South Dakota Class B State Championship: #1 Ethan vs #2 De Smet
Ever heard of this skinny white dude from Indiana? From a small town named French Lick. In an old barn used as a gym. Where he worked on his game and put an entire state on his back. Who went…
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Continue ReadingEver heard of this skinny white dude from Indiana? From a small town named French Lick. In an old barn used as a gym. Where he worked on his game and put an entire state on his back. Who went on to become one of the greatest players in history. I’m not saying one of these girls will be one of the greatest players ever, but they for sure put their entire town on their backs. In a small gym, not quite a barn, but small. These young ladies worked on their craft all off-season, all pre-season and then some more during the season.
#1 vs #2 for all the marbles. Ethan comes in as the number one ranked team without any blemishes. De Smet isn’t too far behind with only two losses on the season. First thing I noticed was Rynn Osthus of De Smet’s jump shot. Its awkward but effective. De Smet came out the gate firing. This was something Ethan wasn’t accustomed to. They haven’t been down too much during the regular season. Kristen Poppen, a 6’0 senior post, started off with a pair of jump hooks down the lane. She followed up her offensive performance with solid defense. Karly Gustafson had been in check for all the first quarter. De Smet led 15-9 at the end of the first. KG’s first bucket would not come until the second quarter. Ethan sprinted down into a 2-3 defense. De Smet used some good high-low action to score between the gaps. You can’t say the same for Ethan as it was really hard to get KG the ball. De Smet fronted her and had help on the backside.
A flex screen went wrong for KG but she ended up with the ball. Left wing, hard drive and goes by two defenders to finish with a scoop layup. 30-26 De Smet is up. Next possession was an underneath out of bounds play for Osthus. She found her way to the top of the key and knocks down a three. There’s that awkward release again. Ethan comes back with another quick basket. 35-28 De Smet.
Fourth quarter is when things started to rev up. Right out the gate Autumn Wilkerson nailed another 3! I looked over at Coach Osthus, he’s biting that famous white towel he has. His Lady Bulldogs are starting to milk the clock. Scramble mode for Ethan for sure. What are the Rustlers going to do? Tick Tick! De Smet is moved the ball around till late in the shot clock. Raegan Burke hoisted up another 3, money! Ethan answered with a two-point bucket of their own. De Smet came down and what do you know, another three from Osthus. The crowd goes wild! 44-33 De Smet. Ethan’s sense of urgency was not what I expected. They are still in a 2-3 zone and De Smet was taking their time. Shot went up, over the back call for Ethan. That was an extra possession for De Smet.
Ethan finally got up some shots, actually they were really good looks. However, nothing was falling. Ethan was able to keep the possessions alive with offensive rebounds. Time check 1:11 left in the fourth 46-37 De Smet. Now it was time to play the foul game. Subs at the table indicate that it was time for the senior to come out. Rynn Osthus walks off to the sideline, gives dad/coach a big hug. 3….2….1
And your Class B State Champions are The Lady Bulldogs of De Smet