PLAYER OF THE YEAR
J.T. Rock, Lincoln
Rock made headlines with rim-breaking dunks and protected the rim better than any player in the state.
The Iowa State commit also lead Lincoln to the state semifinals, finishing the season with 18 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
J.T. becomes the first junior to win the AA Player of the Year award from Digital Z, following previous winners Caden Hinker of Mitchell and Matthew Mors of Yankton.
Brandon Valley Lynx (13-8)
PTS: Lukas Morgan 14.3
REB: Josh Olthoff 5.8
AST: Landon Dulaney 2.4
The Lynx put together an impressive 6-game win streak in January, and finished their season in the SoDak 16.
BV will be without Nathan VanDeBerg (7.8 ppg), Dylan Langerock (6.5 ppg) and Cole Dekker (5.6 ppg), next season, who are graduating after providing steady value in the rotation.
However, this will be a team to look out for in the near future, as Lukas Morgan (14.3 ppg), Josh Olthoff (9.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Landon Dulaney (7.1 ppg, 2.4 apg) are back to lead the way in 2024.
Brookings Bobcats (3-17)
PTS: Austin Clark 11.8
REB: Nate Lease, Owen Burns 5.2
AST: Sam Conrad 3.4
The Bobcats will look to continue to build into next season, as they return leading scorer Austin Clark (11.8 ppg), and leading rebounder Owen Burns (5.2 rpg).
Brookings will lose Nate Lease (11.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg) to graduation after a solid senior season as well as classmate Sam Conrad, who lead the Bobcats in assists (3.4 pg).
Harrisburg Tigers (15-9)
PTS: Ethan Determan 17.7
REB: Max Knutson 6.9
AST: Jacoby Mehrman 3.9
The Tigers continue to be one of the most exciting teams in the state with their ability to hit big shots and slam down powerful dunks.
Ethan Determan lead those incredible shooters with 17.7 ppg on 58% eFG, while fellow guard Jacoby Mehrman buried 40 threes on his way 15.3 ppg.
Mehrman will return for the 2024 campaign along with starters Braeden VanBockern (10.5 pgg) and 6-6 Cam Phipps (5.7), but the Tigers will be without Determan and high-flying forward Max Knutson (6.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg) next season.
Mitchell Kernels (19-5)
PTS: Dylan Soulek 13.0
REB: Steele Morgan 7.3
AST: Dylan Soulek 4.3
The Kernels entered the season with a lot of question marks from those around the state after losing POY Caden Hinker, and Mitchell answered those doubts with a historic season.
Dylan Soulek lead the way for the state runner-ups finishing with a team-leading 13.0 ppg and 4.3 apg. Classmate Steele Morgan was also tough in the post, pulling down 7.3 rpg along with 12.0 ppg.
And while the Kernels lose their two best scorers, along with guard Aiden Myers (5.3 ppg) and forward Charlie McCardle (6.7 ppg), make no mistake that this program isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Freshman Colton Smith (9.9 ppg) will help headline the future of the Kernels for the next few seasons, while sophomore Markus Talley is one of the best three-point shooters in the state; finishing this season with 7.8 ppg on 44% shooting from behind the arc.
Pierre Governors (16-8)
PTS: Lincoln Kienholz 18.2
REB: Jackson Edman 9.0
AST: Jackson Edman 4.2
The Governors renamed the city of Pierre, “Dunk City”, as they provided a handful of highlight reel dunks each night.
Even without the high-flying slams, we saw a much improved Pierre team this season; one that doubled their win total and took home a 5th place finish at the state tournament.
Lincoln Kienholz lead the offensively, scoring 18.2 ppg while dishing out 3.1 apg. BHSU commit Jackson Edman was also a centerpiece of the Govs’ lineup, putting up an impressive 13.6/9.0/4.2 stat line. Classmate Ben Heisler also scored 14.3 ppg of his own.
The Govs lose the Dunk City trio and a handful of seniors to graduation, and will look to Cade Kaiser and Luke Olson to lead the way next season.
Central Cobblers (6-14)
PTS: Shun-Zi White Woman 10.6
REB: Shun-Zi White Woman 4.7
AST: Jon Saurez 2.8
Central continued to improve from last season, defending their home court in a win over Stevens and qualified for the SoDak 16.
Now, the Cobblers look to continue their rise in the 2024. They will be lead by center Shun-Zi White Woman, who was both the leading scorer (10.6 ppg) and rebounder (4.7 rpg). Jet Janvirn will also return after averaging 7.0 ppg), but Central will need some new faces to join the starting rotation, as starters Cooper Totten (7.3 ppg), Lincoln Archambault (7.1 ppg) and Jon Suarez (2.8 apg) are graduating.
Stevens Raiders (5-16)
PTS: Dayler Segrist 9.8
REB: Dayler Segrist 3.9
AST: Caden Dowling 2.9
The Raiders season was highlighted by a win over cross-town rival Central, and now they look to build off that momentum into next year.
That new version of Stevens will again be lead by Dayler Segrist, who returns for his junior season after averaging 9.8 ppg and 3.9 rpg. He’ll be surrounded by new supporting cast, as the next three leading scorers in Hayden Gebhart (5.8 ppg), Caden Dowling (5.7 ppg) and Nash Sobczak (5.7 ppg) are all graduating.
Jefferson Cavaliers (21-3)
PTS: Taylen Ashley 16.3
REB: Kaden Year 5.7
AST: Taylen Ashley 3.0
The Cavaliers came into the season with high expectations after a state championship in football, and continued their dominance throughout the regular season. In fact, Jefferson won their first 17 games, taking down Lincoln, Mitchell and future state champion, Yankton, in that time.
Now, it looks to be a new era for the Cavs after a third place finish, with seniors Taylen Ashley (16.3 ppg, 3.0 apg), Kaden Year (16.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and Griffin Wilde (12.7 ppg) graduating among a senior class that hallmarked an incredible start to Jefferson High.
Lincoln Patriots (19-5)
PTS: J.T. Rock 18.0
REB: J.T. Rock 9.8
AST: Elliot Whitney 3.5
The Patriots were one of the most exciting teams to watch this season, with POY J.T. Rock (18.0 ppg, 9.8 rpg) leading the way for their high-powered offense. Rock will look to lead the way next season along with Tate Schaefer, a guard who averaged 13.9 ppg.
Lincoln will be without point guard Elliot Whitney (13.1 ppg, 3.5 apg) and guard Jack Hilgenberg (8.5 ppg) next season, as the senior duo ended their prep careers with an excellent 4th place finish at the state tournament.
Washington Warriors (15-9)
PTS: Mandalla Mohamed 11.6
REB: AJ Akot 8.0
AST: Mandalla Mohamed 4.3
After a 6-6 start, the Warriors found their stride in February, winning 9 straight games before a state tournament appearance.
Mandalla Mohamed finished an excellent prep career with a team-leading 11.6 ppg and 4.3 apg this season, and classmate AJ Akot nearly averaged a double-double with 11.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg.
The Warriors are losing a huge senior class, with Mohamed, Akot, Cole Peterson (8.8 ppg), Gage Gasca (7.4 ppg, 20 blocks), and Zharic Sheppard (8.0 ppg) all graduating. That leaves a lot of playing time to be replace, and we should expect to see a brand-new team on the court next season.
Spearfish Spartans (6-13)
PTS: Seth Hamilton 14.6
REB: Dylon Doren 7.1
AST: Carter Lyon 1.9
The Spartans finished just outside the SoDak 16, but return their highest scorers for next season.
Junior guard Seth Hamilton will lead the quest to the 2024 SoDak 16 after averaging 14.6 ppg, while Dylon Doren (13.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg) looks to be a threat on both ends of the floor.
Spearfish will lose one double-digit scorer in Tony Serrano (11.7 ppg) and will look for underclassmen to replace three senior starters.
Yankton Bucks (19-5)
PTS: Drew Ryken 16.4
REB: Rugby Ryken 5.2
AST: Rugby Ryken 7.3
After an 8th place finish at the state tournament last season, the class of 2023 made sure that their final campaign would would not turn out the same.
Indeed, the Bucks used elite shooting prowess, and tough perimeter defense to take home the school’s 11th state championship, 100 years after their most recent title matchup with Mitchell.
PG Rugby Ryken lead the way for the Bucks, finishing with an impressive 12.3/5.2/7.3 stat line. Drew Ryken also put up a team-leading 16.4 ppg and broke the school’s single-season three-point record, while twin Mac Ryken was the centerpiece of the Bucks’ defense and averaged 11.4 ppg on the offensive end.
Rounding out the starting lineup of the senior five were forwards Cody Oswald (6.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Michael Mors (7.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg).
The Bucks will have to replace every starter from this season, and a handful of seniors off the bench who contributed to the title. G Landon Potts (5.2 ppg) will be the top scorer returning to next years’ team.
DIGITAL Z POY AWARD WINNERS
BOYS AA
23: J.T. Rock, Lincoln
22: Caden Hinker, Mitchell
21: Matthew Mors, Yankton