This is our new series in which we provide you with a recap of South Dakota Sports from the day prior while you start your afternoon. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the stories.
Reflecting on my Top 10 from Yesterday…Is Washington Too Low?
The Washington Warriors were the toughest team to rank yesterday and I want to go through why I ranked them so low. It wasn’t an easy decision to make and I have done some reflection on the rankings, and part of me thinks I ranked them too low. So let’s go through my thought process and see where that leads us.
When I looked at Washington’s schedule, I saw a team that had won four games against teams that had a combined win-loss of 4-20 at the time. I also saw a team with a loss in their most critical game of the season up to that point. They had completed the homework well (The first 4 games), but didn’t do as good on the test (STM), so to speak.
But then again, the team they lost to is my #1 and Washington only lost by 5, so TK…what are you thinking?! Well, good question. First, when I made the rankings yesterday, I ignored the talent and just looked at the results…and the results so far don’t look great. But as I think about it more, I may have been a little too harsh. First, they have really only played a handful of games, so to critic those is reaching. Second, they have arguably the most talent of any team in South Dakota. O’Gorman’s roster is really, really good, but so are the Warriors.
So yes, I think the Warriors could very easily bump right back up to #2 or #1, depending on how they play these next few games. They play at Harrisburg tomorrow, go to O’Gorman on Thursday, and then take on Roosevelt at home the next Monday. I will most likely come out with new rankings very soon, as there is a lot of big games coming up. The media will still have Washington at #1 or quite maybe Harrisburg, but we shall see Monday.
Also, I want to talk about the teams I put ahead of Washington and what my thought process was going into it.
#1-St.Thomas More: They are undefeated against a solid schedule and beat the Warriors.
#2-Harrisburg: Again, undefeated, has a win against Roosevelt, but hasn’t played a difficult schedule. Though if you have seven wins this early, your up there.
#3- Brandon Valley: They took down O’Gorman by 10, and so they have 1 really good victory so far. Washington doesn’t have that one yet.
#4- O’Gorman: I could see Washington being higher than O’Gorman, because they also haven’t taken a win against an outstanding team, and they lost by more to Brandon Valley (#4) than Washington did to STM (#1). This is a team Washington could argue to be above and I really can’t say anyone is wrong if they want to put Washington by O’Gorman.
#5- West Central: The Trojans have big wins against Winner and Tea Area, and they have one of the toughest gyms to play in. Talent-wise, Washington is better, but I think you have to give credit to the Trojans for winning big games. And their only loss is to White River by 2. But again, you could say Washington is better.
This isn’t college football, so one loss shouldn’t reflect your season, and with resume building this early really tough, I could very well see Washington being as high as #4, or even #3, because the Lynx have a loss to Mitchell. So yes, when I said yesterday I can’t justify putting Washington higher than #6, I realize today…I was wrong.
Yes, I know, shocking to admit, lol. But I’m okay with saying I was wrong. It’s sports, it’s life, your not always perfect. There is justification to putting Washington higher than #6 and I am willing to admit that. However, I will be keeping the rankings the same throughout the week. I’m not going to change them until the end of next week, but we could see Washington move up quickly with a few big wins.
Final Thoughts
I was just thinking today about a couple more things. I want to write some articles on cool sports moments in South Dakota basketball, so I am looking for:
- How many 7-footers in the history of South Dakota basketball?
- Has there been a triple-double this season in boys or girls?
We will be on the look for the answers to these questions, but until then, support your community and have a great Sunday!
As always, we do our best to include what we can, but we can’t include everybody. We enjoy the support you bring, and next week we will continue to have more analysis and recap on SD Sports!