Can No. 1 Dakota Valley complete another perfect season in Class A?
Dakota Valley's quest to go 26-0 for the second-straight year and repeat as the state's Class A boys basketball champion continues Thursday in the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
The Panthers are the top seed in the tourney, which opens at noon Thursday and continues through the championship game at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday.
The eight-team field includes two-time defending state runner-up Sioux Valley as well as St. Thomas More and Sioux Christian teams that finished third and fifth, respectively, last March.
Sioux Falls Christian qualified for state for the eighth-straight year, St. Thomas More five and Dakota Valley and Sioux Valley each four. Hamlin is making its first appearance in 30 years (1993) and Elk Point-Jefferson (2010), Mount Vernon-Plankinton (2017) and Hot Springs (2019) also are back at state.
St. Thomas More has won four State A titles, Sioux Falls Christian two and Dakota one. Hamlin has two State B titles to its credit.
Tournament Pairings
All times are Central.
Thursday's Games: No. 1 Dakota Valley (23-0) vs. No. 8 Hot Springs (19-4), noon; No. 4 Sioux Valley (21-2) vs. No. 5 Hamlin (19-3), 1:45 p.m.; No. 2 St. Thomas More (20-2) vs. No. 7 Elk Point-Jefferson (17-5), 6 p.m.; and No. 3 Sioux Falls Christian (19-4) vs. No. 6 Mount Vernon-Plankinton, 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.; consolation championship, 1:45 p.m.; third place, 6 p.m.; and championship, 7:45 p.m.
Who are the tourney favorites?
Of the three South Dakota state boys basketball tournaments this week, this is the one with a clear favorite. That's not to say that a number of other teams aren't going to put up a fight, but rather it's a compliment to what Dakota Valley has accomplished these past two years.
Last March, the Panthers completed a 26-0 season with an 82-55 win over Sioux Valley in the championship. They followed with a 23-0 record this winter that included a Class A record-setting 50th consecutive win in the SoDak 16.
Dakota Valley has already recorded wins of 16 points or more against state-tourney entrants Sioux Valley, Sioux Falls Christian and Elk Point-Jefferson.
Favored or not, the Panthers will have to play well to repeat.
"It's going to be a loaded State A tournament," said Sioux Valley head coach Bill Vincent. "Dakota Valley is the favorite and Sioux Falls Christian is right there along with St. Thomas More, Hamlin and others."
Two of Thursday's first-round games are season rematches. Sioux Valley edged Hamlin 69-65 in a battle of Lake Central Conference foes in early January and St. Thomas More topped Elk Point-Jefferson 68-57 in the Dakota Wesleyan University Culver's Classic.
Who are the players to watch?
Isaac Bruns, Randy Rosenquist and Jaxson Wingert, Dakota Valley: Bruns, who will join his older brother and former Dakota Valley teammate Paul at the University of South Dakota next winter, is 6-4 senior and two-time All-State first team selection who is averaging 26.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He has scored 2,236 career points. Rosenquist, a 6-1 senior and returning All-State first team honoree, contributes 13.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 3.5 steals per game. Wingertm, a 6-7 junior, adds 15.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
Caleb Hollenbeck, St. Thomas More: The son of head coach Dave Hollenbeck, who has led the Cavaliers to four state titles, is a 6-3 senior who is scoring 25 points per game. He sat out the team's SoDak 16 win over McLaughlin but is expected to be ready for state. He earned All-State second team honors last winter.
Ethan Bruns, Britton Mulder and Cole Snyder, Sioux Falls Christian: Bruns, a 6-6 senior who earned second team All-State honors as a junior, leads the Chargers with 17 points and seven rebounds per game. Sophomores Mulder and Snyder each average 12 points per game.
Oliver Vincent, Alec Squires, Hudsyn Ruesink and Patrick Carey, Sioux Valley: Vincent, a 6-1 senior and two-time Class A All-State first teamer, leads the high-scoring Cossacks (74 points per game) with 20 points and 6.5 assists per game. Squires, a 6-10 junior, adds 15 points and 11 rebounds per game; Carey, a 6-0 senior, 14 points pear game, and Ruesink, a 6-3 junior, nine points and 8.5 rebounds per outing.
Tyson Stevenson, Easton Neuendorf and Brennan Keszler, Hamlin: The Chargers' first trip to state in 30 years has been spearhead by Stevenson, a 6-2 junior who averages 14.6 points per game; Neuendorf, a 5-11 sophomore who averaged 13 points and 5.2 assists per game; and Keszler, a 6-1 senior who averages 11.5 points per game.
Reed Rus, Jordan Stoltz, Zach Baker and Mason Hetland, Mount Vernon-Plankinton: Rus, a second-team Class A All-State honoree last winter, is a 6-4 senior leader for the Titans with 18.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, 7.6 steals and 8.3 assist per game. He is the school's all-time career leader in all four of those categories including points (1,586). Stoltz, a 6-7 senior (12.4 points per game and 74 blocks); Zach Baker, a 5-10 junior (12.3 points per game) and Mason Hetland , a 6-2 senior (11.7 points per game) also have scoring averages in doubles figures.
Easton Kempf, Jakob Scarmon and Chace and Evan Fornia, Elk Point-Jefferson: The Huskies won their first state Class 11B football championship in the fall and are now getting to compete for a state boys basketball title. Kemp, a 6-5 senior, averages 14 points per game; Scarmon, a 6-1 senior, 9.9. The Fornia brothers (6-4 senior Chace and 6-5 junior Evan) combine for nearly 17 points per game.
Josh Kleinsasser and Matt Close, Hot Springs: The two junior guards lead the Bison with 14.2 and 11.4 points per game, respectively.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on Twitter @PO_Sports.
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Top-seeded and top-rated Panthers have a 50-game winning streak.
