RAPID CITY – Groton followed the lead of its seniors Saturday afternoon.
On the heels of a pair of tough losses to open the Tigers’ stay at the Class A boys’ basketball state tournament, senior Lane Tietz got loose for 25 points and the rest of the squad followed right along en route to a 67-49 win over Vermillion in the seventh place contest at Summit Arena.
Tietz, who had been largely bottled up in those two opening losses, exploded for 15 points in the opening quarter of Saturday’s contest. By the time the first half ended, Groton had followed suit, taking a 20-point lead into the break and never giving Vermillion an avenue of recourse.
Groton coach Brian Dolan said it was great to end the tournament with a win.
“Especially with someone that beat us earlier in the year,” he said.
Jacob Zak joined Tietz in double figures, finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds. Keegan Tracy notched a dozen points and four assists.
Tietz was selected as the Spirit of Su award winner and was also named to the all-tournament team.
Dolan said after dealing with an off-tempo night on Thursday and the length of Sioux Valley’s Alec Squires in the paint on Friday, it was nice to get back to the team’s familiar pace on Saturday.
“I thought the kids did a great job of coming out and winning that last game,” he said.
Vermillion was led by Connor Roerig and Zoan Robinson with 13 points each. Bryson Skogsburg finished with 12.
The Tigers will say farewell to a group of five seniors, including Tietz, Zak, Colby Dunker, Logan Ringgenberg and Holden Sippel, who led Groton to two state tournament appearances in the last three seasons.
“I’m just happy for them,” Dolan said. “They get to go out with this great feeling together. They got to check out of the game to a great crowd.”
With a pair of 20-win seasons to their resume, Dolan said the senior class leaves behind a solid foundation for the future of Tiger basketball.
“Just proud of the whole team,” Dolan said. “Not just the seniors, but the whole program and whole community. We’ll continue to ride the momentum. The seniors leave behind a legacy for people to build on.”
The Tigers will host a welcome home celebration at 4:30 this afternoon at the high school.
GROTON (20-6): Keegan Tracy 4 3-3 12, Ryder Johnson 1 0-0 2, Lane Tietz 10 2-3 25, Logan Ringgenberg 1 0-0 2, Jacob Zak 5 5-6 15, Colby Dunker 3 0-0 6, Kassen Keogh 1 0-0 3, Gage Sippel 1 0-0 2. Totals 26-54 10-12 67.
VERMILLION (16-10): Connor Roerig 4 3-3 13, Bryson Skogsberg 5 2-2 12, Zoan Robinson 6 0-2 13, Carter Hansen 0 1-2 1, Trey Hansen 2 2-4 7, Hunter Moose 0 1-2 1, Luke Jensen 1 0-1 2. Totals 18-44 9-16 49.
Groton 21 42 57 67
Vermillion 14 24 34 49
3-point field goals – Tracy, Tietz (3), Keough; Roerig, Robinson, T. Hansen. Total fouls – Groton 21; Vermillion 15. Rebounds – Groton 31 (Zak 9, Tietz 6); Vermillion 27 (Skogsburg 6). Assists – Groton 11 (Tietz 4, Tracy 4); Vermillion 4 (Skogsburg 2, C. Hansen 2). Turnovers – Groton 14; Vermillion 16. Blocks – Groton 2 (Johnson, Zak); Vermillion 2 (Cole Tweten 2). Steals – Groton 6 (Tietz 3); Vermillion 7 (Robinson 3).
