKenna O'Keefe paced Roncalli with 17 points. Claire Crawford notched eight points and eight rebounds, Maddie Huber eight points and Ava Danielson seven points and six rebounds.

Neither team shot well. MVP made 13 of 46 attempts for 28 percent and Roncalli 15 of 48 for 31 percent.

Class A (Hanson 49, Florence-Henry 45)

MADISON — Eighth-seeded Hanson used a good start and a good finish to pull out the win, grabbing a 13-5 lead after one quarter and and erasing a 32-30 third-quarter deficit with a 19-13 spurt in the fourth.

Taziah Hawkins scored 17 points, Eliza Oltmanns 11 and Cladence Jarding eight for Hanson (17-5), which shot 45 percent (18 of 40) from the field.

Caylin Kelly closed out her stellar prep career with 25 points and nine rebounds for the Falcons (17-6). Haley Hlavacek added six points and Taylor Watson five. Florence-Henry shot 46 percent (18 of 39) from the field.

Class A (Tea Area 62, Mobridge-Pollock 37)

HURON — A 20-4 scoring spurt in the second quarter sparked sixth-seeded Tea Area (19-4) to the win over No. 11 seed Mobridge-Pollock (17-5).

Mobridge-Pollock led 8-7 after one quarter.

Mara Grant tallied 22 points, Katie Vasecka 18 and Haidyn West and Ellie Clayberg 10 each for the winning Titans, who made 24 of 55 field-goal attempts for 44 percent and owned the boards 38-31. Vasecka, a South Dakota State recruit, added 15 points and Grant nine.

Charlie Henderson produced 11 points, Teagan Konold 10 and Faith Heil seven for the Tigers, who shot 32 percent (15 of 47) from the field. Heidi Olson pulled down nine rebounds.

The Neuendorfs: Two coaches, three players from same family part of resurgence for Hamlin hoops

Class B (Harding County 58, Northwestern 25)

TIMBER LAKE — Undefeated and second-seeded Harding County improved to 22-0 by outscoring the Wildcats 20-9 in the first quarter and 22-7 in the second.

Claire and Bailey Verhulst led the way with 13 points apieece for the Ranchers, who shot 40 percent (23 of 57) from the field and forced 34 Northwestern turnovers. Macey Wendt added nine points.

Ana Ratigan's 10 points and five rebounds paced the Wildcats (13-10). Ella Boekelheide and Mikaela Schmitt each also pulled down five rebounds.

Northwestern connected on only seven of 34 field-goal attempts for 21 percent.

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: Three area girls basketball teams qualify for state A and B tourneys