Early Season Match-Ups: West River
Looking at West River GBB schedules, early games with season-changing implications pop out, especially for 2018-19 state qualifiers. Three teams from West River made the Class A tournament; but only one WR team qualified for the AA & B showcases. …
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Continue ReadingLooking at West River GBB schedules, early games with season-changing implications pop out, especially for 2018-19 state qualifiers.
Three teams from West River made the Class A tournament; but only one WR team qualified for the AA & B showcases. How determined are these five to get to the Big Dance again? How much gym time was clocked this summer? What is the team’s fitness level compared to rivals?
Winner begins their State Class A title defense with a weaker December ramp-up to a more rigorous January schedule. Winner won with good shooters, a deep bench & pesty defense, Seven senior leaders graduated. Can Morgan Hammerbeck, Bella Swedlund, Kalla Bertram, Kelsey Sachtjen, Ellie Brozik and Maggie LaCompte achieve another perfect season? Wagoner visits (12/13), and two road trips complete December: Burke (12/19) & Sully Buttes (12/21). Check out www.winnerwarriorslive,com for pressure run-n-gun BB entertainment.
White River went to 2019 State B, and came home with the 6th place trophy. The 2019 Class B Champion DeSmet Bulldogs had at least five girls in summer programs. On that basis alone, the talent/skill gap may not have shrunk. Caelyn Valandra-Prue needs teammates’ execution to draw away double team defenders. WR’s biggest test in December is the Lakota Nation Invitational December 18-to-21st, in Rapid City. 16 teams each play four games in four days; oh, boy, each needs discipline, stamina, and leadership. My 2020 picks in the LNI: White River, Red Cloud, Cheyenne/Eagle Butte, and Little Wound.
LAKOTA NATION INVITATIONAL Champs, 2018, Todd County,, with head coach Bob Boyd, Jr. Photo courtesy RC Journal
Todd County and St Thomas More battled for 5th place at State. Better defense forced 16 turn overs & TC won. Kelsie Herman (2020, 5’9″, 20-ppg) returns and should be an all-state star again, shooting treys, running the offense, and energizing the defense. TC competes in the LNI which predicts later season results so well. Coach Boyd’s sufficating nuisance defense should keep them in the LNI trophy hunt as well as headed to the State showdown.
STM returns everybody that played significant minutes, including all-state, now-junior Haleigh Timmer (2021, 5’10”, 21-ppg). Depth, scoring, and quality of play should improve with experience. Can the final game at State ‘A’ on Saturday be in the cards again for the six-time champs? Seven games at East River schools on four weekends always bring serious challenges but build confidence for March Madness. Check out the contest at Watertown on Dec 21st on NFHSnetwork.com. Merry Christmas !!
RC Stevens won the 2019 State AA Consolation Championship over pre-tournament favorite SF O’Gorman, This season opens with two consecutive weekend trips to the east: Yankton, then, Huron & Mitchell. While RCS returns USD commit Kyla Watson, the coaching change to Travis Swartz may not be smooth given persistent player transfer rumors. Super sophomores Bailee Sobczak and Jayda McNabb will mitigate talent drains.
Other WR teams in 2019-2020 with early contests to build momentum.
Belle Fourche‘s young squad plays an away game gantlet. Hill City and St Thomas More, back to back on opening weekend. Followed by Sturgis at home, then two games at Newcastle’s Stateline tournament Dec 20-21st. Five games. Team confidence is still fragile in December and team chemistry often a bubbly swirl.
Hill City visits New Underwood Dec 19th and STM on the 28th. These testy match-ups will feature Whitney Edwards, Hailey Wathen, Kayden Comer, and the Siemonsma sisters. Did they stay focused on BB skills all summer to handle these strong opponents? If Hill City GBB could measure up to the VB team energy and chemistry, then Hill City becomes a factor in the region. This program has flown under the radar recently, and could show up explosively this season. Watch for their help- defense to lead the way to success.
Faith fumbled in the SD Sixteen game versus Waverly/South Shore, spoiling a excellent 2019-19 regular-season record. Kaycee Groves (2022) should return her team to prominence, following an excellent summer season building skills against established AAU programs, in competitions from Chicago to Minneapolis.
Kadoka returnes All-Stater Lavin Bendt ( 5’9″ 2021 21-ppg 11-rpg) as the 2020 athletic highlight on a club that graduated five seniors.. Faith visits on 12/14 & the match-up between Lavin Bend vs Kaycee Groves is the best West River showdown of the first weekend. Philip comes acallin’ seven days later, for an intriguing contest. Philip has the Lutz gang (Dymond 2024 & Copper 2022), and a very athletic swarm of 2024’s & 2023’s – all gamers. More later..