By Bob Bakken
MaxPreps.com
Fewer South Dakota high school teams could be playing in the state’s postseason football playoffs if a proposal being considered by the high school activities association is approved.
The SDHSAA plan being considered would cut the number of playoff teams in half, from 16 to eight in the large school Class 11-AA, for instance. The other option would be to start the regular season a week earlier.
Supporters say either plan would reduce lost classroom time, adding that fewer games would eliminate first round contests that don’t attract a large following.
But detractors say the plan separates football from other sports and some West River coaches believe it’s unfair to them right now, since many of the powerful schools in the state are east of the Missouri River.
Recommendations about the possible playoff changes will be considered later in the spring.
Boys Basketball: Top-ranked Madison rolls past West Central, falls to Platte-Geddes
Madison, the No. 1 team in South Dakota Class A boys basketball, rolled to a 74-43 victory over No. 8 West Central last Thursday night at the Madison gymnasium.
Derrick Wiebe had a big night for the unbeaten Bulldogs, posting 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Austin Sechser led the 7-1 West Central quintet with 11 points.
Madison led the game 34-15 at halftime.
Things didn’t go as well for the Bulldogs the next night, however, as Platte-Geddes ambushed them 64-59 at the Hanson Corn Palace Classic in Mitchell. The game was a rematch of last spring’s Class A championship game, also won by Platte-Geddes.
Keith Cutler scored 17 points and made seven steals in the victory for Platte-Geddes. Wiebe was held to 11 points in this one, but Tony Fiegen led his team’s efforts with 19 points.
Platte-Geddes led 38-24 at the intermission.
More Boys Basketball: O’Gorman impresses
Class AA’s second-ranked team looked impressive as Sioux Falls O’Gorman stopped cross-town rival and third-ranked Washington 62-40 on Saturday night.
Danny Hughes paced the Knights with 13 points as O’Gorman won for the seventh time in eight games.
Levi Smith led the losing Warriors with 17 points. Washington fell to 10-2 with the loss.
Girls Basketball: Riders survive O’Gorman upset bid
Fourth-ranked Sioux Falls Roosevelt made shots when it counted during Thursday’s 48-43 Class AA victory over fifth-ranked Sioux Falls O’Gorman.
Roosevelt hit 70 percent of its shots in the fourth quarter after shooting only 25 percent in the first half. Most of the key baskets came from ‘Rider Shaunteva Ashley, who finished with 20 points, including 10 in the final quarter.
Roosevelt improved its record to 7-3 and 6-2 in the Greater Dakota Conference. O’Gorman fell to 5-4 and 5-2 in the GDC. O’Gorman edged Roosevelt 39-38 earlier in the season.
More Girls Basketball: Huron crashes boards in win over Aberdeen Central
The Huron Tigers showed how important offensive rebounding can be in a 54-49 over Aberdeen Central Golden Eagles in a clash of Eastern South Dakota Conference rivals.
The Tigers collected 15 offensive rebounds in the victory, with 10 of those coming in the second half. It helped the Tigers come back from a nine-point deficit in the second quarter.
“We got out-worked. I thought it was obvious in how Huron defended and how they attacked the basket," Central coach Dawn Seiler told the Aberdeen American News. "They got rebounds coming down the stretch. Every time, they came up with the rebound.”
Huron was led by Lavin Stahl’s 14 points. Central was paced by Alison Kusler with a game-high 19 points.
Girls Basketball: Cihak joins 1,000-point club
Avon’s Kela Cihak went over the 1,000-point mark for her basketball career in a recent victory over South Central. Cihak scored 15 for Avon in the Pirates’ 38-31 win; she added six rebounds. Avon won its sixth in a row and has a 9-2 record entering its next game Friday against once-beaten Parkston.
