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Girls’ basketball teams gearing up for SoDak 16 showdowns

Florence-Henry girls' basketball coach Mitch Reed, center, talks to his team in a time out during a game earlier this season at the Groton High School gym. Photo by John Davis taken 1/29/2024

The girls’ basketball region tournaments are completed and now 32 teams will battle in the Class A and Class B round of SoDak 16, needing only one win Thursday night to get to state tournaments, which will take place March 7-9. The State A Tournament will be in Brookings, while the State B Tournament will be in Rapid City.

Here is a look at the area teams and their SoDak 16 matchups:

CLASS A

Aberdeen Roncalli 19-3 vs. Mount Vernon-Plankinton 17-5, 7 p.m. at Huron

A pair of talented teams will clash at the Huron Arena on Thursday.

The seventh-seeded Cavaliers ride into the SoDak 16 on a seven-game winning streak, and are led by several key contributors, including juniors Ava Hanson, Maddie Huber, and McKenna O’Keefe, as well as sophomore Claire Crawford. The Cavaliers have relied on a stout defense all season, which has given up an average of 35.9 points per game. Roncalli has beaten several SoDak 16 qualifiers, including Class B teams in Northwestern, Herreid-Selby Area, and Warner, as well as Class A foes Mobridge-Pollock, Miller, and Florence-Henry.

Aberdeen Roncalli’s Maddie Huber, right, tries to drive around Groton’s Jerica Locke, left, during last Thursday night’s Region 1A game at the Roncalli High School gym. Photo by John Davis taken 2/22/2024

Roncalli will be tasked with attempting to slow down a Mount Vernon-Plankinton offense that has scored close to 60 points per game this season (58.8). The 10th-seeded Titans have plenty of firepower, including several experienced players like South Dakota State recruit Emilee Fox and junior Reagan Rus, among others. MVP has beaten a trio of SoDak 16 qualifiers, including Miller, Tri-Valley, and Hanson.

Sisseton 20-1 vs. Tri-Valley 12-10, 7 p.m. at Watertown

Top-seeded Sisseton will be a heavy favorite in this one as it meets up with 16th-seeded Tri-Valley at the Watertown Civic Arena.

The Redmen’s lone blemish on their record was a loss to Sioux Falls Christian at the Dak 12/NEC Clash on Feb. 3, but they have since won six straight games to get to the SoDak 16. Sisseton is led by seniors Hannah Leverson, Emmalee Nielsen, Rylie Huff, and 6-foot-1 Chloe Langager, as well as 6-foot-2 junior Krista Langager.

Sisseton’s Krista Langager, center and Red Cloud’s Abigail Haas, right, go after the ball during the Class A Girls Tournament third place game in Watertown last season. In on the play is Sisseton’s Emmalee Nielsen, far left and Red Cloud’s Anjah Lamont, back left. Photo by John Davis taken 3/11/2023

After an up-and-down season, Tri-Valley has found success as of late, winning its last five contests, a streak that began with a win over Milbank.

Sioux Falls Christian 19-2 vs. Miller 15-7, 6 p.m. at Salem

Miller tangles with second-seeded Sioux Falls Christian at McCook Central High School on Thursday.

The 15th-seeded Rustlers had a solid start to the season, winning eight of their first ten games before hitting a mid-season slump. However, Miller has won its last five games to earn a spot in the SoDak 16.

Miller’s Jaden Werdel, left, tries to steal the ball away from Aberdeen Roncalli’s McKenna O’Keefe, right, during a game earlier this season at the Roncalli High School gym. Photo by John Davis taken 2/7/2023

Sioux Falls Christian’s only setbacks came against Wagner and Vermillion, but the Chargers have several quality wins on their resume, including defeating top-seeded Sisseton at the Dak 12/NEC Clash, as well as other SoDak 16 qualifiers in Tea Area, Tri-Valley, and Mount Vernon-Plankinton.

Hanson 16-5 vs. Florence-Henry 17-5, 7:30 p.m. at Madison

Two familiar foes will meet up once again with a trip to the Class A state tournament on the line in Madison on Thursday.

Eighth-seeded Hanson and ninth-seeded Florence-Henry faced off back on February 3 at the Corn Palace, with the Florence-Henry edging the Beavers 47-45.

Hanson has qualified for several Class B tournaments through the years, while it is looking to play in its first Class A state tournament in school history.

Florence-Henry’s Haley Hlavacek, left and Groton’s Sydney Leicht, right, go after a loose ball during a game earlier this season at the Groton High School gym. Photo by John Davis taken 1/29/2024

Meanwhile, Florence-Henry is looking to appear in its first state tournament in co-op history after coming up a game or two short the past two seasons. The Falcons are led by seniors Caylin Kelly, Taylor Watson, Reese Schmidt, and Haley Hlavacek.

Both squads look pretty even on paper, so do not be surprised if the rematch is as close as the first contest.

Tea Area 18-4 vs. Mobridge-Pollock 17-4, 5:30 p.m. at Huron

Two teams with limited, to no, state tournament experience enter this matchup at the Huron Arena on Thursday.

Mobridge-Pollock, the 11th-seed is looking for its first trip to the state tournament after making back-to-back appearances in 2010 and ’11. The Tigers come into the contest having won their last seven games.

Mobridge-Pollock’s Reagan Weisbeck, center, tries to drive to the basket between Aberdeen Christian’s Sophia Fogarty, left and Bailey Hunstad, right, during a game last season at the Aberdeen Civic Arena. Photo by John Davis taken 12/20/2022

The sixth-seeded Titans are looking to make school history by qualifying for their first-ever state girls’ basketball tournament. Tea Area began the season 8-0 and has won their last five contests entering the SoDak 16, a streak that started with a win over Aberdeen Central. The Titans are led by 6-foot-1 all-state guard Katie Vasecka.

CLASS B

Warner 20-2 vs. Herreid-Selby Area 15-7, 7 p.m. at Ipswich

A pair of area squads will look to punch their ticket to the Class B state tournament in Ipswich on Thursday as the sixth-seeded Monarchs take on the 11th-seeded Wolverines.

Warner’s Sophia Hoeft, center, lays up a shot ahead of Aberdeen Roncalli’s Claire Crawford, left, during a game at the Warner Girl’s Basketball Classic earlier this season in the Warner School gym. Photo by John Davis taken 2/10/2024

Size will be the key in this matchup as both teams feature several 6-footers on their respective rosters. Warner boasts 6-foot senior Ava Nilsson, as well as 6-foot-1 juniors Kyleigh Schopp and Stacia Carda. The Monarchs are also led by a pair of 5-foot-9 senior guards in twins Kyra and Lauren Marcuson. Warner has not lost to a Class B opponent this season, with its only two setbacks coming against Class A SoDak 16 qualifiers Florence-Henry and Aberdeen Roncalli.

Herreid-Selby Area’s Jada Rossow (44) tries to shoot over Waubay-Summit’s Ava Breske (10) during a game at the Warner Girl’s Basketball Classic earlier this season in the Warner School gym. In on the play for the Mustangs are Madison Zirbel, far left and Eva Benike, far right. In the background for the Woverines’ is Mya Ebel. back right. Photo by John Davis taken 2/10/2024

Herreid-Selby Area is led by a pair of 6-foot sisters in senior Jada Rossow and sophomore Jordyn Rossow. The Wolverines, who also have potent perimeter shooting, have won four of their last five contests.

Harding County 21-0 vs. Northwestern 13-9, 6:30 p.m. CST at Timber Lake

Northwestern will face second-seeded and undefeated Harding County in Timber Lake on Thursday.

The 15th-seeded Wildcats struggled early in the season, but found their stride late in the regular season and in region play, winning nine of their last 11 games. Northwestern is a young squad with no seniors on the roster. The Wildcats are led by 6-foot-2 junior center Adriana Ratigan, as well as a host of other players that could give Harding County problems. The Wildcats are looking for their first state tournament appearance since 2005.

Northwestern’s Tara Blachford, center, looks for a teammate as Aberdeen Christian’s Payton Skarin, left, defends during a game earlier this season at the Aberdeen Civic Arena. In the foreground for the Wildcats is Adriana Ratigan (44). Photo by John Davis taken 2/1/2024

The Ranchers have run the table so far this season, winning all 21 games with an average margin of victory of 35.5 points per game. Harding County is a deep team that can play 8-10 players on any given night. They are led by a pair of seniors in guard Claire Verhulst and 6-foot-2 center Jaelyn Wendt.

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