Class A State Tournament: Saturday Preview
Class A State Tournament: No. 1 Tea Area vs. No. 2 Sioux Falls Christian 7:30 p.m. The rematch of two Dak12 foes that have a lot of respect for one another, will be a great way to cap off the 2018-19…
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Continue ReadingClass A State Tournament: No. 1 Tea Area vs. No. 2 Sioux Falls Christian 7:30 p.m.
The rematch of two Dak12 foes that have a lot of respect for one another, will be a great way to cap off the 2018-19 basketball season. The Titans have gotten the best of the Chargers the past two times they have played each other. Tea Area upset them at the state tournament last year in the semifinals and then beat up on them earlier this season in Sioux Falls.
Analysis: The Chargers will look to get revenge against the Titans and will have a good shot of doing it if Mitchell Goodbary continues to play like he has. The senior has been dominating opposing teams in the paint. He’s making clutch shots along with clutch plays on the defensive side to help his Charger team into the finals. On the other side, Tea Area comes into the contest after surviving a TOUGH test against Pine Ridge. They played one of their most physical games of the season against the Thorpes and outlasted them to earn their third straight trip to the finals.
Players to watch:
Tea Area: Noah Freidel scored 20 first-half points against the Thorpes yesterday and at one point had 15 of the Titans 17 points in the first half. Freidel also finished with 12 boards for a double-double. Justin Hohn only had three points and four assists and was in foul trouble the whole first half but he still played a huge role by getting the Titans the ball where they wanted it and getting the offense started and flowing.
SF Christian: Mitchell Goodbary has been an animal this tournament. In back-to-back games, Goodbary has taken over the fourth quarter to make sure his team came out with the victory. The senior had 10 points, 8 boards and 6 steals along with a crucial three and some steals late in the game. Xavier Van Beek led the way with 16 points for the Chargers and was a huge spark for them offensively going 5-of-11 from the field and hitting four 3-pointers throughout the game.
Prediction: Just like the two semifinal games last night, this will be just as good and competitive. The Titans have bested the Chargers the past two times but can they do it a third? I think they can, Tea Area matches up pretty well with the Chargers on both sides of the ball and has too much firepower.
Tea Area 65, Sioux Falls Christian 55
Class A Third Place: No. 6 Lennox vs. No. 4 Pine Ridge 3:15 p.m.
Lennox has come out of nowhere the last half of the season and in the tournament to prove a lot of doubters wrong. They upset No.3 St. Thomas More to get to the semifinals and then almost came away with another upset of SF Christian on Friday. On the other side, Pine Ridge gave it all they had against Tea Area and still came up short against the No. 1 team. It’s definitely hard to come to play the next day after that big of a gut wrench but the Thorpes will be ready.
Analysis: The Orioles have a tough starting lineup to guard, they are smart and they can shoot well. They play up to their competition and have really shocked a lot of people. Seeing how physical the Tea Area game was last night, Lennox may struggle with how physical the Thorpes play and how quick their tempo is.
Players to watch:
Lennox: Brock Anderson came to play last night scoring a game-high 17 points and hauling in 15 boards. Quincy Ihnen also chipped in with 14 points.
Pine Ridge: Corey Brown has had a great tournament scoring in double figures again with 11 points and had 6 boards. Charles Schrader had a team-high of 14 points and 7 boards.
Prediction: This will also be a really good game between two talented teams. Which team can come out and play after heartbreaking losses the night before?
If Lennox can match the Thorpes physicality and come out firing they can pull out the win, but if they come out lagging from the night before, Pine Ridge might bully them all night for the third place victory.
Lennox 53, Pine Ridge 45