Can Hamlin's girls take the final step or will someone else win the state A title?

After back-to-back runner-up finishes, No. 1-rated and top-seeded Hamlin appears ready to make another run at a state Class A girls basketball title.

For the second time in three years, the Chargers (22-0) will aim to take the final step close to home in the Watertown Civic Arena.

The tourney runs Thursday through Saturday. Hamlin's bid for a third state A title (the Chargers won in 1996 and 2005) opens at noon Thursday.

"That's just the thing and we talked about it all summer long, it's not easy to get back," said Hamlin head coach Tim Koisti after his team's SoDak 16 win last week over Milbank in the Civic Arena. "Even if you're favored, anything can go wrong so it's quite an accomplishment for them to get back here again. We're just going to try to have fun, do our best and whatever happens, happens."

The field also includes four other teams back from last year's state tourney: No. 2 seed Wagner, No. 3 Sioux Falls Christian, No. 4 Red Cloud and No. 5 Lakota Tech. Sisseton, a five-time state champion, is back for the first time since 2012.

Rapid City Christian is playing at state for only the second time and the first since it qualified for the State B tourney in 1996. Flandreau qualified for the 2020 state A tourney, but didn't get to play when it was called off because of COVID-19. The last time the Fliers actually played a game at state was 1997.

Class A

Thursday's Games: No. 8 Flandreau (19-4) vs. No. 1 Hamlin (22-0), noon; No. 5 Lakota Tech (19-4) vs. No. 4 Red Cloud (20-2), 1:45 p.m.; No. 2 Wagner (22-1) vs. No. 7 Rapid City Christian (19-4), 6 p.m.; and No. 3 Sioux Falls Christian (21-2) vs. No. 6 Sisseton (20-2), 7:45 p.m.

Friday's Games: Consolation semifinals at noon and 1:45 p.m.; semifinals at 6 and 7:45 p.m.

Saturday's Games: Seventh place, noon; fifth place, 1:45 p.m.; third place, 6 p.m.; and championship, 7:45 p.m.

Who's are the favorites?

It's hard to not pick Hamlin, which hasn't lost a game since losing to St. Thomas More in last year's state championship game. The Chargers face fellow Lake Central Conference Flandreau in the opener.

Hamlin did beat Flandreau 58-45 earlier in the season. The Fliers, however, lost 54-34 to St. Thomas More during the season before getting even with a 47-38 win last week in a SoDak 16 state-qualifying game.

Two other first-round games are regular-season rematches. Red Cloud defeated Lakota Tech twice and Sioux Falls Christian downed Sisseton 63-54.

Wagner, a one-point loss to Vermillion away from an unbeaten season, also is very formidable.

"It doesn't matter, 1 through 8 in the state state tournament especially in Class A, is really talented," said Koisti. "It's not going to get any easier."

Who are the players to watch?

Kami Wadsworth, Ally Abraham and Addie Neuendorf, Hamlin: Wadsworth, who has earned second and first-team All-State honors the past two years, and Abraham are 5-11 senior forward and cousins who have been key figures in Hamlin's ride the past three years. Wadsworth, a University of Sioux Falls recruit, is tough to handle inside and averages 22 points and 6.3 assists per game. Abraham adds 7.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.1 steals. Neuendorf, a 5-5 freshman guard, adds 11.8 points, 3.5 assists and 3.6 steals per game.

Ashlyn Koupal, Emma Yost and Shalayne Nagel, Wagner: Yost, a 5-11 senior forward who averages 15.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game is a two-time All-State selection. Koupal, a 6-2 freshmen guard-forward, has stepped up this year with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Nagel, a 5-11 senior guard, chips in with 11.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 4.1 steals per outing.

Ellie Lems, Sioux Falls Christian: The Chargers have a ton of state volleyball titles, but none in girls basketball. Lems, a 6-0 senior forward who is averaging 16.6 points and nearly 7 rebounds per game, and her teammates are looking to change that.

Ashlan Blount and Lolo Carlow, Red Cloud: Blount, a 5-10 freshman guard, leads the Crusaders with 15.6 points per game while adding 5 rebounds and 3.8 steals. Carlow, a 5-8 junior guard, scores 12.1 points per game.

Jodene Hunter and Tawny Rodriguez, Lakota Tech: The Tatanka are led by Hunter, a 5-6 sophomore guard who averages 15 points per game, and Rodriguez, a 5-9 senior forward who averages 11.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

Krista and Chloe Langager and Hannah Leverson, Sisseton: The Redmen feature twin towers inside with the Langager sisters and a good corps of perimeter players that includes Leverson. Krista, a 6-2 sophomore, leads the way with 15.8 points and 9 rebounds per game. Her sister Chloe, a 6-1 junior, adds 9.9 and 8.4. Leverson, who surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career this season, chips in with 11.5 points per game.

Olivia Kieffer and Alexa Ham, Rapid City Christian: The Comets can't be overlooked with Kieffer, a senior guard who has scored more than 2,400 career points, leading the way. She averages nearly 26 points per game to go along with seven rebounds and five steals. Ham, a senior center, adds 11.5 points and close to nine rebounds per game. Kieffer has earned Class A All-State second team honors each of the past two seasons.

Claire Sheppard, Lizzie Pavlis and Lily Klein, Flandreau: The trio lead the Fliers. Sheppard, a 6-2 junior guard, averages 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game; Pavlis, a 5-11 junior forward (11.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game) and Klein, a 5-11 junior guard (10.8 points and 6 rebounds per game). Sheppard is a two-time All-State honoree already.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on Twitter @PO_Sports.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Tourney runs Thursday through Saturday in the Watertown Civic Arena.