Class AA Semi-Finals: Siganos leads Warriors back to title game
Why SF Washington is moving on over Pierre… The reason? Sam Siganos is the best basketball player in the state of South Dakota. Is it this guy? That guy? A younger guy? No. It’s Sam. The Washington/Pierre game was fantastic…
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Continue ReadingWhy SF Washington is moving on over Pierre… The reason? Sam Siganos is the best basketball player in the state of South Dakota. Is it this guy? That guy? A younger guy? No. It’s Sam.
The Washington/Pierre game was fantastic and both teams played really hard with some of the best ball movement you will see in a game but the difference was Sam. Several of his teammates had foul trouble so Sam had to do more and did he ever.
The biggest plays included a late split of the defense off a ball screen into a gorgeous assist to Zach Heins, there was the three point make attacking off two ball screens, and then the game winner where Sam went to get the ball with six seconds left, attacked off of two dribbles, pulled up against a defense that couldn’t keep up laterally, and Sam nailed a jumper to give his team the game winner.
And not only did he hit the game winner but Siganos went ahead and stole the in-bounds pass and was fouled where he hit two free throws to really put the game away for a 61-57 victory. Siganos scored 23 with seven assists by our count.
The other big difference in the game was the turnovers. Pierre had eight in each half while Washington had nine at the break and just two in the second half and considering how much Sam had the ball in his hands it makes sense that they had such few turnovers.
SF Washington
Sam Siganos. We already talked in depth about the 6-foot-2 senior but his clutch play in this game likely convinced anybody that wasn’t convinced about how talented he is. The state saw his toughness earlier in the year, they know he’s a skilled leader, now they know that he’s a clutch player too. And how about the mindset to hit the game winning jumper most likely but to then go still the in-bounds pass too!
Logan Uttecht. It says a lot about the sophomore that he was on the floor during crunch time. If you are that young playing on that big of a state that means you are trusted by your coach and Uttecht obviously is. Made a lot of effort plays down the stretch and handled the ball at the start of some of the sets to help get Sam coming off screens on the wing.
Zach Heins. Another sophomore, Heins is 6-foot-6 and the thing that impressed us the most about him was his secure position deep on the block and how the defense could not get him off his balance. Scored on both sides of the rim using both the left and the right hand putting up a key 13 points. Also, the Warriors had trouble early defending in the post but as the game moved on Heins did a better job of not only rebounding but keeping Pierre’s size from touching deep.
Isaac Goeman. Physical player that finished on both sides of the rim Isaac also did a better job of defensive boarding and fighting the Governor players off the block in the second half. Finished a couple creations from Sam and one of the underrated things he did was some quality screens to free space for the wings coming off and for Sam to burst off of in the high post. Loved the post moves that he completed and even that he didn’t go through with. Uses his frame well and has really good footwork at 6-foot-5/6-foot-6.
Pierre
Erin Severyn. The guy is going to be on a college campus next year and instantly make practices tougher. He just competes. Erin does not have some of the physical gifts others have as a 5-foot-11 guard but he is quick with the ball, Erin battles his way to space because he’s smart and he is able to read the defender and quickly pull up into opportunity. Attacks the rim fiercely and is able to get to the line because he’s on balance attacking out of position defenders who have to knock him off balance to stop the play. Scored 17 and earned a lot of respect.
Brad Dean. Brad will lead the program into next season and he will do so with the ability to play either guard spot. Dean is one of the better feet set shooters out there but he also played the second ball handling role nice. The most memorable play of the game will be his three point finish at the end of the third quarter where Dean pump faked a player out of the play, remained calm despite the clock being under a second, and lifted to sink. The play showed off his smarts and his touch. Would love to see him play on the Grassroots circuit to see how he handles and scores against some of the best players from other states but I believe he is a standout in other sports too so he may not have the time.
Trey Livermont. The 6-foot-1 senior wing had a lot of Warrior fans scared because he sunk a pair of treys in the first half and scored three buckets in all. The Warriors did a better job on him in the second half but Trey was a big key as to why Pierre was in this game overall.
Peyton Zabel. The long sophomore on the varsity roster Zabel is a physical 6-foot-4 that is physically mature so he is able to battle bigger players on the inside and is quick enough to compete at this level. Has the foundation to be a second leading scorer next year if the skill development comes along in the off-season.
Brevin Kaiser. The undersized four man will always think back to that bogus travel call but we will always remember him as the guy that works tirelessly on the court and he will be forever the guy that hit the game winning jumper for Schoolers 2 winning the rubber match with Schoolers 1. I can see Brevin having a hell of a career as a football player for USD.