Postseason play is underway for South Dakota high school boys basketball teams and district champions (and the state tournament berths that go with it) will be determined by the end of the week. Winners of elimination games also have a chance to earn at-large berths in the state tournament field.
In Class AA, three Sioux Falls schools advanced, including Washington, a 70-62 overtime winner over Brandon Valley on Tuesday night. Riley Conklin hit two of three free throws with 0.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter to force overtime, then drilled two 3-pointers in the overtime period. Washington advanced to play unbeaten and top-ranked Lincoln in Friday's District 2-AA championship game.
Conklin finished with a game-high 24 points for the third-ranked Warriors. Brandon Valley was led by the 22 points of 6-foot-4 senior Chase Douglas. Twenty of his points came in the second half, when the Lynx appeared to have an upset in hand before the late heroics of Conklin and the Warriors. Brandon Valley led by 53-47 with two minutes remaining in the game.
Lincoln advanced with a 65-43 rout of Yankton on Tuesday night. Almir Krdzalic scored 16 points for Lincoln. Anthony Muilenburg added 11 points and Brett Anderson 10 as Lincoln raced to a 17-0 lead.
Sioux Falls O'Gorman beat Brookings in a first-round game Tuesday night 59-51 at O'Gorman. The second-ranked Knights advanced with an 18-3 record, while Brookings fell to 9-12. O'Gorman plays Watertown in the district finals.
A difference in the win for the Knights was at the free throw line, where they hit 16 straight free throws in the fourth quarter and had hit 19 straight charity tosses at one point in the second half.
Four Knights scored in double figures, led by Danny Hughes and Sterling Neilsen with 15 points each.
The only Sioux Falls school not to win on opening night for district play was Roosevelt, a 48-40 defeat at the hands of Watertown on Roosevelt's home floor. The Arrows play at O'Gorman while Roosevelt advanced to the elimination round against Brookings. Watertown has won five straight games and has won eight of their last ten. Dusty Tetzlaff led Watertown with 15 points and Cody Larson paced Roosevelt with 15.
Out west, Rapid City Stevens defeated Douglas in the first round of the District 4-AA tournament in an 84-75 decision in Rapid City. Stevens (11-10) hosts the district championship game against Spearfish (7-14), while Douglas (7-13) travels to Rapid City Central (7-14) in the third place game.
Central got past Spearfish with a 72-67 victory in Rapid City. Senior Jordan Johnson scored 19 points for the winning Cobblers.
State cross country champion Kiko Mendoza proved he can also play hoops, scoring a last second shot for Cheyenne-Eagle in a 50-48 district 12-A tournament win over Mobridge-Pollock at Eagle Butte. Miles Frazier led the winning Braves with 22 points, while Mobridge-Pollock was paced by Dayton Jensen’s 14 points.
Girls Basketball: State tournament berths earned
Among the team's advancing to the state girls basketball tournament will be Lennox, a 34-32 winner over Elk Point-Jefferson in the Region 4-A finals at Harrisburg. Lennox advanced with a 17-6 record and will start play in the Class A tournament in Watertown on March 12.
Lennox was led by Melissa Vlastuin with 14 points, while Elk Point-Jefferson was led by Chrissy Strassburg with nine.
The Newell Irrigators go on to the Class A tournament with a 52-45 win over Red Cloud in Rapid City, despite 27 points from Red Cloud's Marque Lunderman. Newell was led by Monica Deighton with 15 points. Newell moves on with a 22-1 record. Red Cloud leaves the running with a record of 11-11.
Philip (21-4) goes to its first-ever state tournament in Class B after a 60-51 Region 7-B championship Tuesday night. Sierra Hook led Philip with 16 points.
“We’re really excited. We came out with a lot of heart and desire because we wanted to do something special for our school and our community," Hook told the Rapid City Journal. "This same group of girls has been playing together since fourth grade and so we’re bonded.”
