TWO-TIME STATE CHAMPS BACK IN FIELD:

The De Smet Bulldogs are no strangers to the Class B tournament. This year marks the fifth consecutive season that the Bulldogs have qualified for the state tournament, and the team enters as the two-time defending state champions.

Senior center Damon Wilkinson said the experience helps the players as they prepare for this year’s tournament.

“We’ve got some young guys coming up, but most of us got some time in the games when we got up by a bunch,” Wilkinson said. “They’ve got a little bit of experience playing in a big game and what it feels like, so that’ll help chill the nerves and help them not be so stressed out and nervous for that.”

The program has qualified for its 26th state tournament appearance in school history, with 22 of those appearances coming in the Class B tournament. Wilkinson says the atmosphere at the B’s is unique.

“It’s super cool,” Wilkinson said. “You kind of get goosebumps going out on the court, even for the first and second game. The championship game is obviously different because it’s all the way packed, but even for the first and second game, just seeing all your fans there, it’s pretty cool.”

No doubt the fans from De Smet will once again make the trek to Aberdeen to watch their Bulldogs compete for another state title. Wilkinson says returning to the state tournament will attract the hometown crowd once again.

“I think it’ll just bring more fans to the games,” Wilkinson said. “They have high expectations for us, so that’s what we like.”

Jacob Wuertz

BROTHERS IN TWO TOURNEYS: It will be a big weekend of basketball for the Keszler family.

While Brennan in a senior starter for Hamlin competing in the State A tournament in Sioux Falls, his younger brother Jamison is a member of the Castlewood Warriors, who are playing in the State B tournament at Wachs Arena.

“It’s impressive I think that we both went to different schools and made it there,” Jamison said.

Jamison, a sophomore in his second year at Castlewood, explained how the brothers ended up attending two separate schools.

“My mom switched jobs and got the principal job at Castlewood,” Jamison said, “and my brother wanted to stick it out with Hamlin so I went with my mom.”

So where will his parents be at this week for the big games?

“My parents are going to his games since he’s a senior,” Jamison said. “If they have time to make it here, they will.”

Jamison will still have his own cheering section filled by grandparents, and other relatives.

There was an interesting contest during the regular season when Castlewood played Hamlin.

While the brothers play different positions, there was one memorable possession during the game when they were matched up on each other.

“I tried to score on him,” Jamison said, “but I missed.”

When asked which cheering section his parents sat in during contest, Jamison responded, “Every game they have this little section that they always sit in.”

OK, but which school color did they wear to the game?

“They wore white,” Jamison said.

Dave Vilhauer

LOWER BRULE BATTLE-TESTED SQUAD

Lower Brule has become accustomed to the big stage. The Sioux enter the Class B tournament for the third consecutive year. This time, however, they are the top seed, in part, due to the Sioux beefing up their schedule this season.

The team has played some of the best teams in Class B this season, something Lower Brule coach Brian LaRoche says has paid off for his team.

“That’s the cool thing about this year is how we played a really tough schedule and pretty much all the top teams in the state,” LaRoche said. “Now we get to adjust a little bit and see how we can play. They’re gonna adjust so who did the right job? That’s what it comes down to.”

The Sioux have played four of the seven other teams in the tournament during the regular season. Lower Brule picked up a win over White River at the DWU Classic, and lost to Aberdeen Christian and De Smet at the Hoop City and Hanson Classics, respectively. Lower Brule also picked up a 64-61 win over Castlewood (the team’s first-round opponent today at noon) at the DVC Classic on Jan. 14. The Sioux won that game on a 3-point basket by Gavin Thigh as time expired.

Lower Brule also defeated Castlewood in the opening round of last year’s state tournament. LaRoche said the teams’ knowledge of each other will make the matchup intriguing, but it also leaves room for adjustments.

“(Don’t) let them shoot open shots,” LaRoche said. “We know what our weakness was and they found it. We’ve gotta clean that up this weekend. I think we’ll do a good job making them shoot tough shots.”

Jacob Wuertz

ROHRBACH MAKES IT TO STATE B:

Growing up Matt Rohrbach always dreamed of playing in the State B basketball tournament, but it never quite worked out. Then his brother Andrew was a standout player that qualified for the tourney in 2020, but that event was canceled due to COVID.

Now, Rohrbach, Aberdeen Christian’s all-time leading scorer, has made it as the coach of the Knights.

“It is kind of just like an extension,” Rohrbach said, despite not having a direct relative on this year’s squad. “We feel like this is a basketball family. Even though we’re not blood family, we’re all kind of cut from the same cloth in the sense of everybody is just trying to get there.”

Rohrbach shares a special bond with the team’s current group of upperclassmen despite being in his first year as the head coach.

“It’s almost like my little brothers were getting there,” he said. “In some ways it does make it that at least I get there for something. It’s definitely cool and I’m glad that we have a little talent on this team to get it done.”

Rohrbach got into officiating when he was done playing and said that he has developed a new appreciation for the game of basketball.

“I can’t believe how little I knew the game in high school, honestly. It’s funny because as a 17-18-year-old kid, you’re like I know all there is to know,” Rohrbach said. “That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Just seeing it from the eyes of an official and a player and as a coach is completely different philosophies. I actually really think that’s helped me become a better coach because I can maybe see it from a different angle.”

Rohrbach, who previously experienced the game as a player, a fan and an official, said the view from the head coaching position gives him much different perspective.

“As a fan and someone in the stands, it’s so easy to see it, but when you’re on the bench and you actually have to talk about it, it’s not quite as easy,” Rohrbach said. “All those four different eyes of basketball, I’m telling you, people don’t quite understand. “It is a lot different when you are on the bench.”

Dave Vilhauer