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Jan. 8—While there are several high-profile showcase events to come in the South Dakota high school basketball season, the first wave concentrated around the holiday season has come and gone.
Across the state, several players and teams have already made an early mark on the campaign, as the quest to qualify for state tournament play figures to be as competitive as ever in most divisions.
Here are some key takeaways from the early big-game performances:
Arguably the most impressive team in all of South Dakota high school basketball so far has been the West Central boys, who have raced out to a 7-0 start and hold the No. 2 ranking in the South Dakota Prep Media poll. In two games at the Hoop City Classic, the Trojans steamrolled Pine Ridge (87-42) and Lakota Tech (85-17), looking the part of a top team. On Jan. 6, they backed up the strong start by knocking off defending state champion and No. 1-ranked Sioux Falls Christian 64-55 on the Chargers' home court.
For its part, Sioux Falls Christian earned a 66-61 win over Class AA No. 2 Huron at the Hoop City Classic, plus owns a big win over Class A No. 6 Lennox from the season opener.
Class A No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake, which has the early lead in the seed-point standings, dominated Class B No. 6 Wessington Springs at the Huron Holiday Classic to end 2025, then picked up 2026 with a 59-49 victory over Class A No. 10 Vermillion at the Midwest Miracles Classic.
And don't forget about Mahpiya Luta. The winners of the Lakota Nation Invitational are one of four remaining undefeated teams in the class and currently sit third in seed points behind only CWL and West Central.
More teams will certainly add themselves to the conversation in the coming weeks. Of note, the 2026 Hanson Classic field features six of the current top 10 in the media poll: West Central, CWL, St. Thomas More, Lennox, Dakota Valley and Hamlin. Possible opponents also include ranked Class B teams in Viborg-Hurley, Wessington Springs, Freeman and Parkston.
Three of the top five programs in the Class A girls seed-point standings have a home in Region 2A, which is centered around the Brookings and Watertown area.
Hamlin, Sioux Valley and Clark/Willow Lake are a combined 15-1, with the lone loss coming in a head-to-head meeting that saw Sioux Valley beat CWL. All three have a dominating win from a showcase event on their record.
At the Entringer Classic, Hamlin thumped Deubrook Area 61-38, and Sioux Valley drubbed Dell Rapids St. Mary 74-41. Both also beat up on fellow ranked Class A team Mobridge-Pollock, with Hamlin beating the Tigers 51-47 at the Buffalo Wild Wings Classic in Aberdeen and Sioux Valley winning 62-47 at the America's Hometown Classic in Madison. CWL's big result came in a 56-38 win over Kadoka Area at the Huron Holiday Classic.
But for as great as the basketball is in that region so far this year, right now everyone in Class A is looking up at Mahpiya Luta, which dominated en route to yet another Lakota Nation Invitational title and will take its turn on the big classic stage at the Hanson Classic on Jan. 17.
Coming out on top in a rare Class B versus Class AA showdown, the Lyman girls grabbed headlines by toppling Mitchell 60-52 at the Hoop City Classic, then doubled down by beating Corsica-Stickney, a fellow ranked Class B team, 44-35 at the Midwest Miracles Classic. In the most recent media poll, Lyman is up to No. 2 with two first-place votes, only behind Centerville.
Though the Lyman boys fell to Freeman 75-57 in the Hoop City Classic, they regrouped to control Bridgewater-Emery, one of several teams the Raiders are battling against for votes just outside the poll, 65-47 in the Midwest Miracles Classic just a few days later on the same court. The Lyman boys also have a 42-38 win over Sioux Falls Lutheran from the River City Classic in Chamberlain on Dec. 20.
From small Class B gymnasiums to the state's largest arenas, Pine Ridge star and 2,000-point scorer Marvin Richard III has made his fair share of magic at most of the venues he's visited in recent seasons.
Yet, it felt like an iconic moment at the Corn Palace had largely eluded the University of South Dakota pledge. That was until the Midwest Miracles Classic on Jan. 3, the final contest he is slated to play at the Palace in his prep career.
Richard left his mark on the Corn Palace court with a 43-point outburst, complete with seven assists, helping Class A Pine Ridge take down Freeman, a ranked Class B squad, 79-66.
Though holiday classic events feature Class A and Class B programs, four top Class AA teams from the Eastern South Dakota Conference — Mitchell, Harrisburg, Huron and Brandon Valley — were in action at this year's Hoop City Classic.
Though the results largely went against the ESD contingent, with Harrisburg clobbering fellow conference member Aberdeen Central 61-31 for the only win of the bunch, the rest all had solid showings against stiff competition.
Host Mitchell nearly pulled off a comeback against a supremely athletic Jonesboro (Ga.) squad, falling 58-51, while Brandon Valley pushed another out-of-state opponent to the brink, coming up short 68-62 against Zephyrhills Christian Academy (Fla.). Huron played Sioux Falls Christian in a highly anticipated cross-class collision, though the Tigers were tripped up 66-61.
Notably, Mitchell and Harrisburg ran into each other on Jan. 6 at MHS, and the Kernels rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final 70 seconds of regulation to force overtime, where they swiped a victory on a game-winner at the final buzzer.
Add in hot starts by Tea Area and Watertown, and the ESD appears to have several strong contenders this winter.
Already only two teams in the Class AA girls standings are undefeated, and Sioux Falls Washington is one of them. The Warriors have rolled to a 6-0 record, including a pair of wins over cross-town rivals at the Presidents Bowl Classic.
Washington took out Jefferson 81-72 in its first contest, the nine-point margin its closest game so far. All other wins have come by at least 16 points, including a 55-39 win over Roosevelt in its other showcase game. The Warriors' average margin of victory of nearly 24 points per game.
Circle Jan. 13 on the calendar, as Washington hosts defending champion O'Gorman in its most difficult game to date. A matchup with Brandon Valley, the other remaining unbeaten team at this stage, is scheduled for Feb. 10.
Out to a 7-0 start, Viborg-Hurley has ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the Class B boys poll, but the road hasn't been easy.
The Cougars opened with a double-overtime win over Freeman (73-64), then took down Bridgewater-Emery (50-44). Then there were three consecutive showcase games in the span of six days against Pine Ridge (58-49) at the Hoop City Classic, Leola/Frederick Area (57-42) at the Huron Holiday Classic and Wall (61-51) at the Midwest Miracles Classic.
The path forward isn't any easier, either. Viborg-Hurley is slated to compete in the Hanson Classic, Blizzard Classic and DWU Classic. Also looming on the schedule are teams out to solid starts such as Gayville-Volin, Baltic, Centerville and Parker/Marion.
Continue reading...
Across the state, several players and teams have already made an early mark on the campaign, as the quest to qualify for state tournament play figures to be as competitive as ever in most divisions.
Here are some key takeaways from the early big-game performances:
Arguably the most impressive team in all of South Dakota high school basketball so far has been the West Central boys, who have raced out to a 7-0 start and hold the No. 2 ranking in the South Dakota Prep Media poll. In two games at the Hoop City Classic, the Trojans steamrolled Pine Ridge (87-42) and Lakota Tech (85-17), looking the part of a top team. On Jan. 6, they backed up the strong start by knocking off defending state champion and No. 1-ranked Sioux Falls Christian 64-55 on the Chargers' home court.
For its part, Sioux Falls Christian earned a 66-61 win over Class AA No. 2 Huron at the Hoop City Classic, plus owns a big win over Class A No. 6 Lennox from the season opener.
Class A No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake, which has the early lead in the seed-point standings, dominated Class B No. 6 Wessington Springs at the Huron Holiday Classic to end 2025, then picked up 2026 with a 59-49 victory over Class A No. 10 Vermillion at the Midwest Miracles Classic.
And don't forget about Mahpiya Luta. The winners of the Lakota Nation Invitational are one of four remaining undefeated teams in the class and currently sit third in seed points behind only CWL and West Central.
More teams will certainly add themselves to the conversation in the coming weeks. Of note, the 2026 Hanson Classic field features six of the current top 10 in the media poll: West Central, CWL, St. Thomas More, Lennox, Dakota Valley and Hamlin. Possible opponents also include ranked Class B teams in Viborg-Hurley, Wessington Springs, Freeman and Parkston.
Three of the top five programs in the Class A girls seed-point standings have a home in Region 2A, which is centered around the Brookings and Watertown area.
Hamlin, Sioux Valley and Clark/Willow Lake are a combined 15-1, with the lone loss coming in a head-to-head meeting that saw Sioux Valley beat CWL. All three have a dominating win from a showcase event on their record.
At the Entringer Classic, Hamlin thumped Deubrook Area 61-38, and Sioux Valley drubbed Dell Rapids St. Mary 74-41. Both also beat up on fellow ranked Class A team Mobridge-Pollock, with Hamlin beating the Tigers 51-47 at the Buffalo Wild Wings Classic in Aberdeen and Sioux Valley winning 62-47 at the America's Hometown Classic in Madison. CWL's big result came in a 56-38 win over Kadoka Area at the Huron Holiday Classic.
But for as great as the basketball is in that region so far this year, right now everyone in Class A is looking up at Mahpiya Luta, which dominated en route to yet another Lakota Nation Invitational title and will take its turn on the big classic stage at the Hanson Classic on Jan. 17.
Coming out on top in a rare Class B versus Class AA showdown, the Lyman girls grabbed headlines by toppling Mitchell 60-52 at the Hoop City Classic, then doubled down by beating Corsica-Stickney, a fellow ranked Class B team, 44-35 at the Midwest Miracles Classic. In the most recent media poll, Lyman is up to No. 2 with two first-place votes, only behind Centerville.
Though the Lyman boys fell to Freeman 75-57 in the Hoop City Classic, they regrouped to control Bridgewater-Emery, one of several teams the Raiders are battling against for votes just outside the poll, 65-47 in the Midwest Miracles Classic just a few days later on the same court. The Lyman boys also have a 42-38 win over Sioux Falls Lutheran from the River City Classic in Chamberlain on Dec. 20.
From small Class B gymnasiums to the state's largest arenas, Pine Ridge star and 2,000-point scorer Marvin Richard III has made his fair share of magic at most of the venues he's visited in recent seasons.
Yet, it felt like an iconic moment at the Corn Palace had largely eluded the University of South Dakota pledge. That was until the Midwest Miracles Classic on Jan. 3, the final contest he is slated to play at the Palace in his prep career.
Richard left his mark on the Corn Palace court with a 43-point outburst, complete with seven assists, helping Class A Pine Ridge take down Freeman, a ranked Class B squad, 79-66.
Though holiday classic events feature Class A and Class B programs, four top Class AA teams from the Eastern South Dakota Conference — Mitchell, Harrisburg, Huron and Brandon Valley — were in action at this year's Hoop City Classic.
Though the results largely went against the ESD contingent, with Harrisburg clobbering fellow conference member Aberdeen Central 61-31 for the only win of the bunch, the rest all had solid showings against stiff competition.
Host Mitchell nearly pulled off a comeback against a supremely athletic Jonesboro (Ga.) squad, falling 58-51, while Brandon Valley pushed another out-of-state opponent to the brink, coming up short 68-62 against Zephyrhills Christian Academy (Fla.). Huron played Sioux Falls Christian in a highly anticipated cross-class collision, though the Tigers were tripped up 66-61.
Notably, Mitchell and Harrisburg ran into each other on Jan. 6 at MHS, and the Kernels rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final 70 seconds of regulation to force overtime, where they swiped a victory on a game-winner at the final buzzer.
Add in hot starts by Tea Area and Watertown, and the ESD appears to have several strong contenders this winter.
Already only two teams in the Class AA girls standings are undefeated, and Sioux Falls Washington is one of them. The Warriors have rolled to a 6-0 record, including a pair of wins over cross-town rivals at the Presidents Bowl Classic.
Washington took out Jefferson 81-72 in its first contest, the nine-point margin its closest game so far. All other wins have come by at least 16 points, including a 55-39 win over Roosevelt in its other showcase game. The Warriors' average margin of victory of nearly 24 points per game.
Circle Jan. 13 on the calendar, as Washington hosts defending champion O'Gorman in its most difficult game to date. A matchup with Brandon Valley, the other remaining unbeaten team at this stage, is scheduled for Feb. 10.
Out to a 7-0 start, Viborg-Hurley has ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the Class B boys poll, but the road hasn't been easy.
The Cougars opened with a double-overtime win over Freeman (73-64), then took down Bridgewater-Emery (50-44). Then there were three consecutive showcase games in the span of six days against Pine Ridge (58-49) at the Hoop City Classic, Leola/Frederick Area (57-42) at the Huron Holiday Classic and Wall (61-51) at the Midwest Miracles Classic.
The path forward isn't any easier, either. Viborg-Hurley is slated to compete in the Hanson Classic, Blizzard Classic and DWU Classic. Also looming on the schedule are teams out to solid starts such as Gayville-Volin, Baltic, Centerville and Parker/Marion.
Continue reading...
