Friday Preview: Class A State Tournament (SD)
Class A Semifinals: No. 1 Tea Area vs. No. 4 Pine Ridge, 6:30 p.m. The Titans rolled over Dell Rapids on Thursday and wow was it impressive. Dell Rapids played the No. 1 team pretty well in the first quarter,…
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Continue ReadingClass A Semifinals: No. 1 Tea Area vs. No. 4 Pine Ridge, 6:30 p.m.
The Titans rolled over Dell Rapids on Thursday and wow was it impressive. Dell Rapids played the No. 1 team pretty well in the first quarter, it was just the second quarter and on that trouble the Quarriers. The Titans held Dell Rapids to zero points, that’s right not a single point. From there Tea Area cruised to a victory and a spot in the semifinals. The Titans outscored Dell Rapids 66-27 from the start of the second quarter to the end of the game. Pine Ridge was in charge for most of the entire game, their quick hands forced 22 turnovers on which they converted 31 points off turnovers compared to Hot Springs five points. They dominated them on the fast break (16-4), in the paint (50-20) and in second-chance points (15-4).
Analysis: This game might be more of a track meet than a basketball game with how fast both of these teams can play at times. Tea Area played a tremendous game but the problem is will they come out flat after such a great performance or can they duplicate their success from yesterday. If Pine Ridge can force turnovers and convert them into points as well as they did Thursday, they could give the Titans a run for their money.
Players to watch
Tea Area: Justin Hohn nearly had a quadruple-double yesterday with 19 points, 8 assists, 7 steals, and 7 boards. Noah Freidel led the Titans all season and yesterday with 25 points and 6 rebounds.
Pine Ridge: Charles Schrader and Corey Brown had 14 apiece for the Thorpes while Halen Bad Bear and Joe O’Rourke chipped in with 11 as well on Thursday.
Prediction: Tea Area 63, Pine Ridge 45
Class A Semifinals: No. 2 SF Christian vs. No. 6 Lennox 8:15 p.m.
The Lennox victory at the SF Arena was the only high seed over a low seed on Thursday. For most of the game, the Orioles had the game under control leading by 7 after one and 27-21 at halftime. Their largest lead was 39-25 heading into the four quarters but give credit to the Cavaliers as they fought their way back and brought the lead down to single digits with under 3 minutes to go in the fourth. For SF Christian, Mitchell Goodbary had himself a day! The senior was a monster on the boards and in the paint for the Chargers in the win. They would outscore the Bulldogs of Madison 23-8 in the final quarter to come away with the 63-46 win.
Analysis: This will the second of two great semifinal games at the Denny on Friday night. The Chargers have a size advantage with Goodbary down low and we saw how dominant he can be on Thursday against a team with no size. For Lennox, their guard lineup can be trouble for some teams that aren’t as quick as they are. They can speed up the tempo in a hurry with their talented guards.
Players to watch:
SFC: Mitchell Goodbary scored a Quarterfinals high of 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting and hauled in 12 rebounds on the day. Gavin Schipper averages about 11 points on the season and leads a balanced attack on the offensive and defensive side.
Lennox: Quincy Ihnen led the way for the Orioles with 17 points and had 4 boards. Will Daugherty chipped in with 14 points and 5 boards. Josh Arlt also averages 15 points on the season for the Orioles.
Prediction: SFC 54, Lennox 48
Class A Consolation Bracket: No. 8 Dell Rapids vs. No. 5 Hot Springs
The Quarriers looked to have given the Titans a challenge early on containing guards for the Titans. But were shutout for the rest of the game pretty much. More than likely that won’t happen to the Quarriers again this tournament. Hot Springs also looked like they could give Pine Ridge as run for their money early but fell apart and didn’t look good as well down the stretch of the game.
Analysis: Whoever can bounce back the quickest from their disappointing loss yesterday will be the one that comes out on top. Dell Rapids obviously has the height advantage with Logan Heim inside so that will be a factor for the Bison to deal with.
Players to watch:
Dell Rapids: Colin and Connor Rentz are a big threat at the guard position with their quickness on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
Hot Springs: Morgan Harkless led all scorers in their game with 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting. The guard also had five steals in the game.
Prediction: Dell Rapids 64, Hot Springs 48
Class A Consolation Bracket: No. 7 Madison vs. No. 3 St. Thomas More
The Bulldogs kept their game against SF Christian tight until the fourth quarter when they went cold from the field. On the other hand St. Thomas More had a slow start to their game and wasn’t able to complete the comeback on Thursday night against Lennox.
Analysis: If St. Thomas More can make Madison play to their tempo, then the Cavaliers should pull away with this one. Madison doesn’t have enough firepower as they have in recent years.
Players to watch:
St. Thomas More: Caden Casey has led them in scoring all season long and did so on Thursday as well. Ryder Kirsch also has been big for them down the stretch offensively and defensively.
Madison: Nic Comes and Doyle Brown led the way for the Bulldogs with 11 points in the loss on Thursday. They have had to step up into new roles after most of their scoring left and have done a great job up to this point in the season.
Prediction: St. Thomas More 61-46.