CLASS B

The 2023 Class B state tournament is set and it's going to be crazy. Last season the #8 seed ran the table to take home the championship. Several coaches told me the same could happen this year. Much of the season it's been Viborg-Hurley at the top of the poll but it is Wolsey-Wessington that has earned the top seed. Ethan has surprised several by having an outstanding year. The rest of the teams are hungry to prove that they're playing their best down the stretch. Here are team capsules and go to the end of the article for individual leaders in the state tournament. 

Wolsey-Wessington

Seed:1

Record: 21-2

Big Wins: Miller, JVC, Jones County, Sully Buttes

Tough Losses:Viborg-Hurley, Lakota Tech

Coach:Josh McGillvrey

Leaders:

Mallory Miller, 17.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.2 bpg

Leah Williams, 16.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg

Mya Boomsma, 13.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.4 apg

Tournament Outlook:

Wolsey-Wessington has never been to a state tournament since they consolidated. This season they earned a top seed with just one loss in the class. They feature the top post player in the state, Mallory Miller (6’4”) who committed to Arizona State University. But they have three stars and a great team of role players who make them the team to beat. Leah Williams and Mya Boomsma high percentage scorers who can take over games as well. 

Quarterfinal Opponent: 

Jones County Noon; Defeated Jones County 55-49 on 2/11

 

Ethan

Seed:2

Record: 20-2

Big Wins: AC/DC, Corsica-Stickney, JVC, Howard, MVP

Tough Losses: Hanson, Wagner

Coach:Tom Young

Leaders:

Ava Lingemann 19.6 ppg, 5.9 apg, 2.5 spg, 44.7 3FG%

Marissa Storm 12.0 ppg, 3.2 apg

Maddy Bartscher 9.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 41 3FG%

Elle Pollreisz 5.2 ppg, 2.9 apg

Tournament Outlook: 

I don’t think many if anyone thought that Ethan could earn the #2 seed in the state tournament this year.  “I have really enjoyed coaching this group as most people’s expectation for us was right around .500,” said Coach Young. The Rustlers are riding a 15-game winning streak. Ethan has been one of the most consistent teams in Class B since Tom Young took over. They’ve made state 8 of the last 9 seasons. This is an undersized team but they can get hot and are always solid on defense. Almost all their shots are assisted and they are sharp from distance. They have almost as many 3’s (212) as they do 2’s (215). Juniors Ava Lingemann, and Maddy Bartscher are two of their top threats, in fact their top four scorers are all underclassmen. Marissa Storm has been a pleasant surprise as a freshman. “Our girls compete very hard and have great chemistry and play their roles well,” said Coach Tom Young.

Quarterfinal Opponent: 

Castlewood 

Viborg-Hurley

Seed:3

Record: 20-3

Big Wins: Wall, Wolsey-Wessington, Centerville, Howard, Lyman

Tough Losses:Campbell County (WY), Wagner, Hamlin

Coach:Molly Mason

Leaders:

Coral Mason18.3 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 3.7 apg

Denae Mach15.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.4 apg

Estelle Lee 9.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.5 apg

Charley Nelson 6.7 ppg, 46% 3FG

Shelby Lyons 5.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg

Tournament Outlook:

Still haven’t lost to a Class B team since last season Jan 31, 2022. They came into the tournament last year as the 8 seed and won three in a row to take home the title. This season despite being ranked #1 in the media poll they come in as the three seed. “We are fortunate enough to be back to the B's for our 3rd straight year,” said Coach Molly Mason. “Being confident with yourself and teammates will be huge!” Coral Mason and Denae Mach get a lot of the headlines, but this team can come at you with several different weapons. 

Quarterfinal Opponent:

Howard 7:45 PM, defeated Howard 47-39 on 2/17

 

Sully Buttes

Seed:4

Record: 20-3

Big Wins: Jones County, Warner, Lyman

Tough Losses: Miller, Timber Lake, Wolsey-Wessington

Coach: Susie Rilling

Leaders:

Lydia Hill, 16.1 ppg, 9.8 rpg, .529 FG%

Stevie Wittler, 14.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.4 apg

Allyson Wittler, 7.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.7 apg

Addison Chicoine, 5.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg

Calleigh Chicoine, 5.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg

Tournament Outlook:

Sully Buttes had a long history of great girls basketball under Mark Senftner who passed away recently. Susie Rilling has picked up and brought this squad to the state tournament in that same spirit. “We have improved on our defense,” said Coach Rilling. “We have worked hard all season to get where we are now. We are peaking at the right time of the season.” The 6-footer Lydia Hill has had an outstanding senior year. She nearly averages a double-double. 

Quarterfinal Opponent: 

Wall 1:45 PM

 

Wall

Seed:5

Record: 18-5

Big Wins: Jones County, Dell Rapids St. Mary, Lyman, Warner

Tough Losses:Lakota Tech, Custer, Belle Fourche, Viborg-Hurley, Custer

Coach:John Hess

Leaders:

Paige Kjerstad 17.9 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 1.8 apg

Nora Dinger 13.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.0 apg

Rhea Tucker 10.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.9 spg

Alexis Stephan 6.1 ppg

April Schultz 5.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg

Tournament Outlook:

This team loaded up on games in December and worked through a lot. They started the season 3-4, since then are 15-1. Their record is a bit deceiving because they’ve lost just one game in class. Juniors Paige Kjerstad and Nora Dinger have been outstanding. Dinger eclipsed her assistant coach for the all-time assist mark at Wall this season. Kjerstad leads the team in points, rebounds and field goal percentage. 

Quarterfinal Opponent: 

Sully Buttes 1:45PM

 

Howard

Seed:6

Record: 19-4

Big Wins: Arlington, Lyman, Jones County, DR St. Mary

Tough Losses:Dell Rapids St. Mary, De Smet, Ethan, Viborg-Hurley

Coach:Wade Erickson

Leaders:

Abby Aslesen, 16.0 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.0 apg

Kate Conner 14.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 51.6 FG%

Rylee Rudebusch 5.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg

Trinity Palmquist 5.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg

Tournament Outlook: 

Howard returned all five starters from last year and were committed to getting to the state tournament this season. “This is an extremely unselfish group, the only stat they care about is the final score and when you have that mentality, any one of them can step up and have a big night and carry the team if needed,” said Coach Wade Erickson. The Tigers are a tough team especially on the inside with a team full of great rebounders. They played Viborg-Hurley just a couple weeks ago and hung with the Cougars early in the game. They have the talent but will need to execute to get past the quarterfinal round. 

Quarterfinal Opponent: 

Viborg-Hurley 7:45 PM, Lost to Viborg-Hurley 47-39 on 2/17

 

Castlewood

Seed:7

Record: 16-7

Big Wins: Arlington, Pipestone (MN), Flandreau

Tough Losses:Arlington, Sisseton, Hanson, Dell Rapids St. Mary, Hamlin, Florence/Henry, Sioux Valley

Coach:Tyler Snaza

Leaders:

Mackenzie Everson 16.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 4.0 apg

Madeline Horn 15.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.0 apg

Presley Knecht 8.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg

Tournament Outlook:

After a tough start to the year including trying to find practice time because of the destruction to the town due to a tornado. They also made the state volleyball tournament so they had just a day off before hitting the basketball court. After a 5-4 start to the year they have found their groove going 11-2 down the stretch. “We have battled through multiple injuries and have only recently started playing at full health. Several girls have stepped up and filled new roles, and through all these challenges, we have become a more confident and capable team,” said Coach Snaza. 

Quarterfinal Opponent:  Ethan

 

Jones County

Seed:8

Record: 18-4

Big Wins: Leola/Frederick, Lyman, Centerville

Tough Losses: Wall, Sully Buttes, Howard, Wolsey-Wessington

Coach:Scott Matthews

Leaders:

Mallory Valburg 19.2 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 3.2 spg

Jadyn Jensen 17.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.8 apg

Jolie Dugan 4.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.4 apg

Tournament Outlook:

All their losses came to state tournament teams this season. They’ve yet to get a win against a state tourney team. However they get another shot at Wolsey-Wessington a team they played very tough. Mallory Valburg had a big game against them and will be very important on Thursday as well. The Coyotes are very reliant on Valburg and Jensen to get the scoring done but have a great supporting cast of role players who know their jobs. 

Quarterfinal Opponent: Wolsey-Wessington Noon

 

Class B State Tournament Leaders

PPG 

Ava Lingemann, Ethan19.6

Mallory Valburg, Jones County19.2

Coral Mason, Viborg-Hurley18.3

Paige Kjerstad, Wall17.9

Mallory Miller, Wolsey-Wessington17.5

Jadyn Jensen, Jones County17.3

Denae Mach, Viborg-Hurley16.5

Leah Williams, Wolsey-Wessington16.5

Lydia Hill, Sully Buttes16.1

Mackenzie Everson, Castlewood16.0

Abby Aslesen, Howard16.0

 

RPG 

Paige Kjerstad, Wall 12.4

Mallory Valburg, Jones County 11.6

Lydia Hill, Sully Buttes 9.8

Abby Aslesen, Howard 9.8

Coral Mason, Viborg-Hurley 9.6

Leah Williams, Wolsey-Wessington 8.7

Rhea Tucker, Wall 7.6

Madeline Horn, Castlewood 7.3

Kate Conner, Howard 6.9

Mackenzie Everson, Castlewood 6.7

 

APG 

Ava Lingemann, Ethan  5.9

Nora Dinger, Wall  5.0

Mackenzie Everson, Castlewood  4.0

Trinity Palmquist, Howard  3.7

Coral Mason, Viborg-Hurley  3.7

Stevie Wittler, Sully Buttes  3.4

Marissa Storm, Ethan  3.2

Madeline Horn, Castlewood  3.0

Elle Pollreisz, Ethan  2.9

Mallory Miller, Wolsey-Wessington  2.7

Allyson Wittler, Sully Buttes  2.7

 

BPG

Mallory Miller, Wolsey-Wessington    2.2

Coral Mason, Viborg-Hurley    1.4

Abby Aslesen, Howard    0.9

Kate Connor, Howard    0.8

Denae Mach, Viborg-Hurley    0.8

April Schultz, Wall    0.7

Mallory Valburg, Jones County    0.7

Madleine Horn, Castlewood    0.6

Mackenzie Everson, Castlewood    0.5

 

SPG 

Coral Mason, Viborg-Hurley    3.5

Mackenzie Everson, Castlewood    3.3

Mallory Valburg, Jones County    3.2

Rhea Tucker, Wall    2.9

Marissa Storm, Ethan    2.6

Ava Lingemann, Ethan    2.5

Leah Williams, Wolsey-Wessington    2.5

Paige Kjerstad, Wall    2.3

Nora Dinger, Wall    2.2

Mallory Miller, Wolsey-Wessington    2.2

 

FG% 

Lydia Hill, Sully Buttes    .529

Kate Connor, Howard    .516

Mya Boomsma, Wolsey-Wessington    .513

Paige Kjerstad, Wall    .511

Coral Mason, Viborg-Hurley    .499

Leah Williams, Wolsey-Wessington    .487

Mackenzie Everson, Castlewood    .477

Addison Chicoine, Sully Buttes    .462

Taylor Horn, Wolsey-Wessington    .455

Elle Pollreisz, Ethan    .455

 

3FG% (min. 18 3FG)

Charley Nelson, Viborg-Hurley    .456

Ava Lingemann, Ethan    .447

Maddy Bartscher, Ethan    .410

Leah Williams, Wolsey-Wessington    .389

Lydnsey Archer, Castlewood    .378

Gracie Haug, Castlewood    .355

Jadyn Jensen, Jones County    .352

Marissa Storm, Ethan     .350

Denae Mach, Viborg-Hurley    .338

Mya Boomsma, Wolsey-Wessington    .333