The last step on the road to state tournaments takes place tonight as Class A and Class B boys’ basketball teams head into SoDak 16 action.

For Class B squads, the goal is to play in the State B tournament at Wachs Arena in Aberdeen next week, while Rapid City is the desired destination for Class A teams for their state tourney.

Here is a preview of each of tonight’s SoDak 16 matchups featuring area teams.

CLASS B

Potter County (15-7) vs. Leola-Frederick (21-1), 6 p.m. at Northwestern

Familiar foes will meet in Mellette at Northwestern High School tonight at sixth-seeded Leola-Frederick will face 11th-seeded Potter County at 6 p.m.

The teams met back on Dec. 19 in a game that resulted in a 72-41 win for the Leola-Frederick. The win was part of a 12-game winning streak for the Titans before they fell to Faulkton.

The Titans have since won nine consecutive games, and are looking for their first state tournament appearance since going in back-to-back seasons in 2004 and 2005. Leola-Frederick has a plethora of talent, led by senior Brayden Sumption and junior Noah Kippley.

Potter County has had an up-and-down season, but has hit its stride as of late. The Battlers are only two years removed from their last State B appearance, which ended in a fourth-place finish. Potter County is led by seniors Carter Luikens and Ryder Falkenhagen.

Centerville (14-8) vs. Castlewood (19-3), 6 p.m. at Madison

Third-seeded Castlewood will face 14th-seeded Centerville tonight at Madison High School.

The Warriors have been one of the top teams in Class B all season, winning their first 10 games before losing a heartbreaker to Viborg-Hurley at the Hanson Classic. Castlewood responded by beating archrival De Smet in the following contest. The Warriors have also dropped contests to Hamlin and Sioux Valley late in the season.

The Warriors are led by senior guard Lane Tvedt and junior center Bryon Laue, and are looking to qualify for their third consecutive State B tournament.

Centerville is looking to play spoiler while also attempting to qualify for its first State B appearance since finishing in eighth place in 2014. The Tornadoes have had an up-and-down season, but have found their way since the postseason began. Centerville edged out Freeman 61-60 to earn a spot in the SoDak 16.

Waverly-South Shore (16-6) vs. Wessington Springs (21-1), 6 p.m. at Huron

A pair of squads with little to no tournament history will meet up at the Huron Arena tonight when 13th-seeded Waverly-South Shore faces fourth-seeded Wessington Springs.

The Coyotes have never competed in a boys’ state basketball tournament in their history. South Shore has never been to a state tournament, while Waverly’s lone appearance on its own came almost 100 years ago in 1926. History could be made tonight should they pull off the win.

The Coyotes have won their last five games, including winning a rematch over Aberdeen Christian in the Region 1B tournament, to get to the SoDak 16.

The Spartans also have limited tournament history, qualifying for the Class B tournament in 1967, while their most recent appearance came in the 1994 Class A tournament. Wessington Springs has just one blemish on its record, losing to SoDak 16 qualifier Howard in the second game of the season back in mid-December.

Highmore-Harrold (13-9) vs. White River (20-2), 7 p.m. at Fort Pierre

Highmore-Harrold, the 16th-seed, will look to pull off an upset as it takes on top-seeded White River at Stanley County High School in Fort Pierre.

While the Pirates have had an up-and-down season, they found their stride at the proper time, defeating Ipswich and top-seeded Faulkton in the Region 6B tournament to earn a spot in the SoDak 16. Highmore-Harrold is led by seniors Trake Cowan and Carson Stephenson.

The Pirates will be tasked with stopping a White River squad that is looking to qualify for its 19th consecutive Class B state tournament. The Tigers have had another stellar season, with their two losses coming against Class A SoDak 16 qualifiers Rapid City Christian and Pine Ridge. White River is led by all-state guard Nic Marshall.

CLASS A

Dell Rapids (17-5) vs. Groton (18-4), 6 p.m. at Watertown

Two teams with recent state tournament appearances will clash in Watertown when eighth-seeded Groton takes on ninth-seeded Dell Rapids.

Groton ended a 21-year state tournament drought by qualifying for the Class A tournament in 2022. After losing in the SoDak 16 to Sioux Valley a year ago, the Tigers are looking to get back to the state tourney with a win tonight. Groton is led by senior guard Lane Tietz, but has plenty of firepower to go along with him, including fellow senior Jacob Zak and sophomores Keegan Tracy and Ryder Johnson.

The Tigers four losses all came against teams that qualified for the SoDak 16, including Hamlin, Pine Ridge, Dakota Valley, and Vermillion. Groton has won its last eight games, including a win over Dakota Valley late in the season.

Dell Rapids is looking to get back to the state tournament for the first time since 2021, and has proven in the second half of the season that they will be a tough out. After starting the season 4-4, the Quarriers have since won 13 of their last 14 contests, with the lone loss coming against Dakota Valley.

Dell Rapids will look to use size to its advantage as the Quarriers boast 6-foot-9 senior Rhett Kloth and 6-foot-10 junior Jack Kloth in the paint.

Hanson (14-8) vs. Hamlin (19-3), 7:30 p.m. at Madison

Second-seeded Hamlin will tangle with 15th-seeded Hanson in Madison on Tuesday to earn a trip to the Class A State Tournament.

Last season, the Chargers broke a 30-year drought, qualifying for the state tournament for the first time since 1993. This season, Hamlin has continued that success, losing just three contests, including a pair to top-seeded Sioux Falls Christian, and one to Cordova, Tenn. at the Hoop City Classic.

The Chargers have several sharp-shooters on the team, including senior Tyson Stevenson and junior Easton Neuendorf, and have outscored their opponents by nearly 30 points per game this season (29.8).

Hanson is no stranger to the Class A State Tournament, however, their lone appearance came nearly four decades ago when the Beavers took home the state title in 1986. The Beavers were also runner-up in the 1989 State B tourney. Hanson has had its struggles, but won seven of its last nine games en route to the SoDak 16. Hanson enters the contest averaging 58.1 points per game.

Milbank (17-5) vs. Rapid City Christian (19-3), 6 p.m. at Pierre

A pair of teams looking to end tournament droughts will square off in Pierre as 10th-seeded Milbank will take on seventh-seeded Rapid City Christian for a berth in the Class A State Tournament.

The Bulldogs are looking for their first appearance in the state tournament since winning the Class A title in 2005. Milbank has won its last nine games, a streak that began with a win over Aberdeen Roncalli on Feb. 2. The Bulldogs have a plethora of players that can score in double figures on any given night, including seniors Joe Schulte, Jaxson Wildung, and Garrett Mertens, as well as junior Graham Lightfield.

Rapid City Christian is looking for its first-ever appearance in the Class A tournament in school history. The Comets lone trip to a state tournament was in the Class B tournament in 2003, when they finished in eighth place. Like the Bulldogs, Rapid City Christian also has plenty of scoring power, including Simon Kieffer, Wilson Kieffer, and Julius Frog. The Comets three losses have come against other SoDak 16 teams in Pine Ridge, Sioux Valley, and Hot Springs.