The Race for Mr. Basketball (SD)
It’s February meaning the basketball season is about 60 percent over and South Dakota has a strong idea of who in the state is considered to be the best. Today we run the PHD audience through how the top Mr. Basketball/Player of the Year candidates have been performing, and who leads The Race.
The Favorite.
AJ. At this point we feel like you know who we are talking about as the state simply recognizes AJ Plitzuweit as “AJ”for all that he has done this year. His 41 point half against Lennox right now is the bar as far as top performances go. AJ has also pushed Vermillion into the top ten teams in the state of South Dakota and he’s averaging 33 points and nine assists a game. AJ had 48 against Britton-Hecla and scored 36 versus Beresford on a night were he scored his career 1,000th point in South Dakota. That’s less than two years played. Incredible season so fans make sure to get out and see this young man soon.
Top Five.
Dylan LeBrun is the state’s Highlight every Night. At 24 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and a couple of blocks each contest LeBrun is doing his part for the 10-4 Flandreau squad. LeBrun had the game winning assist in a huge win for Flandreau who beat Tea Area in what was one of the big moments of the season as LeBrun has 32 points overall. Dylan also had 30/16 against MCM and 25/5/5 against Garretson.
Aaron Fiegen has Madison ranked second overall this year and just had a 19 point, six rebound effort in a six point win over Lennox. The future SDSU forward also had a double-double in the win over Sisseton and led his team with 18 points in an overtime win over Chamberlain. The Bulldogs are a cool 14-1 right now with a manageable slate of games ahead. The bottom line for Aaron is wins. He plays on a balanced team with more talent so he may not take as many shots but he always produces.
The last time we spoke of Mr. Basketball, Trevor Hanson of Sioux Valley had stepped up his game considerably and was making the state take notice. The momentum has not stopped. Trevor had 31 of his team’s 61 in a win over De Smet and another 20 in a blowout of Chester Area. Sioux Valley has worked their way up to 3rd in the state rankings and it’s been nearly two months since they’ve lost a game.
Koln Oppold of SF Christian. Time to throw this guy into the group as well. Oppold is the leader of the number one ranked undefeated Chargers who have faced a top schedule and came out undefeated so far. Oppold is getting a reputation as a clutch player. He had 17 and a halftime buzzer beater going against AJ and Vermillion, had a double-double and made late foul shots versus Tea Area, and let’s not forget one of the best plays of the season when Oppold hit the buzzer beater versus O’Gorman.
Next Five
Kaillieb Walton-Blanden has teamed with several experienced teammates to push Rapid City Central to the top of the polls in Class AA. Walton-Blanden is one of the most explosive players in the state and one of the top all around players in the state. Central is 13-1 on the season with a huge game on Friday night as Central takes on rivals RC Stevens. That’s a big stage for Walton-Blanden. He and Dylan Hay are such a talented 1-2 punch, they have to rank with the Trevors from Sioux Valley (or the seniors from Madison) in that regard.
Langford Area has lost some games as of late dropping to 10-3 but Mason Larson‘s productivity is still at a very high level. Mason scored 44 versus GPL, 30 against Britton-Hecla, a double-double of 17/12 versus Castlewood in a two point win, 20 in the loss to Canistota, and 19/15 in the recent win over Groton Area.
Sully Buttes is the number one team in Class B and leading the way is Lincoln Jorde. Jorde had 16 in a recent win over Jones County in a blowout, he had a dozen in the 18-win over Warner, and 15 in the 21 point win over Hitchcock-Tulare. Sully Buttes keeps getting balanced efforts from their strong line-up which has lead to a season of double figure victories. Lincoln also had 16 in the Stanley County win.
Trevor Olson of Sioux Valley keeps scorching nets after hitting four threes against Flandreau, seven threes in beating MCM with his 29 points, and several more to best Chester Area when Olson scored 20. Sioux Valley has been off for a bit but when they get back on the floor teams need to locate Olson.
Gus Reede recently became the all time leading scorer for Aberdeen Roncalli as he is now approaching 1,400 career points. Gus had 27 in the record breaking game and has stayed hot hitting seven threes and scoring 29 against Webster and then had 22 in the recent loss to Tea Area.
Work to Do
Diang Gatlauk of SF Lincoln saw his team go on a three game losing streak which was tough for him and the squad but Gatlauk bounced his team out of a slump by beating Brookings recently led by Gatlauk’s double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds.
In games two weeks back Cole Bergan of Aberdeen Central had 13 points and 7 rebounds in a blowout of Pierre and 23 points in a loss to Yankton as Bergan went head to head with Matthew Mors. He scored just six against Huron on a rough shooting night although his team earned a 15 point win over Huron.
What About?
Jayd VanDerWerff of Gregory is having a nice year. Not likely to be on a top player of the year list as his team is 5-8 but VanDerWerff, a SDSU football commit, just passed 1,000 points for his career and has been on a scoring role as of late. Had 34 points points with a dozen boards to get a win over Lyman and had 27 in a win over BSC.