De Smet center Damon Wilkinson scores 27 in 63-49 win over White River

White River fans react to a buzzer-beater shot at halftime in the team's game against De Smet on Saturday, January 22, 2022, in the Hanson Classic at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.
White River fans react to a buzzer-beater shot at halftime in the team's game against De Smet on Saturday, January 22, 2022, in the Hanson Classic at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

By the time De Smet forward Damon Wilkinson secured the offensive rebound off guard Kalen Garry's miss, he had already missed a few near the rim. But this early in the second quarter was a sure thing. Wilkinson reached his arms as high as he could, leaped and pulled down on the rim for a dunk that awakened the Bulldogs.

He turned and screamed, and the momentum that was back-and-forth tipped toward De Smet. The Bulldogs (11-1) topped White River (7-2) 63-49 Saturday in the Hanson boys basketball Classic at the Corn Palace behind 27 points by Wilkinson. He said he feels he's hitting his stride of late, and it's coming at a huge time for De Smet, who maintain their No. 1 ranking with a dominant win over the No. 2 team in Class B.

White River's Kendrell Cuevas keeps the ball away from De Smet players on Saturday, January 22, 2022, in the Hanson Classic at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.
White River's Kendrell Cuevas keeps the ball away from De Smet players on Saturday, January 22, 2022, in the Hanson Classic at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

"I can't do it without my team," Wilkinson said. "They're the ones feeding me the ball."

In a game bound to bring explosion, White River had the first explosive play. Tigers guard Joe Sayler, one of the best dunkers in South Dakota, cut along the baseline and slammed a dunk in with two hands, tying the game at nine and awakening the crowd on both sides.

From there, it looked like it would be a back-and-forth. Kalen Garry (24 points) scored an and-1. Sayler responded with a 3. But after the first quarter ended tied 14, White River's shots stopped falling. Sayler (30 points) misfired on several occasions and the Tigers struggled to find any room to score.

De Smet's Damon Wilkinson dunks the basketball during a game against White River on Saturday, January 22, 2022, in the Hanson Classic at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.
De Smet's Damon Wilkinson dunks the basketball during a game against White River on Saturday, January 22, 2022, in the Hanson Classic at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

De Smet did on occasion and drew multiple fouls, but even then, the Bulldogs kept missing free throw after free throw. The game was in a stalemate. That wouldn't last long.

After Wilkinson's dunk, De Smet was alive. Garry was alive, too, sidestepping into a 3 on the Bulldogs second-to-last possession when it seemed like they had all the momentum up 25-20.

But the very next possession, Sayler took a steal, and with time running out threw up a long 3. It fell. White River exploded. The arena exploded. Both teams were into the game.

"You just never know when you've got to guard those guys," De Smet head coach Jeff Gruenhagen said.

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But to gain back control, De Smet once again looked inside. Wilkinson said De Smet runs an offense that tries to get one paint touch per possession, and Wilkinson found room with ease.

"I got Rett (Osthus), Kalen (Garry), Tory (Holland) and Blake (Van Regenmorter) on my team," Wilkinson said.

He missed some early — a "mental thing" he said, which the dunk made easier — but started shot-faking and taking easier shots down the stretch.

De Smet's Tory Holland throws a pass to a teammate on Saturday, January 22, 2022, in the Hanson Classic at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.
De Smet's Tory Holland throws a pass to a teammate on Saturday, January 22, 2022, in the Hanson Classic at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

Late in the game, he got his easiest shot. With a few minutes to go in the third quarter, he ran out in front of the defense, recieved a pass and let the ball bounce in front of him. He took one dribble and rose, pulling the rim down with him on another dunk.

He would score more after that, the game was far from over. But De Smet was running away with it, and another Wilkinson dunk gave them the boost.

Follow Sioux Falls Argus Leader reporter Michael McCleary on Twitter @mikejmccleary.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: De Smet center Damon Wilkinson scores 27 in win over White River