De Smet inched a step closer to defending its state title with a display of defense Thursday afternoon.

The Bulldogs clogged the lane, closed out on shooters and collected a 60-28 victory over Waubay-Summit during the opening round of the State B Boys’ Basketball Tournament at Wachs Arena.

De Smet bolted out to a 25-4 start in the opening quarter and the Mustangs never recovered.

“I thought we just moved the ball really good,” said De Smet coach Jeff Gruenhagen. “It’s great to come out and shoot well and put points on the board right away. It just helps to get the energy going. I thought that was a great start by us. We were pretty locked in on defense.”

So locked in that Waubay-Summit did not make its first field goal until nearly 6 1/2 minutes into the game.

Mustangs coach Mark Amdahl figured points would be at a premium.

“They’re really good offensively, but I was more worried today about scoring than I was stopping them,” Amdahl said. “They’re just that good on both ends of the floor. They have experience. They have athleticism. They have strength. They’re the real deal.”

Damon Wilkinson played a huge role in the contest. The 6-foot-9 center scored nine first-quarter points and also provided rim protection to make sure Waubay-Summit did not get any easy looks inside.

“That was really important,” Wilkinson said of shutting down the lane. “They’re more of a drive and kick team. We knew if we stopped the drive and closed out, we’d be just fine.”

The Bulldogs focused on Waubay-Summit standout Damon Opdahl. They used a variety of defenders on the point guard and then sent help when needed.

“I just got in his face,” said Kadyn Fast who often drew the assignment of trying to contain Opdahl. “My teammates did a good job on helping with screens, hedging it for me to get back to him.”

The Mustangs finally got going offensively in the second quarter outscoring De Smet by two, but then the Bulldogs were right back at it in the second half holding Waubay-Summit to just three points in the third quarter.

“We were getting a hand up on every shot and trying to contest everything,” Gruenhagen said.

Again, it wasn’t just one player who provided the defense.

One the rare occasion when a De Smet player did get beat off the dribble, there was a pack of Bulldogs ready to jump in and help out.

“We’ve got defenders all around,” Fast said.

In the end, the defending State B champs had more than enough answers on the defensive end of the floor, holding Waubay-Summit to just 17 percent shooting from the field.

“Their defense is just as good as their offense. They know how to shut people down,” Amdahl said. “You can just tell their experience today shined and our lack of experience showed.”

Wilkinson finished with 15 points, six rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals. Kalen Garry followed with nine points, while Tory Holland and Fast each added eight.

Opdahl and Jonathon Johnston each scored eight points to lead Waubay-Summit.

The Mustangs (20-4) take on Aberdeen Christian in consolation action at noon today.

De Smet (23-1) will face Potter County in the semifinals at 6 this evening.

There’s no denying what will be on the minds of the Bulldogs in that contest.

“Defense is the main key,” Wilkinson said.

WAUBAY-SUMMIT (20-4): J Gulbraa 2 1-2 5, Jackson Wohlleber 1 0-0 2, Damon Opdahl 2 3-5 8, Seth Gaikowski 1 0-0 3, Jonathan Johnston 3 0-0 8, Rylan Dumpza 0 0-2 0, Sonny Marquardt 0 2-2 2. Totals 9-52 6-11 28.

De SMET (23-1): Tory Holland 4 0-0 8, Damon Wilkinson 6 3-6 15, Rett Osthus 3 1-2 9, Kalen Garry 3 2-2 10, Kadyn Fast 3 1-3 8, Colt Wilkinson 1 1-1 3, George Jensen 2 1-2 5, Trace Van Regenmorter 1 0-0 2. Totals 24-47 9-16 60.

Waubay-Summit 4 14 17 28

De Smet 25 33 49 60

3-point field goals – Opdahl, Gaikowski, Johnston 2; Osthus 2, Fast. Total fouls – Waubay-Summit 14; De Smet 14. Rebounds – Waubay-Summit 27 (Johnston 7); De Smet 41 (Holland 8, Fast 8, D. Wilkinson 7). Turnovers – Waubay-Summit 14; De Smet 15. Assists – De Smet 13 (Garry 4). Steals – Waubay-Summit 5 (Gulbraa 3); De Smet 8 (D. Wilkinson 3).