Today boys’ basketball teams from across the area and state will begin a three-month journey that will culminate in the state tournaments in mid-March. This year’s tournaments will take place March 14-16, with the Class B tourney once again residing in Aberdeen, the Class A tournament in Rapid City, and the Class AA tournament in Sioux Falls.

Here is a look at area Class A and B boys basketball teams across northeast and north central South Dakota:

CLASS A

Hamlin will once again be of the top teams in Class A after a third-place finish at last season’s state tournament. The Chargers return a pair of all-state performers in junior Easton Neuendorf and senior Tyson Stevenson, as well as several other key players that will complement them, including 6-foot-6 post Zac VanMeeteren. Hamlin faces several solid opponents this season, including back-to-back contests against preseason number one Sioux Falls Christian and number four Sioux Valley in early January, while also playing in several classics. The Chargers begin their season at Groton Friday.

Groton lost to Sioux Valley in the Class A SoDak 16 last season after competing in the state tournament two seasons ago. The Tigers bring back several key players from last season, including two-time Northeast Conference all-conference selection Lane Tietz, as well as Jacob Zak, Teylor Diegel, Colby Dunker, and Ryder Johnson. Groton will once again be one of the top teams in the Northeast Conference and have the depth to make another deep postseason run.

Milbank finished last season with a 14-8 record after losing to Groton in the Region 1A semifinals. The Bulldogs will be led by seniors Garrett Mertens, Jaxson Wildung, Joe Schulte, and Yohana Ajwanga. Look for the Bulldogs to put together another solid campaign this season.

Clark-Willow Lake always fields a competitive squad. The Cyclones, who find themselves in a loaded Region 2A with the like of Hamlin and Sioux Valley, will be led by standout Tyson Huber.

Mobridge-Pollock lost to McLaughlin in last season’s Region 6A semifinals and are hungry for improvement this season after finishing .500 a year ago. The Tigers will be led by junior guard Jackson Eisemann, but will need other players to step into bigger roles this season.

CLASS B

Warner just capped off an undefeated football season with the school’s first state football title, and now will attempt to carry that success onto the basketball court this winter. The Monarchs fell to Northwestern in the Region 1B semifinals last season, but have the talent to make another deep run this season. Seniors Hunter Cramer and Brodey Sauerwein were all-conference performers last season and will look to lead the Monarchs back to the state tournament for the first time since winning the state title in 2016. However, Warner will have to contend with several quality opponents in Region 1B, including Aberdeen Christian, Leola-Frederick, and Northwestern.

Northwestern finished off last year’s 17-6 campaign with a loss to Faith in the SoDak 16. While the Wildcats must replace several seniors from that squad, the team does return a pair of senior all-conference guards in Nathan Melius and Lincoln Woodring. The pair will look to pick up where it left off last season and keep the Wildcats in the hunt for a state tournament berth.

Leola-Frederick will look to improve on last year’s 11-10 finish with several playmakers back on the court this season. The Titans will be led by senior Brayden Sumption and junior all-conference selection Noah Kippley and will have to contend with the aforementioned teams in Region 1B to earn a spot in the SoDak 16.

Castlewood and Wolsey-Wessington will once again have to contend with the likes of three-time defending champion De Smet in Region 2B this season, but will both have plenty of talent to compete with the Bulldogs.

Castlewood finished last season strong, capturing a fifth-place finish at the Class B state tournament. Now, the Warriors are back to finish what they started, entering the season rated number two in the Class B poll. However, Castlewood will play some stiff competition that will test them often this season. In fact, the Warriors do not play a home game in the month of December, with the first home contest coming on Jan. 9 against Clark-Willow Lake.

Castlewood is led by a pair of all-staters in senior guard Lane Tvedt and 6-foot-9 junior center Bryon Laue, and will have plenty of talent around them to make a push at another state tournament berth.

Wolsey-Wessington finished with a strong 16-6 record last season, losing to De Smet in the Region 2B semifinals. The Warbirds return key players Moshe Richmond and Caleb Richmond, who will lead an athletic lineup once again. The Warbirds received votes in the preseason Class B poll, and will be able to matchup with just about any opponent due to their size and athleticism.

Faulkton ended last season with a loss to Ipswich in the Region 6B quarterfinal round, but returns several players that contributed from last season’s team. The Trojans will be led by senior captains Layne Cotton, Gus Kopecky, Marshall Koens, and Mason Kaiser. Cotton was a third team all-stater last season who averaged 23 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Look for Faulkton to make some noise in Region 6B this season.

Ipswich also figures to make some noise this season, after falling to Aberdeen Christian in the SoDak 16 a year ago. The Tigers, led by Trevor Heinz, will have solid leadership, but will need to develop depth after losing some key members from a year ago.

Sully Buttes will look to build on its rich basketball history. Sophomore Wesley Wittler will help lead the Chargers after a breakout season as a freshman a year ago.

Potter County is also a team that should be much improved this season. The Battlers return a plethora of experience led by seniors Carter Luikens and Ryder Falkenhagen.

(Note: Previews on the Aberdeen teams are running separately).