Experience with composure.
That is how Head Coach Andrea Bregman would describe her team.
And that combination was shown by the Sioux Falls Chargers all season long; most notably in their Sodak 16 matchup against Flandreau.
“Flandreau played a junk defense. Really took Lexi (Unruh) away and left some of our other girls open and we had to figure out how to get other girls in a position to score. Flandreau played very well and hit 11 3-pointers. They only had 6 two pointers,” Bregman said. “We were down 5 to Flandreau and the girls didn’t believe the game was over, we just didn’t give up.”
The Chargers played excellent defense and made key shots late in the game to get the 52-51 victory and punch their ticket, but like most teams this late-game success wasn’t developed overnight. If fact, it might have taken two losses against some of the top teams in Class A, St. Thomas More and Hamlin, for Sioux Falls Christian to unlock that key element of the game.
“They (STM) are so good defensively, it was a good test for us to see where we are at offensively,” said Bregman. “The Hamlin game we just let slip away. It was a good lesson on finishing the game, so we aren’t afraid of playing those teams.”
But other than those two games, the Chargers have played dominante basketball, including an outstanding 60-57 victory at home against West Central on January 25th that was the turning point in the Chargers’ mindset.
“It’s about as good as it could go. We have won quite a few close games,” Bregman said about the season. “[In] the win against West Central, instead of focusing on where we want to be, [we knew] you can’t look so far ahead. It was a reminder that each game matters and we really could be in the state tournament.”
Bregman also noted that after the West Central game, each team played their best game against the Chargers. Now, Sioux Falls Christian will have to bring their best game to Watertown. The Chargers (19-3) will face Aberdeen Roncalli (20-2) at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. Aberdeen Roncalli, will be no easy foe, according to Bregman.
“Roncalli has probably the best post player we have seen all year. We have a 6’2 post also (Kylah VanDonkersgoed), so I’m not super worried…Their defense is pretty good, they just don’t allow a lot of points so that will be the focus point in practice this week, how we will defeat the pressure man-to-man.”
Roncalli does have one of the best defenses in the state, holding opponents to 30 points or less 13 times during the regular season, but when Sioux Falls Christian takes the court tomorrow, there is no doubt their experience and composure will help against that tough defense.
This article is part of our new series of State Tournament Previews.
