JWulf

Looking ahead to tonight’s Class A state boys championship

Here’s a look at the teams for tonight’s Class A state boys basketball championship game between No. 5 Tea and No. 3 Madison in Rapid City, 9 p.m. CT.

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TEA AREA (22-3)

Title game appearances: First

State titles: None

Road to the championship: Spearfish, W 60-53; Platte-Geddes, W 65-33

Key players (tournament stats)

Chase Deckert: 7 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast, 5 stl

Riley Knutson: 17 pts, 4 reb, 9 ast, 12 stl, 4 blk

Mitchell Nissen: 13 pts, 11 reb, 4 stl

Connor Shaull: 43 pts, 48% FG, 12 reb, 5 stl

Adam Waterman: 9 pts

Gunnar Ensz: 13 pts, 7 stl

Tourney offense: 62.5 ppg, 43% FG

Tourney defense: 43 ppg, 36% FG

Titans win if…

1) Connor Shaull (21.5 ppg) continues to score at will. The senior keyed a pair of crucial runs during the Titans’ win over Spearfish as well as a 16-0 stretch that blew the game open against Platte-Geddes.

2) They can weather Madison’s depth. The Bulldogs can play eight or nine deep with little drop-off. That’s especially important if Tea finds itself in foul trouble. The Titans can’t afford to have Shaull, Knutson or Nissen on the bench for long stretches.

3) They can put together a good start. With this being Tea’s first championship game, nerves can be expected early. But the Titans, who have forced 49 turnovers over two games, have been at their best so far when they can pull ahead and play loose on defense.

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MADISON (22-2)

Title game appearances: 1920, 1921, 1924, 1929, 1944 (B), 1945 (B), 2008, 2009, 2010

State titles: 1921, 1945 (B), 2009, 2010

Road to the championship: Pine Ridge, W 70-34; Mobridge-Pollock, W 66-30 

Key players

Jesse Brown: 15 pts, 44%FG, 22 reb, 4 stl

Jacob Giles: 17 pts, 47% FG, 6 reb

Mason Sullivan: 4 pts, 4 reb, 3 stl

Trae VandeBerg: 23 pts, 47% FG, 6 reb

Tyler Wiebe: 26 pts, 12-13 FT, 16 reb, 6 ast

Rush Milne: 15 pts, 47% FG, 14 reb

Braxton Olson: 13 pts, 63% FG, 9 reb

Tourney offense: 68 ppg, 47% FG

Tourney defense: 32 ppg, 28% FG

Bulldogs win if…

1) They can bend, not break. Madison likely isn’t going to keep up its tourney averages (68 ppg, 32 ppg allowed) because Tea is much a better opponent than Pine Ridge and Mobridge-Pollock. The Bulldogs haven’t had to play a full four quarters this weekend, therefore avoiding a second-half lull will be important.

2) Any combination of their top contributors gets going. VandeBerg and Wiebe have paced Madison so far, but if Brown or Milne can create a third go-to option tonight then Tea could be in trouble.

3) They either match or stop the Titans’ runs before they get out of hand. Tea has been the most tested team in the tournament so far, thus forced to put together solid stretches of basketball that have turned the game over. A 4-5 minute stretch of unanswered dominant play could be all the Titans need.

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Prediction: Madison has looked unstoppable this weekend, but part of that has to do with inferior competition. Tea’s defense has been impressive, but the Titans can’t afford to come out sluggish on offense. I don’t see a lot of lead changes tonight, so whoever can create a cushion will be in control. Bulldogs 58, Titans 51

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Spirit of Su watch (through two tourney games):

Skyler Flatten, Clark/Willow Lake: 23.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.5 spg, 1.5 bpg

Connor Shaull, Tea: 21.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.5 spg

Dominic King, Aberdeen Roncalli: 16 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.5 spg, 2 bpg

Coby Johnson, Platte-Geddes: 16 ppg, 12 rpg, 3 apg

Tyler Wiebe, Madison: 13 ppg, 8 rpg, 3 apg

State boys basketball tournament predictions

Predictions (sure to go wrong) for all the boys state tournament action this weekend. I’ll be in Rapid City this weekend for Class A. Follow me on Twitter (@Justin_Wulf) for updates.

CLASS AA (in Sioux Falls)

Roosevelt (21-1) over Rapid City Stevens (10-13)

Brandon Valley (16-6) over Huron (16-7)

Pierre (17-5) over Rapid City Central (10-11)

Brookings (17-6) over Lincoln (12-11)

Semifinals

Roosevelt over Brandon Valley

Pierre over Brookings

Championship

Roosevelt over Pierre

*Chalk is boring, but these are the two best teams in the state.

Spirit of Su: Chase Marso, Brandon Valley

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CLASS A (in Rapid City)

Clark/Willow Lake (21-0) over Platte-Geddes (16-7)

Tea Area (20-3) over Spearfish (18-5)

Aberdeen Roncalli (16-4) over Mobridge-Pollock (18-5)

Madison (21-2) over Pine Ridge (14-8)

Semifinals

Clark/Willow Lake over Tea Area

Madison over Aberdeen Roncalli

Championship

Madison over Clark/Willow Lake

*Bulldogs capture third title in five years.

Spirit of Su: Riley Knutson, Tea Area

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CLASS B (in Aberdeen)

White River (22-1) over Langford Area (19-4)

Potter County (22-0) over South Central (21-2)

James Valley Christian (21-2) over Viborg/Hurley (21-2)

Arlington (17-4) over Dupree (22-1)

Semifinals

White River over Potter County

James Valley Christian over Arlington

Championship

White River over James Valley Christian

*Fourth title (and sixth title game) in six years for the Tigers.

Spirit of Su: Tage Hargens, Arlington

Looking ahead to tonight’s AA state girls championship

Here’s a look at the teams in tonight’s Class AA state girls basketball championship game between fifth-seeded Lincoln and third-seeded Mitchell in Rapid City, 9 p.m. CT (8 p.m. MT).

LINCOLN (16-8)

Title game appearance: 1984, 1986, 1989

State titles: None

Road to the championship: Roosevelt, W 41-37; Aberdeen Central, W 50-48

Starters (tournament stats)

Cera Ledbetter: 11-22 FG, 14-19 FT, 36 pts, 19 reb, 9 blk

Darby Hugunin: 8-28 FG, 18 pts, 12 reb

Ellie Brecht: 10-18 FG, 21 pts, 5 reb

Mica Standing Soldier: 1-7 FG, 3 pts, 7 reb

Shelby Merritt: 1-5, 3 pts, 4 stl

Offense: 36% shooting, 45.5 ppg

Defense: 31% shooting, 42.5 ppg

Patriots win if…

1) They can get to the free throw line. Ledbetter has closed out each of the Pats wins at the line, scoring six straight against Roosevelt and the game-winners against Aberdeen Central. At the same time, Lincoln can’t afford for their primetime post to get in foul trouble.

2) They can keep up the defensive pressure. Lincoln held the Riders to 14 percent shooting in the first half, then used its speed to disrupt the Eagles’ ability to get set with a bigger lineup.

3) Someone other than Ledbetter to has a big game. Ledbetter has been the cornerstone for the tournament success thus far with Brecht stepping up against Roosevelt and Hugunin having a nice all-around performance against Aberdeen Central.

MITCHELL (22-3)

Title game appearances: 1977 (A), 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2012

State titles: 1990, 1992, 1994, 2003, 2012

Road to the championship: Rapid City Central, W 54-43; Washington, W 46-37

Starters (tournament stats)

Macy Miller: 13-23 FG, 8-10 FT, 35 pts, 14 reb, 5 stl

Kerri Young: 5-13 FG, 8-9 FT, 18, pts, 15 reb, 11 ast, 3 stl

Kristin Sabers: 12-19 FG, 30 pts, 12 reb

Megan Farnham: 4-8 FG, 11 pts, 3stl

Courtney Moore: 1-3 FG, 4 pts, 7 reb

Offense: 41% shooting, 50 ppg

Defense: 29% shooting, 40 ppg

Kernels win if…

1) Miller can duplicate her performance on Friday night against Washington. The junior matched the Warriors trip-for-trip in a rematch of last year’s title game. She’s been the catalyst for Mitchell all season, averaging 19.6 ppg on 51% shooting while leading the team with 69 steals.

2) They can keep up the energy. After jumping out to an 11-point lead on Rapid City Central in the first round, Mitchell let the Cobblers chip their way back into the game before pulling away in the fourth. The Kernels did a better job against Washington, but there was a lot of emphasis on the matchup and taking Lincoln lightly could be a mistake.

3) Sabers continues to surge. The senior averaged 8.8 ppg on 39% shooting during the season, but has scored 15 in each tournament game while firing at a 63 % clip.

Prediction: I took the Pats to knock off Roosevelt in the first round, then switched gears on my original pick of Aberdeen Central in the semis hours before game time. As much as I’d like to ride the Lincoln bandwagon until the end, I’m not sure the Patriots have an answer for Miller-Young-Sabers. Kernels 54, Patriots 45

Quick hits

* The Lincoln student section has evolved over the last 48 hours. Throughout the first half of the Patriots’ tournament opener against Roosevelt consisted of four students. By the end of the game, another group of red and white had joined in the form of Rapid City Central students. For Friday’s contest against Aberdeen Central, Roosevelt apparel had found its way into the Lincoln fold. Should be interesting to see who else joins the Lincoln plight tonight. By the way, the Patriots should take home the Spirit of Six award this weekend.

*Speaking of awards, the Sprit of Su chase has to be down to:

-Cera Ledbetter, Lincoln: 18 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 4.5 bpg, 50% FG

-Emma Hanson, Washington: 19 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 65% FG

-Kristin Sabers, Mitchell: 15 ppg, 6 rpg, 63% FG

-Kerri Young, Mitchell: 9 ppg, 5.5 apg, 1.5 spg

Note: The Spirit of Su recipient has only played in the championship game three times (1995, 2000, 2003).

State girls basketball tournament predictions

Predictions (sure to go wrong) for all of this weekend’s state girls basketball tournament action.

CLASS AA (in Rapid City)

First round

Aberdeen Central (20-1) over Sturgis (9-14)

Lincoln (14-8) over Roosevelt (16-6)

Washington (20-2) over O’Gorman (14-9)

Mitchell (20-3) over Rapid City Central (14-7)

Semifinals

Aberdeen Central over Lincoln

Washington over Mitchell

Championship

Washington over Aberdeen Central

*Third Warriors title in six years

Spirit of Su – Kerri Young, Mitchell

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CLASS A (in Watertown)
First round

Harrisburg (22-1) over SF Christian (16-7)

Clark/Willow Lake (18-4) over Aberdeen Roncalli (18-3)

Spearfish (17-4) over West Central (18-5)

Chamberlain (21-1) over Pine Ridge (20-1)

Semifinals

Harrisburg over Clark/Willow Lake

Spearfish over Chamberlain

Championship

Harrisburg over Spearfish

*First state title in first-ever state appearance

Spirit of Su – Chynna Stevens, Clark/Willow Lake

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CLASS B (in Huron)
First round

Warner over Timber Lake

Sanborn Central/Woonsocket over Sully Buttes

De Smet over Parker

Hanson over Wall

Semifinals

Warner over Sanborn Central/Woonsocket

Hanson over De Smet

Championship

Warner over Hanson

*17-year absence results in first state championship

Spirit of Su – Tessa Weeldreyer, Parker

Class A state wreslting championship intros

Here’s the link to my video of the introductions for the championship matches at the Class A state wrestling tournament in Watertown. Pretty cool with the spotlight.

Sorry for the shakiness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKuO_xLAJmI&feature=youtu.be