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Jan. 5—MITCHELL — For the first time in three years, the Mitchell High School boys basketball team is not ranked among the Class AA top five in the latest South Dakota Prep Media polls.
While the Kernels received votes toward the rankings for the 63rd straight edition of the poll — extending a streak that started in the 2020-21 preseason — they slotted in as the top team outside the top five this week. Mitchell had been ranked in 35 consecutive polls dating back to Jan. 2, 2023.
No new team joined the Class AA boys poll this week. In the previous poll from Dec. 22, Spearfish and Harrisburg were tied for the No. 5 spot. Now, the Spartans are in control of the No. 4 ranking, with the Tigers still at No. 5.
The top three of unanimous No. 1 Sioux Falls Lincoln, No. 2 Huron and No. 3 Sioux Falls Roosevelt remained unchanged. Lincoln (6-0) and Spearfish (4-0) are the last remaining undefeated teams in the class.
Alongside Mitchell, others to receive votes outside the top five included Watertown, Brandon Valley and Tea Area.
Here is a breakdown of the latest rankings.
The South Dakota Prep Media basketball polls for the week of Jan. 5, 2026, are listed below. First-place votes are indicated in parentheses and teams are ranked by total points received.
1. Sioux Falls Lincoln (21), 6-0, 105; 2. Huron, 5-1, 71; 3. Sioux Falls Roosevelt, 4-1, 60; 4. Spearfish, 4-0, 31; 5. Harrisburg, 3-1, 19.
Others receiving votes: Mitchell 13, Watertown 8, Brandon Valley 4, Tea Area 4.
1. Sioux Falls Christian (17), 3-0, 206; 2. West Central (4), 6-0, 192; 3. Clark/Willow Lake, 5-0, 168; 4. St. Thomas More, 4-1, 120; 5. Mahpiya Luta, 6-0, 99; 6. Lennox, 2-2, 89; 7. Dakota Valley, 4-1, 75; 8. Hamlin, 3-1, 61; 9. Groton Area, 4-2, 48; 10. Vermillion, 3-2, 36.
Others receiving votes: Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 33, Madison 13, Baltic 8, Rapid City Christian 6, Stanley County 1.
Mahpiya Luta makes another move: Unranked with one vote toward the rankings in the preseason, Mahpiya Luta is up to No. 5 in the Class A boys poll. Mahpiya Luta was tied for No. 7 last week but is now one of five remaining undefeated teams in the class. Others to rise in the poll this week were No. 7 Dakota Valley and No. 8 Hamlin, both up top spots, and No. 10 Vermillion, which re-entered the poll after one week away. Lennox dropped one spot to No. 6, and Groton Area slid three spots to No. 9. The top four remained unchanged, but of note, No. 2 West Central nabbed four first-place votes from No. 1 Sioux Falls Christian, which had previously been the unanimous top squad.
1. Viborg-Hurley (11), 6-0, 197; 2. De Smet (4), 5-0, 184; 3. Castlewood (6), 4-1, 177; 4. Sully Buttes, 4-0, 125; 5. Aberdeen Christian, 3-1, 95; 6. Wessington Springs, 3-2, 67; 7. Wall, 4-3, 66; 8. Parkston, 5-1, 57; 9. Freeman, 2-2, 53; 10. Deubrook Area, 5-1, 37.
Others receiving votes: Estelline/Hendricks 27, Dell Rapids St. Mary 21, Ipswich 17, Lyman 16, Marty 9, Ethan 4, Bridgewater-Emery 2, Sanborn Central/Woonsocket 1.
Cougars climb to top spot: Viborg-Hurley took over as the new No. 1-ranked team in the Class B boys poll this week, knocking defending champion Castlewood from the top spot. The Cougars moved up from No. 3, collecting 11 of 21 available first-place votes. Up from No. 4, De Smet received four top votes and slotted in at No. 2, with Castlewood landing at No. 3, retaining six top votes. Sully Buttes surged to No. 4 from No. 9, while Parkston and Deubrook Area entered the top 10. Dell Rapids St. Mary, previously No. 2, fell out of the rankings, as did Lyman from No. 10.
1. Brandon Valley (21), 4-0, 105; 2. O'Gorman, 3-1, 75; 3. Sioux Falls Washington, 6-0, 69; 4. Aberdeen Central, 5-1, 40; 5. Tea Area, 6-1, 16.
Others receiving votes: Sioux Falls Jefferson 6, Rapid City Stevens 4.
Titans crack top five: For the first time in its brief history in the largest enrollment division, Tea Area has entered the Class AA girls rankings. In their second season in Class AA, the Titans were last ranked No. 5 in Class A on Feb. 19, 2024. Sioux Falls Jefferson fell from the top five to make room for Tea Area. The top-four order went unchanged.
1. Mahpiya Luta (20), 6-0, 209; 2. Lennox (1), 6-0, 187; 3. Hamlin, 5-0, 156; 4. Sioux Valley, 5-0, 139; 5. Dakota Valley, 5-0, 127; 6. Sioux Falls Christian, 5-1, 114; 7. Wagner, 4-1, 71; 8. West Central, 6-1, 60; 9. Aberdeen Roncalli, 6-1, 36; 10. Mobridge-Pollock, 3-2, 34.
Others receiving votes: Lakota Tech 7, Clark/Willow Lake 6, St. Thomas More 6, Milbank 2, Groton Area 1.
Holding firm: The lone rankings not to have a single team enter or exit this week was the Class A girls poll. The top-six order went unchanged, with a slight shuffle at the bottom of the rankings. Wagner, spurred by a couple of huge outings from Ashlyn Koupal, stepped up to No. 7 from No. 9, leaping No. 8 West Central. Roncalli moved from No. 10 to No. 9, as Mobridge-Pollock slid from No. 7 to No. 10. There's a 27-point gap between No. 10 and the top team receiving votes outside the poll, the largest gap of all four classes with 10 teams in the rankings.
1. Centerville (12), 6-1, 187; 2. Lyman (2), 4-0, 177; 3. Parkston (2), 6-0, 165; 4. Bennett County (5), 2-2, 147; 5. Ethan, 5-0, 116; 6. Harding County, 6-0, 114; 7. Colman-Egan, 6-0, 88; 8. Sanborn Central/Woonsocket, 3-1, 64; 9. Chester, 5-1, 32; 10. Corsica-Stickney, 2-2, 19.
Others receiving votes: Ipswich 16, Deubrook Area 11, Highmore-Harrold 9, Lemmon 5, Waubay/Summit 3, North Central 2.
Tornadoes take over: After spending the entire 2024-25 season at No. 1, Centerville has once again staked its claim to the top spot in the Class B girls rankings. The Tornadoes were No. 2 most recently and No. 3 to start the campaign, though they've received first-place votes in every poll so far this season. Preseason No. 1-ranked Bennett County dropped to No. 4, as Lyman and Parkston moved up to No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. No. 5 Ethan and No. 7 Colman-Egan each climbed one spot, and Chester entered the poll for the first time at No. 9. No. 6 Harding County, No. 8 Sanborn Central/Woonsocket and No. 10 Corsica-Stickney all slipped one spot.
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While the Kernels received votes toward the rankings for the 63rd straight edition of the poll — extending a streak that started in the 2020-21 preseason — they slotted in as the top team outside the top five this week. Mitchell had been ranked in 35 consecutive polls dating back to Jan. 2, 2023.
No new team joined the Class AA boys poll this week. In the previous poll from Dec. 22, Spearfish and Harrisburg were tied for the No. 5 spot. Now, the Spartans are in control of the No. 4 ranking, with the Tigers still at No. 5.
The top three of unanimous No. 1 Sioux Falls Lincoln, No. 2 Huron and No. 3 Sioux Falls Roosevelt remained unchanged. Lincoln (6-0) and Spearfish (4-0) are the last remaining undefeated teams in the class.
Alongside Mitchell, others to receive votes outside the top five included Watertown, Brandon Valley and Tea Area.
Here is a breakdown of the latest rankings.
The South Dakota Prep Media basketball polls for the week of Jan. 5, 2026, are listed below. First-place votes are indicated in parentheses and teams are ranked by total points received.
1. Sioux Falls Lincoln (21), 6-0, 105; 2. Huron, 5-1, 71; 3. Sioux Falls Roosevelt, 4-1, 60; 4. Spearfish, 4-0, 31; 5. Harrisburg, 3-1, 19.
Others receiving votes: Mitchell 13, Watertown 8, Brandon Valley 4, Tea Area 4.
1. Sioux Falls Christian (17), 3-0, 206; 2. West Central (4), 6-0, 192; 3. Clark/Willow Lake, 5-0, 168; 4. St. Thomas More, 4-1, 120; 5. Mahpiya Luta, 6-0, 99; 6. Lennox, 2-2, 89; 7. Dakota Valley, 4-1, 75; 8. Hamlin, 3-1, 61; 9. Groton Area, 4-2, 48; 10. Vermillion, 3-2, 36.
Others receiving votes: Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 33, Madison 13, Baltic 8, Rapid City Christian 6, Stanley County 1.
Mahpiya Luta makes another move: Unranked with one vote toward the rankings in the preseason, Mahpiya Luta is up to No. 5 in the Class A boys poll. Mahpiya Luta was tied for No. 7 last week but is now one of five remaining undefeated teams in the class. Others to rise in the poll this week were No. 7 Dakota Valley and No. 8 Hamlin, both up top spots, and No. 10 Vermillion, which re-entered the poll after one week away. Lennox dropped one spot to No. 6, and Groton Area slid three spots to No. 9. The top four remained unchanged, but of note, No. 2 West Central nabbed four first-place votes from No. 1 Sioux Falls Christian, which had previously been the unanimous top squad.
1. Viborg-Hurley (11), 6-0, 197; 2. De Smet (4), 5-0, 184; 3. Castlewood (6), 4-1, 177; 4. Sully Buttes, 4-0, 125; 5. Aberdeen Christian, 3-1, 95; 6. Wessington Springs, 3-2, 67; 7. Wall, 4-3, 66; 8. Parkston, 5-1, 57; 9. Freeman, 2-2, 53; 10. Deubrook Area, 5-1, 37.
Others receiving votes: Estelline/Hendricks 27, Dell Rapids St. Mary 21, Ipswich 17, Lyman 16, Marty 9, Ethan 4, Bridgewater-Emery 2, Sanborn Central/Woonsocket 1.
Cougars climb to top spot: Viborg-Hurley took over as the new No. 1-ranked team in the Class B boys poll this week, knocking defending champion Castlewood from the top spot. The Cougars moved up from No. 3, collecting 11 of 21 available first-place votes. Up from No. 4, De Smet received four top votes and slotted in at No. 2, with Castlewood landing at No. 3, retaining six top votes. Sully Buttes surged to No. 4 from No. 9, while Parkston and Deubrook Area entered the top 10. Dell Rapids St. Mary, previously No. 2, fell out of the rankings, as did Lyman from No. 10.
1. Brandon Valley (21), 4-0, 105; 2. O'Gorman, 3-1, 75; 3. Sioux Falls Washington, 6-0, 69; 4. Aberdeen Central, 5-1, 40; 5. Tea Area, 6-1, 16.
Others receiving votes: Sioux Falls Jefferson 6, Rapid City Stevens 4.
Titans crack top five: For the first time in its brief history in the largest enrollment division, Tea Area has entered the Class AA girls rankings. In their second season in Class AA, the Titans were last ranked No. 5 in Class A on Feb. 19, 2024. Sioux Falls Jefferson fell from the top five to make room for Tea Area. The top-four order went unchanged.
1. Mahpiya Luta (20), 6-0, 209; 2. Lennox (1), 6-0, 187; 3. Hamlin, 5-0, 156; 4. Sioux Valley, 5-0, 139; 5. Dakota Valley, 5-0, 127; 6. Sioux Falls Christian, 5-1, 114; 7. Wagner, 4-1, 71; 8. West Central, 6-1, 60; 9. Aberdeen Roncalli, 6-1, 36; 10. Mobridge-Pollock, 3-2, 34.
Others receiving votes: Lakota Tech 7, Clark/Willow Lake 6, St. Thomas More 6, Milbank 2, Groton Area 1.
Holding firm: The lone rankings not to have a single team enter or exit this week was the Class A girls poll. The top-six order went unchanged, with a slight shuffle at the bottom of the rankings. Wagner, spurred by a couple of huge outings from Ashlyn Koupal, stepped up to No. 7 from No. 9, leaping No. 8 West Central. Roncalli moved from No. 10 to No. 9, as Mobridge-Pollock slid from No. 7 to No. 10. There's a 27-point gap between No. 10 and the top team receiving votes outside the poll, the largest gap of all four classes with 10 teams in the rankings.
1. Centerville (12), 6-1, 187; 2. Lyman (2), 4-0, 177; 3. Parkston (2), 6-0, 165; 4. Bennett County (5), 2-2, 147; 5. Ethan, 5-0, 116; 6. Harding County, 6-0, 114; 7. Colman-Egan, 6-0, 88; 8. Sanborn Central/Woonsocket, 3-1, 64; 9. Chester, 5-1, 32; 10. Corsica-Stickney, 2-2, 19.
Others receiving votes: Ipswich 16, Deubrook Area 11, Highmore-Harrold 9, Lemmon 5, Waubay/Summit 3, North Central 2.
Tornadoes take over: After spending the entire 2024-25 season at No. 1, Centerville has once again staked its claim to the top spot in the Class B girls rankings. The Tornadoes were No. 2 most recently and No. 3 to start the campaign, though they've received first-place votes in every poll so far this season. Preseason No. 1-ranked Bennett County dropped to No. 4, as Lyman and Parkston moved up to No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. No. 5 Ethan and No. 7 Colman-Egan each climbed one spot, and Chester entered the poll for the first time at No. 9. No. 6 Harding County, No. 8 Sanborn Central/Woonsocket and No. 10 Corsica-Stickney all slipped one spot.
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