WARNER – This group of Warner girls is no stranger to state volleyball tournaments, and will now get to experience playing in a state basketball tournament this weekend.

After a win over Herreid-Selby Area in the SoDak 16, the Monarchs will be competing in the Class B Girls’ State Basketball Tournament for the first time since 2019.

Coach Tina Winter said the school and community are excited for this opportunity.

“State tournaments around here are kind of a big deal,” Winter said. “Everyone gets involved and everyone’s moods are a little bit lighter and a little bit happier, so it’s been fun.”

Warner enters the tournament as the sixth seed and will take on third-seeded Centerville in the final game of the opening round tonight at 7:45 p.m. (MST)/8:45 p.m. (CST).

Winter said both teams match up well on the court.

“From what we’ve seen, they play kind of a very similar style as we do,” Winter said. “It’s a little bit more fast-paced and kind of a little bit more get up the floor and go, so it’ll be a fun game for sure. It’ll be interesting because we haven’t really played a team like them either.”

While it’s the first girls’ basketball tournament appearance in five years for the Monarchs, the players are used to the bright lights of a state tournament. Warner has competed in numerous state volleyball tournaments through the years, playing in the past four Class B state championship matches.

Winter said while it is a new experience for her personally, the players have had a variety of feelings as they prepare for the tournament.

“They all kind of already know what they are doing and I’m trying to figure it out, so it’s been fun,” Winter said. “It’s something familiar and comfortable with them, but at the same time it’s new too, so it’s exciting.”

The Monarchs feature a balanced scoring attack with just one person in double figures. Kyra Marcuson leads the squad with an average of 14.1 points per game. Reserve Stacia Carda gets 8.4 points per game, followed by Ava Nilsson at 7.9, Lauren Marcuson at 7.3, and Kyleigh Schopp at 6.5. Nilsson leads the squads in rebounds, assists and steals.

Winter feels the tournament field features several quality teams which will make for a competitive weekend.

“Honestly, if I were to pick the teams that I thought were going to be there at the end, I was probably about half right,” Winter said. “A lot of teams that have been good and just haven’t been able to make it the last couple of years, so it’ll be a competitive tournament.”

No matter how the tourney plays out, Winter said for the Monarchs to make a run at the state title, they will need to play together and encourage each other every step of the way.

“It’s been a long fall into a long winter for them and they’ve managed to stay together as a group when they needed to, so I’m just counting on the closeness they have as a team to get them through here,” Winter said. “The athletic ability of our kids speaks for themselves, so skill-wise I’m not concerned at all, but it’s going to be that ability to lift each other up in an environment that’s not familiar for some of them.”