#1 Dakota Valley Panthers (14-0)
Rank+: 183
Best Win: #2 SFC (W 73-57)
Wins: Tea Area, Beresford, Minneapolis North (MN), Chamberlain, Sergeant Bluff-Luton (IA), LeMars (IA), West Central, Hartington Cedar Catholic (NE), Tri-Valley, Sioux Valley, SFC, C/WL, EP-J, Western Christian (IA)
Last Week:
- Thu @ EP-J (W 80-63)
- Sat vs. Western Christian IA (W 71-56)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue @ Vermillion
- Fri @ #4 Dell Rapids
Dakota Valley just keeps on rolling with two more big wins this past week. Now, the Panthers have a stellar matchup against Dell Rapids on Friday.
Oh yeah, let’s not forget about this:
#2 SFC Chargers (14-2)
Rank+: 172
Best Win: #3 Dell Rapids (65-53
Wins: Lennox, West Central, EP-J, OโGorman, Thunder Basin (WY), Unity Christian (IA), Dell Rapids, Watertown, Madison, Hamlin, Canton, Vermillion, White River
Last Week:
- Tue @ Canton (W 69-53)
- Thu @ Vermillion (W 73-47)
- Fri vs. #1AA Jefferson (L 70-66)
- Sat vs. #6B White River (W 66-55)
Weekly Schedule:
- Thu @ Western Christian (IA)
Win or lose, this Chargers team is a blast to watch. They are a threat to score at any time, and have the defense to compete with anyone in the state.
I was very impressed with their performance against Jefferson, and SFC was just a few shots down the stretch from taking down one of, if not the, top teams in the state.
Not to forget mention, but they did take down an excellent opponent in White River the next night. They have a quiet week this week, but make no mistake, this is a team that is going to make a lot of noise in the playoffs.
#3 Sioux Valley Cossacks (13-1)
Rank+: 171.9
Best Win: #1B De Smet (67-58)
Wins: C/WL, Beresford, Baltic, De Smet, Garretson, Baltic, Beresford, Hamlin, MC/M, Chester Area, Deubrook Area, Flandreau, STM
Last Week:
- Thu @ Flandreau (W 86-31)
- Sat vs #8 St. Thomas More (W 51-44)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue vs. Deuel
- Thu vs. West Central
- Sat vs. Parker
Sioux Valley has bounced back from that loss to Dakota Valley and is right back to firing on all cylinders with a big win over St. Thomas More.
The Cossacks are a play-above-the-rim team that is so fun to watch, and I’m excited to see how they perform down the stretch.
#4 Dell Rapids Quarriers (13-2)
Rank+: 171.8
Best Win: #6 Hamlin (W 64-52)
Wins: West Central, Hamlin, Canton, Baltic, Milbank, Parker, EP-J, E-LB, Vermillion, Roncalli
Last Week:
- Tue @ Flandreau (W 65-30)
- Thu @ Tri-Valley (W 75-44)
- Sat @ #3B Aberdeen Christian (W 59-51)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue vs. MV/P
- Thu vs. #6 Tea Area
- Fri vs. #1 Dakota Valley
The Quarriers got arguably the toughest road victory of the week, taking down undefeated Aberdeen Christian.
I’ve been very impressed with Dells’ guard play so far this season, and locking down Aberdeen Christian’s stellar guards is no easy task.
Now, they have a big road ahead with two excellent Dak XII matchups to end the week…It’s back-to-back games like this that set you up for the tournament best.
#5 Lennox Orioles (12-2)
Rank+: 163.7
Best Win: Madison (66-32)
Wins: Milbank, Canton, Madison, Waconia (MN), MV/P, Vermillion, Chamberlain, Platte-Geddes, West Central, Brookings, Parkston, EP-J
Last Week:
- Tue vs. EP-J (W 84-49)
- Sat vs. Moorhead MN (L 83-74)
Weekly Schedule:
- Mon @ Tri-Valley
- Fri vs. #6 Tea Area
The Orioles are playing well at the right time, taking down a very good EP-J team in dominant fashion. They did lose to an out-of-state team, but the computer doesn’t care about that.
The computer will care about their matchup against Tea Area, though, and that should be one of the best games of the week.
#6 Tea Area Titans (10-3)
Rank+: 163.6
Best Win: Madison (65-40)
Wins: Marshall (MN), Vermillion, Madison, Crofton (NE), Canton, Aberdeen, Watertown, Western Christian (IA), West Central, De Smet
Last Week:
- Tue vs. Western Christian IA (W 64-47)
- Thu @ West Central (W 59-49)
- Sat vs #1B De Smet (W 67-60)
Weekly Schedule:
- Thu vs. #4 Dell Rapids
- Fri @ #5 Lennox
The Titans are in the eye of the storm when it comes to the toughest part of their schedule; with a huge win over De Smet behind them and two big games up ahead.
This will be a great test for Tea Area and if they can come out it victorious, they will climb the rankings very fast.
#7 Hamlin Chargers (12-3)
Rank+: 161
Best Win: #1B De Smet (57-55)
Wins: Groton Area, Howard, Tiospa Zina, Webster Area, De Smet, Redfield, MV/P, Milbank, Castlewood, Florence/Henry
Last Week:
- Mon @ Milbank (W 53-35)
- Thu vs. #4B Castlewood (W 65-43)
- Fri vs. Florence/Henry (W 68-32)
Weekly Schedule:
- Thu @ Deuel
- Sat @ Corn Palace vs. #3B Aberdeen Christian
The Chargers bounced back from a tough loss to SFC with a great week, highlighted by a dominant victory over Castlewood. In fact, none of the games were close last week; a rather impressive fact considering their opponents all had a .500% record or better.
#8 St. Thomas More Cavaliers (14-2)
Rank+: 150
Best Win: RC Christian (61-38)
Wins: Worland (WY), Thunder Basin (WY), Campbell County (WY), Scottsbluff (NE), Aberdeen, Belle Fourche, Douglas (x2), Sturgis, Custer, Lead-Deadwood, Spearfish, RC Christian
Last Week:
- Tue @ Sturgis (W 46-39)
- Sat vs. #4 Sioux Valley (L 51-44)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue @ Red Cloud
- Sat @ Corn Palace vs. MV/P
The Cavaliers nearly got their first Top 10 win this week in a good battle with Sioux Valley. However, the game was a great experience, and STM has plenty of tough games ahead, including Red Cloud, MV/P and undefeated Hot Springs.
#9 C/WL Cyclones (11-4)
Rank+: 147
Best Win: #9 Groton Area (51-43)
Wins: Milbank, Florence/Henry, Wessington Springs, Groton Area, Webster Area, Deuel, Roncalli, Canistota, GPL, Redfield, Sisseton
Last Week:
- Fri vs. Sisseton (W 73-33)
Weekly Schedule:
- Thu @ Britton-Hecla
- Sat @ Flandreau
It was a quiet week for the Cyclones, who’s schedule really slows down over the last few weeks of the season. However, they still have a big game against Hamlin on the 16th, so that will be a can’t miss game.
#10 Groton Area Tigers (8-4)
Rank+: 145
Best Win: Milbank (64-36)
Wins: Warner, SFL, Sisseton, Tiospa Zina, Milbank, Northwestern, Webster Area, Langford Area
Last Week:
- Tue @ Langford Area (W 74-20)
- Thu vs. Deuel (L 61-52)
- Sat @ EP-J (L 60-56)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue vs. North Central
- Thu vs. Redfield
- Sat @ Mobridge-Pollock
The Tigers continue to battle it out with the best teams in the state. They’ll look to rebound from a tough loss to EP-J with a very winnable week ahead.
