#5 Mitchell 69, Yankton 55
I said on Friday that this game would depend on which Yankton we were going to see on Friday night, and the Bucks didn’t shoot great from the start.
The final score more reflects the beginning of the game then towards the end, as the Bucks really started to close in during the 4th Quarter. However, when you are down double-digits in the first 5 minutes, it’s hard to set the tone. I really don’t think Mitchell set an impressive tone in the first quarter either, but man, did Caden Hinker go off in the second half.
The Augustana commit really impressed on Friday night during the final 16 minutes. He had a couple of really nice dunks, passed well from the post, and made a couple big 3’s. His presence during a game, especially in the post, helps set up for guys like Dylan Soulek and Steele Morgan. Soulek was a threat to shoot all night, and really was a solid piece outside, while Morgan barely missed. I said before that I don’t want to make any assumptions on the Kernels, but they played well on Friday night, so give them some respect.
Meanwhile, we saw the Bucks play similar to how they played against Lincoln. The shots just weren’t quite falling, although I like the aggressiveness they had on defense. Dylan Prouty also hit some big shots down the stretch, and looked a lot like that seven 3-pointer performance he had in the state tournament. The Bucks never lost their confidence though, and I still feel as if this is a team that can beat anyone when they are hot.
#4 Aberdeen Central 64, Lincoln 63 // Washington 64, #3 Pierre 44
I want to touch on both of these games a little because I was really surprised by the outcomes. First, Aberdeen had a big lead early, and was up by a lot until the 4th quarter. Brilliant effort there at the end by Lincoln, but again, I was hoping to see some more consistency from the Patriots. They are really close to being really good, and the comeback is a step in the right direction, so best case scenario for Lincoln is to get a clean win against Huron before they take on #1 Roosevelt.
Washington, meanwhile, looked really good against Pierre. They were fast, explosive and hit some big shots. Pierre again struggled, and it was their second big loss in a row. The Governors have 2 more tough games against #4A Winner and #5 Mitchell on Tuesday and Thursday, so they do have a chance to get back on track.
These two games really made me think about who was going to be in the top 5, and I’m going to give you what I THINK it will be.
1.) Roosevelt
Reason: 6-0…defending champs…not much else to say.
2.) O’Gorman
Reason: 6-1, and their only loss is by 1 point to Roosevelt.
3-5.) Ok, this is where it gets tricky, as your really looking at 4 teams for each spot:
#4 Aberdeen Central (6-2) – Lost by 15 to Washington before beating Lincoln by 1. Not a spectacular week by any means.
#5 Mitchell (5-2) – Lost by 9 at home against Harrisburg, and took down Yankton by 14. The Yankton win was huge, while the Harrisburg loss certainly won’t help.
RV Harrisburg (4-2) – They took a win over Mitchell on the road and also beat Huron. They hold an 8-point win over Lincoln, a 12-point win over Washington, and a 20-point loss to Roosevelt.
Washington (3-2) – They are on a 3-game win streak, with a 15-point win against Aberdeen, and a 20-point win over Pierre.
So after looking at the resumes, I believe the rankings will probably put Harrisburg over Aberdeen and Mitchell. This puts them at #3, and I think it will probably be Mitchell at #4 and Washington at #5.
That’s just a guess, but really what it comes down to is the weight between a 1-point win for Aberdeen versus a 14-point win over Yankton. On one hand, Aberdeen was up by 20 on Lincoln, and Lincoln beat Yankton by 17. On the other, Yankton beat Aberdeen by 30 and the Golden Eagles blew a substantial lead against the Patriots.
So my prediction for the rankings:
1- Roosevelt
2- O’Gorman
3- Harrisburg
4- Mitchell
5- Washington
RV- Aberdeen Central
3-5 is basically a crapshoot so I won’t be mad if I’m wrong. Again, this is a prediction, not my actual rankings, and this post is going to be a baseline for my reaction to the rankings on Tuesday.
Washington
I want to give a shout out to the Warriors on the girls side. They have been playing well, so I haven’t gotten to talk about them much, just because there isn’t much to talk about. The Warriors have a big game against O’Gorman tonight, and I feel this will be the first test they have had all season. Exciting!!
Other Thoughts
Porter Ihnen went off against Pine Ridge, dropping 41 in the 95-33 victory. At what point do we start thinking about the Orioles for a run at the post season?!…
Flandreau cruising to a 30-point victory over Sioux Valley was very surprising, and I’m curious to see if they get some votes this week. The Fliers have only played 2 teams with a winning record, and loss to 3-2 Hamlin to open the year. Can’t deny the win though so give them the credit they are due…
Washington vs O’Gorman is going to be a big game tonight for both the boys and the girls, so keep any eye on the scores there.
