For some, trips to the State A Girls’ Basketball Tournament have become a bit normal, while for others, it has been more than a decade since participating on the big stage.
Squads are now just one game away from a trip to this year’s event in Watertown next week.
Here is a look at each SoDak 16 matchup involving area teams:
Sisseton (11-10) vs. Hamlin (20-1), 7 p.m. at Watertown
This happens to be one of the rare occasions where two teams from the same conference match up in a SoDak 16 contest.
Everything appears to favor Hamlin in this one. The Chargers have lost just one game all season and played a demanding schedule. Hamlin won a previous contest by 30 points at Sisseton.
However, don’t let the Redmen’s 11-10 record fool you. They have made some changes down the stretch and are playing as well as anybody right now.
The two teams have combined to take third place at the state tournament each of the past three seasons.
Miller (17-5) vs. Lennox (18-3), 5:30 p.m. at Madison
Lennox, which won its first 11 games to start the season, and has only lost to a pair of opponents all year: top-rated Mahpiya Luta, and twice to second-rated Hamlin. The Orioles will be a tough out for anybody this postseason.
Miller will be trying to make its first state tourney appearance since 2012, and just its second since 1993 when the Rustlers played in three state tournaments in a row, winning back-to-back state titles, and then finishing runner-up.
The two have played one common opponent. Lennox defeated Wagner by 18 points, while Miller lost to the Red Raiders by 22.
Groton (16-6) vs. Sioux Falls Christian (18-4), 7 p.m. at Madison
All of the recent results point to Sioux Falls Christian in this one. The defending state champions have played in five state tournaments in a row. Groton will be looking for just its third state tourney appearance total and first since 1999.
Some of these athletes know each other from soccer. SFC defeated Groton in the state title contest in 2024.
The two played five common opponents. Of note, SFC defeated West Central and Clark-Willow Lake, teams that Groton lost to during the regular season.
Mobridge-Pollock (17-4) vs. West Central (17-4), 7 p.m. at Chamberlain
There is much in common between these two foes.
For starters, they have identical 17-4 records. They faced three of the same teams during the regular season and came away with very similar results. Each defeated Groton, and Dell Rapids, and own narrow wins over Aberdeen Roncalli.
While Mobridge-Pollock played in last year’s state tourney, West Central had more sustained success playing in four state tourneys in the past decade, most recently in 2022. Don’t be surprised if this one goes down to the wire.
