Castlewood survived Lower Brule’s first scoring blitz, but never recovered from the second one.

The top-seeded Sioux set the tone at the start of each half on the way to a 67-55 win over Castlewood in the opening round of Class B Boys’ State Basketball Tournament Thursday afternoon at Wachs Arena.

“We’ve got one goal,” said Lower Brule coach Brian LaRoche Sr. “The kids understand that.”

It was Gavin Thigh who put the Warriors in a hole early, making three 3-pointers to help stake Lower Brule to a 15-2 lead in the opening quarter.

“I just go and try to play my game,” Thigh said. “I wasn’t worried about anything.”

Thigh made his first seven shots of the contest, four of them from beyond the 3-point line. The senior said seeing the first shot go through the hoop makes it easier for subsequent attempts.

“It gives you a lot of confidence,” Thigh said. “It makes you want to go out and shoot a little more.”

Castlewood slowly started to work its way back into the game thanks to the inside presence of 6-foot-8 center Bryon Laue. The sophomore made seven of his first eight shots in the opening half as the Warriors eventually cut the deficit to 36-31 late in the second quarter.

Lower Brule took an eight-point lead into break, but the margin could have been much bigger.

“I looked at the stats at halftime. You don’t expect anybody to go 15 for 20,” said Castlewood coach Paul Raasch of Lower Brule’s shooting stats.

However, Castlewood had worked its way back into contention.

“We thought we were in pretty good shape at halftime,” Raasch said.

That’s when Lower Brule produced its second scoring barrage, opening up the third period with 10 unanswered points to build an 18-point advantage.

“It was all about defense,” Thigh said of the third-quarter surge. “They had the height advantage so, we just tried to communicate.”

The Sioux were able to get up and down the floor the entire contest and take advantage of their quickness and athleticism.

“We play fast so we have to open it up. That’s what I love about our team. They understand that,” LaRoche said. “They see mismatches and take advantage of them. They’re the generals on the court. That’s what they’re designed to do. I don’t have to get after them and run X’s and O’s. You let them play.”

Lower Brule defeated the Castlewood on a last-second shot when the two played earlier this season, but there was no such drama in the rematch.

“They hit shots. They didn’t shoot like that the first time we played them,” Raasch said. “Nobody really shoots like that, other than they did today.”

Thigh finished with a game-high 34 points and Brian LaRoche Jr. added 15.

Laue led Castlewood with 25 points and missed just one shot on the afternoon. Quincy Thu added 11 points. The Warriors (18-6) face Faith at noon today in consolation action.

“I talked to our guys after the game,” Raasch said. “Four teams are going to get beat today and we’re the first one it happened to, so let’s regroup. There’s still two games to play.”

Lower Brule (21-3) squares off against White River in a rematch of last year’s semifinals at 6 tonight. The Sioux won last year’s contest in a triple overtime classic.

“Everyody wants that state championship so you take one game at a time and that’s what you do,” Coach LaRoche said. “The kids understand that goal. You set that goal and you go for it.”

While there will definitely be plenty of excitement and intensity in the building for that game, LaRoche just want his players to do what they do best.

“We don’t put pressure on them. We let them play their game. Just play basketball,” LaRoche said. “That’s what they like doing, playing basketball. Have fun. I enjoy just watching them.”

CASTLEWOOD (18-6): Lane Tvedt 4 0-2 8, Booker Schooley 0 2-2 2, Joe Decker 1 0-0 2, Bryon Laue 12 1-2 25, Jamison Keszler 3 0-1 7, Quincy Thu 4 2-2 11. Totals 24-52 5-9 55.

LOWER BRULE (21-3): Lane Gray 3 0-0 6, Brian LaRoche Jr. 7 0-0 15, Gavin Thigh 10 8-10 34, Ellwyn Langdeau 2 0-0 4, Tayshawn Battese 2 1-2 5, Tate Elk Soldier 1 0-0 3. Totals 25-44 9-12 67.

Castlewood 12 31 37 55

Lower Brule 21 39 55 67

3-point field goals – Castlewood 2-21 (Keszler, Thu); Lower Brule 8-17 (LaRoche, Thigh 6, Elk Soldier). Fouled out – Schooley; Langdeau. Total fouls – Castlewood 14; Lower Brule 15. Rebounds – Castlewood 30 (Laue 14); Lower Brule 21 (Battese 8). Turnovers – Castlewood 12; Lower Brule 11. Assists – Castlewood 15 (Schooley 6); Lower Brule 10 (Gray 5). Blocked shots – Castlewood 2 (Laue 2); Lower Brule 3 (Battese 2). Steals – Castlewood 5 (Decker 2); Lower Brule 6 (Gray 3).