Region 4A Preview (SD)
We have finally made it to the playoffs! This is truly one of the best times of the year in high school basketball. Today at PHD we’ll go through Region 4A and discuss who the favorites are to make it out and any possible sleepers.
Favorites to make it to the round of 16:
The defending state A champs, Tea Area is a big favorite to make it back to the round of 16. They play the winner of Elk-Point Jefferson and Lennox on Friday at 7 p.m. in Tea. With 4 returning starters and three of them in the top 20 in the 2019 class, Noah Friedel, Justin Hohn and Kade Stearns, the Titans will be hard to stop. Now the other favorite to win is Dakota Valley but could have a hard time defeating A.J. Plitzuweit and Vermillion. If both teams get past their first-round opponent, Dakota Valley hosts Canton Tuesday at 7 p.m., the Dakota Valley gym will be packed on Friday. It will be a good matchup between seniors Jack McCabe from Dakota Valley and Plitzuweit.
Sleepers:
Even though they are the three seed, Vermillion is probably one of the biggest sleepers in Region 4A. They could be the other team to advance to the Round of 16 if they have two great games. On the opposite side, Beresford could be the one to upset Vermillion, even though they lost by 25 to them earlier in the season. Vermillion hosts Beresford at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The Watchdogs played Tea Area tough and beat the No. 4 seed EPJ by 23 earlier in February. Senior Jonah Larson had 24 points and collected 8 rebounds against Tea in the season finale, he will be a big factor.
Others:
Elk Point-Jefferson is the fourth seed and will host Lennox on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Earlier this season the Huskies defeated Lennox by 8 at home. The Huskies have 6’4 senior Alex Grashoff, who committed to Mount Marty earlier this season, will be a key player for the Huskies. Sophomore Josh Arlt started last year for Lennox as well and has improved as a shooter this year, junior Quincy Ihnen has also improved from last year as a ball handler. Even though they ended the season on a two-game losing streak they play two of the top teams really close. They lost to Dell Rapids 65-57, and Dakota Valley 59-46, but played them close until the final seconds of the game. Canton has had a down year, but have a 6’6 senior Christian Beachler that has provided a spark for the C-Hawks. He still is undecided on which college he wants to play for. They almost pulled the upset off against Vermillion last Friday.
Picks:
First round: Lennox, Dakota Valley, Vermillion
Sweet 16 Qualifiers: Tea Area, Dakota Valley