#1 De Smet Bulldogs (16-3)
Rank+: 180
Best Win: #2 Lower Brule (W 61-53)
Wins: Deubrook Area, St. Mary, Arlington, C/WL, Howard, I/LP, Pipestone Area (MN), Estelline-Hendricks, Lower Brule, Castlewood, Canistota, Colman-Egan, E-LB, Flandreau, Wolsey-Wessington, Deuel
Last Week:
- Tue @ Flandreau (W 68-30)
- Thu @ W-W (W 52-49)
- Sat vs. Deuel (W 69-53)
Weekly Schedule:
- Fri vs. O-R/R
The Bulldogs continue to cruise, picking up three more wins this past week. They’re currently in the top spot in Class B overall, but it’s out of their control with Lower Brule and Aberdeen Christian still in the mix.
De Smet has secured the top spot in Region 2, however, and the Bulldogs look to take on Arlington and Wolsey-Wessington in the Regionals.
#2 Lower Brule Sioux (15-3)
Rank+: 170
Best Win: #4 Castlewood (64-61)
Wins: Marty, McLaughlin, Pine Ridge, Lakota Tech, Howard, Parkston, Castlewood, C-EB, Flandreau Indian, Takini, Marty, Crazy Horse, Crow Creek, Wessington Springs
Last Week:
- Sat vs. #5 White River (W 62-54)
Weekly Schedule:
- Mon vs. Little Wound
- Sat @ Warner vs. W-W
Lower Brule picked up the biggest win of the week at the Corn Palace against White River. Gavin Thigh continues to have a great season, leading the way with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Teammates Ellywn Langdeau (15 pt, 12 reb) and Tayshawn Battese (13 pt, 10 reb) also had great performances.
If Lower Brule can continue to get quality games out of their starting 5, this is a team that has too many threats on the perimeter for most teams to stop.
#3 Aberdeen Christian Knights (16-2)
Rank+: 164
Best Win: #5 White River (87-68)
Wins: JVC, Britton-Hecla, Mobridge-Pollock, Lower Brule, Oakes (ND), Potter County, L/FA, Faulkton Area, Waubay-Summit, White River, Warner, H/SA, North Central, Northwestern, Ipswich, Roncalli
Last Week:
- Tue @ Ipswich (W 65-45)
- Thu vs. Roncalli (W 62-40)
- Sat vs. #7A Hamlin (L 48-43)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue vs. Langford Area
- Fri @ Groton Area
Aberdeen Christian has took on some difficult Class A matchups these past two weeks. Though they didn’t come out with the wins, It’s great preparation for the postseason.
Right now, they are #3 overall in seed points, with the ability to possible sneak into the top spot. Even if they don’t, the Knights hold the top seed in Region 1 by a significant margin.
#4 Castlewood Warriors (14-4)
Rank+: 159
Best Win: #8A Clark/Willow Lake (54-51)
Wins: E-LB, Flandreau, Arlington, Madison, Sisseton, Deuel, C/WL, GPL, O-R/R, Colman-Egan, I/LP, Waubay-Summit, Florence/Henry, Deubrook Area
Last Week:
- Tue @ Florence/Henry (W 67-31)
- Thu @ Deubrook Area (W 69-51)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue @ #3A Sioux Valley
- Fri vs. Estelline/Hendricks
Castlewood held strong at the #4 spot with 2 good road wins this past week. They also have a chance to lock up a top 2 spot in Region 2, and Tuesday’s battle with Sioux Valley will be an exciting matchup that should prepare the Warriors for one of the toughest regions in the state.
#5 White River Tigers (14-4)
Rank+: 153
Best Win: Lakota Tech (52-42)
Wins: Jones County, Marty, Todd County, Lakota Tech, Bridgewater-Emery, Campbell County (WY), Kadok Area, Bennett County, Colome, Philip, Wall, Little Wound, Stanley County
Last Week:
- Tue vs. Little Wound (W 73-31)
- Thu @ Stanley County (W 75-46)
- Sat vs. #2 Lower Brule (L 62-54)
Weekly Schedule:
- Fri vs. New Underwood
The Tigers battled it out with Lower Brule at the Corn Palace on Saturday, and although they lost, there was a positive hidden in the defeat.
White River has shown that they can shoot a lot better than they did last Saturday, where they made just 4 shots from behind the arc in 32 attempts.
The fact that the game was as close as it was proves that the Tigers have massive potential heading into the postseason.
#6 Viborg-Hurley Cougars (14-2)
Rank+: 147
Best Win: Hanson (43-33)
Wins: Freeman, Irene-Wakonda, Gregory, Hanson, Alcester-Hudson, Gayville-Volin, Avon, Baltic, Canistota, FA/M, McLaughlin, Parker, Philip
Last Week:
- Tue @ Parker (W 69-28)
- Sat vs. Philip (W 69-55)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue vs Menno
- Thu vs. #8 Howard
The Cougars are up a spot after cruising to two victories. They’ve locked up the top spot in Region 4, so the rest of the regular season will be about preparation for the postseason.
That includes a great matchup against Howard in the Class B Game of the Week!
#7 JVC Vikings (15-3)
Rank+: 146
Best Win: Wolsey-Wessington (74-59)
Wins: SBA, Burke, O-R/R, SC/W, Highmore-Harrold (x2), Wolsey-Wessington, Ipswich, Miller, I/LP, Hitchcock-Tulare, Faulkton Area, Estelline/Hendricks
Last Week:
- Mon vs. #10 Ethan (L 63-58)
- Tue vs. Mitchell Christian (W 69-43)
- Thu vs. Arlington (W 72-26)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue vs. SC/W
- Fri @ Wessington Springs
#8 Howard Tigers (12-3)
Rank+: 144
Best Win: #9 St. Mary (60-57)
Wins: Freeman, Colman-Egan, SC/W, Menno, Hanson, Garretson, Chester Area, Ethan, St. Mary, Waubay-Summit
Last Week:
- Thu @ #9 St. Mary (W 60-57)
- Sat vs. Waubay-Summit (W 67-52)
Weekly Schedule:
- Mon @ Mitchell Christian
- Tue vs. Canistota
- Thu @ #6 Viborg-Hurley
- Fri vs. Arlington
The Tigers have a big week ahead, especially with the way Region 3 is revealing itself to be.
Currently, Howard holds the top spot, but Ethan is just trailing behind. With St. Mary, Bridgewater-Emery and Canistota in the Region, where you end up in seeding is going to be critical.
The nice part for the Tigers is that they control their own destiny with games against Canistota and Viborg-Hurley. So if they can win out, they’ll head into the playoffs with a host spot and a ton of confidence.
#9 St. Mary Cardinals (13-3)
Rank+: 140
Best Win: #4 Castlewood (73-70)
Wins: Colman-Egan, Waverly-SS, Estelline-Hendricks, E-LB, O-R/R, Castlewood, Chester Area, Deubrook Area, Alcester-Hudson, Arlington
Last Week:
- Mon @ Arlington (W 76-32)
- Thu vs. #8 Howard (L 60-57)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue @ Centerville
- Fri vs. Baltic
St. Mary feel in a tough matchup against Howard, but it again showed that they can play with the best teams in the state. They still have Viborg-Hurley and Bridgewater-Emery on the schedule and with nothing guaranteed in Region 3, those games could be crucial down the road.
#10 Ethan Rustlers (14-3)
Rank+: 139
Best Win: #7 JVC (W 63-58)
Wins: Hanson, FA/M, MC/M, Scotland, Wessington Springs, Canistota, Wagner, Menno, Corsica-Stickney, Mitchell Christian, SC/W, K/WL, JVC, Avon
Last Week:
- Mon @ #7 JVC (W 63-58)
- Thu @ MV/P (L 63-62)
- Fri @ Avon (W 77-36)
Weekly Schedule:
- Mon vs. AC/DC
- Tue vs. Freeman
Welcome to the rankings Rustlers!
Ethan has sat just outside the Top 10 since we began, and finally broke through with a Top 10 win against James Valley Christian.
They’ve put together a fantastic season so far and are getting hot at just the right time. Their going to have to go through a gauntlet to get out of Region 3, but this is a team that has the potential to finish their season in Aberdeen.
ADDITIONAL READING
