Hamlin's girls take final step, win Class A championship thriller over Wagner

There's just no way you could have figured out a way to write the story about Hamlin High School's girls basketball team these last three years.

A combined 70-6 record and three trips to the state Class A championship game. Plenty of reasons to celebrate and a few moments of extreme disappointment.

That's all for naught now after the top-seeded and top-ranked Chargers completed a perfect 25-0 season with an exciting 58-55 win over second-seeded Wagner (24-2) in the title game Saturday night in the Watertown Civic Arena.

"Absolutely the heartbreak of losing in the championship these last two years makes this that much more amazing," said head coach Tim Koisti, a Hamlin native who has served as the school's head girls basketball coach the past 14 seasons.

A championship game to remember

It'd be easy to make the argument that all championship games are memorable, especially to the teams that won. But this game had everything you wanted and not only because it matched the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the tourney. And yes, they were very evenly matched.

For a game that felt like a close battle throughout, it featured a number of runs. It started with a 14-1 run that gave Wagner a 20-11 lead late in the first quarter. Hamlin countered with an 18-2 spurt to lead 29-22, but Wagner closed the half on an 11-5 run that made trimmed Hamlin's lead to 34-33 at halftime.

Hamlin scored 12 of the first 16 points of the second half to go up by nine, but Wagner scored the final six points of the third period to get back within three and set the stage for a final quarter that was close from start to finish.

It was the comeback from the early 20-11 deficit that huge for a Hamlin team that couldn't overcame fast starts by Aberdeen Roncalli (2021) and St. Thomas More (2022) in the last two state title games.

"We knew they would come out strong. They usually start well and get a big lead," said Hamlin freshman Addie Neuendorf. "We had to stay composed. We did and it worked."

Number do sometimes lie, and yes Hamlin won with defense

It's hard to believe that Wagner shot 57 percent (24 of 42) from the field and scored the most points (55) that Hamlin had allowed in a game all season and still lost. The Chargers entered the state tourney allowing fewer than 32 points per game.

The Red Raiders had their way with Hamlin's defense early in the game.

"We had a defensive game plan, but it was a bad one," said Koisti. "We started out trying to do something different and doubling from a different spot. That was my fault and that's on me. Once we figured out that wasn't going to work, we just went back to our regular defense. I should have just believed in my kids right away, but they really played their tails off after that."

Wagner has plenty of firepower and proved it with 14 points from 6-2 freshman standout Ashlyn Koupal, 13 from 5-11 senior Emma Yost, 10 from senior Shalayne Nagel, nine from sophomore guard Lydia Yost and seven from senior Macy Koupal.

Wagner stayed close and had a handful of chances to take the lead in the fourth quarter, but found the going hard thanks to Kami Wadsworth's defensive work on Ashlyn Koupal and Neuendorf's work on Macy Koupal. Ashlyn scored only four points and Macy none in the second half.

"We stayed composed after their fast start," said Wadsworth. "They run and we knew we had to control that and also control a couple of their scorers. It came down to who wanted to defend better and we defended better."

Hamlin's offense shows plenty of balance

Wadsworth led the Chargers with 17 points and seven rebounds, but it took key contributions her her cousin Ally Abraham (12 points, six rebounds) and Brooklyn Brandriet (four 3-pointers, 14 points). All three are seniors. Junior Marissa Bawdon added eight points and Neuendorf seven.

Hamlin made 20 of 48 field-goal attempts for 42 percent. The Chargers sank eight 3-pointers compared to five for Wagner and also went 10-for-12 from the foul line. Wagner was 2-for-3.

The Red Raiders never led in the final quarter but stayed close. After Wadsworth hit two free throws with 55 seconds left to put Hamlin ahead 56-52, Emma Yost made one of two free throws with 42 seconds left on a play that fouled out Abraham, who injured her knee on the play. Nagel's field goal with 13.2 seconds cut the lead to 56-55.

After Wadsworth hit two more free throws with 12.6 seconds left, Wagner called time with 8.5 seconds on the clock. Yost's desperation 3 at the buzzer was off the mark.

The title was the third for Hamlin and the first since 2005 (also in the Civic Arena). The first title came in 1996 when Ally Abraham's mom Tara Wadsworth and cousins Jill and Lori beat Wagner for the state title. Tara went on to play at South Dakota State.

"I would love to have the last two years back, but it just prepared us for this moment," said Abraham, who didn't return to the game after her knee injury. "We learned so much from those losses and it added to the fire for us to get back to this moment. This is awesome to win one and my mom also happened to beat Wagner at state. Talk about full circle."

All-Tournament Team

Six players in the championship game (Wadsworth, Brandriet and Neuendorf of Hamlin and Emma Yost and the Koupal sisters of Wagner) made the South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association's all-tourney team along with Krista Langager and Emmalee Nielsen of Sisseton, Ashlan Blount of Red Cloud, Ellie Lems of Sioux Falls Christian, Claire Sheppard of Flandreau and Olivia Kieffer of Rapid City Christian. Kieffer also won the Spirit of Su Award and Sisseton's cheerleaders the Spirit of Six Award.

Other Saturday Games

Third Place (Sisseton 55, Red Cloud 47): Sisseton, a team with no seniors, capped a 22-3 season and its first state-tournament appearance in 11 years with the win in the third-place game.

"It was a very good season. We're just so excited and overwhelmed," said Sisseton head coach Sara Lincoln. "We're glad it's over with now and we're ready for a little break."

The big key for the Redmen was 6-foot-2 sophomore center Krista Langager, who secured a berth on the all-tournament team with a 27-point, 12-rebound performance.

Hannah Leverson added nine points, all-tourney selection Emmalee Nielsen eight points and Chloe Langager six points and eight rebounds.

The Redmen overcame 17 turnovers by shooting 46 percent (23 of 50) from the field and owned the boards 38-27.

"We just told the girls we needed to take care of the ball, look for the open girls, keep moving and play as a team," said Lincoln.

Red Cloud (21-4) received 18 points from Maikole Carlow, who buried five 3-pointer. Ashlan Blount, an all-tourney selection, added 11 points and Lolo Carlow nine. The Crusaders shot only 31 percent (18 of 59) from the field.

Fifth Place (Sioux Falls Christian 46, Flandreau 43, OT): Jaxsyn Swift's two free throws late in overtime sealed the win for SFC (23-3), which held on for a late 3-point attempt by Flandreau was off the mark. Ellie Lems scored 19 points and Brenna Beyke 10 for the Chargers. Peyton Poppema pulled down nine rebounds.

Lizzie Pavlis scored 13 points, Claire Sheppard and Sadie Iott 10 apiece and Lily Klein eight for the Fliers (20-6). Sheppard grabbed eight rebounds and Pavlis seven.

Seventh Place (Rapid City Christian 66, Lakota Tech 53): Olivia Kieffer's 33 points and seven rebounds led Rapid City Christian (20-6). Hayden Thornton added 18. Jodene Hunter tallied 16 points, Tawny Rodriguez 14 points and 11 rebounds and Melina Shangreaux 11 points and seven rebounds for Lakota Tech (19-7).

Friday's Games

It only seems fitting that unbeaten and top-seeded Hamlin's quest for another state Class A girls basketball championship is going to come down to a meeting with second-seeded Wagner.

After back-to-back runner-up finishes, Hamlin returned to the state championship by posting a 57-35 semifinal win over fourth-seeded Red Cloud Friday night in the Watertown Civic Arena. Wagner followed with a 63-45 victory over sixth-seeded Sisseton.

Here's some takeaways from the two semifinal games:

Hamlin has more than just an inside game

Five-foot-11 seniors Kami Wadsworth and her cousin Ally Abraham have been key figures in this outstanding three-year run by Hamlin. Kami leads the team in scoring and Ally does a little of everything and plays so well with her cousin.

On Friday, Kami did her thing with 23 points and Ally added six points, five assists and four rebounds. The key for the Chargers, however, may have been the defensive work that Hamlin's guards Addison Neuendorf, Brooklyn Brandriet and Marissa Bawdon did on Red Cloud's trio of backcourt cousins (Ashlan Blount and Lolo and Maikole Carlow).

The three players combined for 52 points Red Cloud's first-round win and brought a combined 37 points-per-game average into the state tourney. They were held to 23 total on Friday and 10 of those came in the final minutes with Hamlin in full control.

"You have to credit our guards (Addie, Brooklyn and Marissa) for the job they did tonight," admitted Hamlin head coach Tim Koisti. "The Red Cloud guards are good, they're quick and they move off the ball well but our three guards just did a super job of fighting through screens, keeping them in front of them and making them take tough shots."

Defense is the key part of the game for Brandriet, save for what seems to be some timely 3-point shots. Her task Friday was guarding Red Cloud's Lolo Carlow, who scored nine points after getting 23 on Thursday.

"Our plan was for Addie and Marissa to face guard their two scorers and I would just keep No. 2 (Lolo Carlow) in front of me. She's very quick and it was a hard job but I did it," said Brandriet, the third senior on Hamlin's team. "That's kind of what they expect me to do. My offense isn't always there, but I always bring my defense."

Blount finished with 14 points to lead Red Cloud (21-3). Maikole Carlow was held scoreless after hitting 21 on Thursday.

Hamlin's stays the course after Red Cloud's fast start

Red Cloud, which also got eight points from Kennedy Fredia, got off to a good start. The Crusaders led 8-2 early and 15-13 after one quarter.

The Chargers clamped down and took over with a 19-4 surge in the second quarter that pretty much decided things.

"We're not usually behind, but even if we are, we stay composed," said Brandriet.

Neuendorf added 13 points and five rebounds, Bawdon nine points and Brandriet six points for the the Chargers, who shot 56 percent (20 of 36) from the field. Red Cloud shot 40 percent (14 of 35) from the field.

"It's a total team effort and that's the way it's been all year. They don't care who scores or who get the stats," said Koisti, whose team is one game away from a perfect season and a celebration it didn't get to experience the last two seasons. "Hopefully the third time is the charm for us. We're going to be tired and they're going to be tired. We just have to go out and play and whatever happens, happens."

Wagner also has an inside game and used it

Now strong inside play also obviously has been a factor in the great season for head coach Mike Koupal's Wagner team. The lineup features 6-2 freshman Ashlyn Koupal and 5-11 seniors Emma Yost and Shalayne Nagel. Koupal and Nagel might be considered more perimeter players who can still go inside.

So facing a Sisseton team that features the Langager sisters (6-2 sophomore Krista and 6-1 junior Chloe), what did Wagner do? The Red Raiders attacked inside from the start, mainly with Yost and took control of the game early.

Yost scored eight points and junior guard Macy Koupal six to propel the Red Raiders to a 16-4 first-quarter lead.

"They're 6-1 and 6-2, but we've been sticking to our game plan all year so we figured why change now," said Yost, who had 12 points and seven rebounds (five offensive) in the first half.

The Koupal sisters, daughters of the head coach, took over after that. Ashlyn finished with 27 points and six rebounds and Macy 17 and nine. Yost added 14 and 11 and even survived a scare with a twisted ankle late that caused some concern for the Red Raider faithful.

"It hurts, but I'll be good by tomorrow," said Yost. "We'll get it heeled up in time for the big game."

Sisseton put up a fight, but couldn't recover

The early hole proved daunting for head coach Sara Lincoln's Redmen (21-3), who made a number of runs in the second half but never got closer than eight points.

Chloe Langager scored 12 points, Krista Langager and Emmalee Nielsen each 10 and Hannah Leverson eight for the Redmen. Nielsen also added seven rebounds and Krista Langager six.

Sisseton shot 34 percent (19 of 56) from the field and collected 35 rebounds. Wagner shot 36 percent (18 of 50) and snared 39 rebounds.

Wagner moves on to finally square off with Hamlin for the first time this season. Wagner finished No. 3 in the state rankings and suffered their only loss by one point to No. 2 Vermillion. Hamlin owns a 17-point win over Vermillion but all bets are off come tonight.

"We really want prove something," said Yost. "We're excited to get out there and show people what Wagner basketball is all about."

Consolation Semifinals

Flandreau 55, Lakota Tech 41: Claire Sheppard's 22 points sparked the Fliers to victory. Sadie Iott contributed 11 points, Lizzie Pavlis nine points and Lily Klein nine points and seven rebounds.

Flandreau (20-5) converted 14 of 44 field-goal attempts for 32 percent and 22 of 30 free throws. It also held a 31-30 edge on the boards.

Melina Shangreaux's 12 points and six rebounds and Tawny Rodriguez's 10 and six led Lakota Tech (19-6). The Tatanka made 16 of 53 attempts from the field for 30 percent.

Sioux Falls Christian 52, Rapid City Christian 42: Sioux Falls Christian (22-3) bounced back from an opening-round loss and rode a balanced attack to victory. Ellie Lems scored 12 points, Moriah Harrison 10 and Maya Nelson and Brenna Beyke each nine.

Rapid City Christian (19-6) received 20 points and eight rebounds from Olivia Kieffer and 14 and 11 from Alex Ham.

SFC made 18 of 60 field-goal attempts for 30 percent compared to RCC's 14 of 44 for 32 percent. The Comets also finished with a 40-38 advantage in rebounding.

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

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Chargers cap perfect 25-0 season with a 58-55 win over 24-2 Wagner.