Two area teams win, eight fall in SoDak 16 state-qualifying Class A, B hoops
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WATERTOWN — It's actually probably a good sign that Hamlin securing its sixth state Class A girls basketball tournament appearance in seven years didn't come as easy as expected.
The top-seeded Chargers trailed 16th-seeded Sisseton by nine points in the second quarter before rallying for a 60-40 victory in a Class SoDak 16 state-qualifying game in the Civic Arena on Thursday, March 5, 2026.
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Hamlin overcame some early shooting woes and foul trouble, along with some good shooting by Sisseton, to beat its fellow Northeast Conference member for the second-straight year in a SoDak 16 game played in Watertown.
"It wasn't the start we wanted but you have to give them credit," Hamlin coach Tim Koisti said of Sisseton. "They stepped up and hit some 3's (3-pointers) that really got them rolling and they got us into a little bit of foul trouble. I'm super proud of my girls with the way they persevered. They got on a run and we could have given up, but we never say die."
Here's three takeaways from the game:
Sisseton put up a good fight
Sisseton has definitely enjoyed its share of success in high school girls basketball through the years, a stretch that carried into this decade when it recorded third-place finishes in the 2023 and 2024 state tournaments.
The Redmen entered Thursday's matchup with only an 11-10 record, which included a 69-39 home loss to Hamlin in late January. Coach Sara Lincoln's team, however, had won its previous six games highlighted by a 45-36 win over eighth-ranked Aberdeen Roncalli that clinched their berth in the SoDak 16.
Hamlin jumped out to a 15-0 lead in the previous matchup between the two teams but fell behind 6-2 after two 3-pointers by Sisseton's Fallon Hawkins and spent most of the game's first 11 minutes staring at a nearly 10-point deficit.
"Our thing is we usually want to make the first punch," Hamlin's 5-foot-6 senior point guard Addie Neuendorf said. "We want to come out and put them away early because that's what we pride ourselves on. Our shots weren't falling and the shots were falling for them."
Smaller team vs. bigger team
Hamlin's got a team made up basically of guards, with the exception of 6-foot sophomore Addie Jensen. They were playing a Sisseton team led by 6-2 junior Saylor Langager and her 6-foot freshman sister Piper and 6-foot senior Elliot Hortness. It didn't help when Jensen picked up two early fouls and went to the bench.
Without Jensen's presence inside, Hamlin was left firing away from the perimeter. After failing to connect early, the Chargers canned a trio of 3-pointers during a game-changing 16-4 run to end the first half. The stretch gave Hamlin a 29-26 lead.
A more relaxed Hamlin team opened the second half with a 15-1 run.
"Coach Koisti tells us all the time in practice that even if we shoot 10 3-pointers and miss all of them, we have to keep taking that 11th shot," Neuendorf said. "I'm super proud of my teammates. We just kept shooting when the shots weren't falling and they finally started to fall."
Another chance to make noise at state
Neuendorf, a five-year regular headed to Northern State, played on Hamlin's team that won the 2023 state A championship in the Civic Arena. She also played on the 2022 Chargers that finished as the state runner-up for a second-straight year. Last winter, Hamlin lost to eventual champion Sioux Falls Christian in the semifinals and finished third.
The Chargers certainly have the pieces to make another run at a title, especially as the closest school to Watertown. Junior guard Issie Steffensen paced Hamlin by scoring 17 of her game-high 28 points in the second half. Neuendorf did her thing with 12 points, six rebounds and seven assists and Jensen shook off the early foul trouble to tally 11 points and nine rebounds.
Hamlin's deserves credit for winning the battle of the boards 45-28.
"Addie Jensen just finds a way to carve out some space and finish and our girls do a nice job of finding her in transition," Koisti said. "Addie Neuendorf may not always score a ton of points but look at what she does for our team. She pushes the ball, pushes the pace. She gets us into everything, gets assists and gets shots when she needs to. And for Issie (5-foot-8 junior) to have to guard a 6-2 girl and still score 28 points. That's amazing."
Hawkins led the way for Sisseton with four 3-pointers and 12 points. Saylor Langager added nine points, Hortness eight and Piper Langager six rebounds.
Here's some highlights from other state-qualifying games involving area teams on March 5:
Class A (No. 4 Sioux Valley 49, No. 13 St. Thomas More 29)
CHAMBERLAIN — Sioux Valley earned a repeat trip to state with the help of a fast start. The Cossacks led 11-4 after one quarter and 30-13 at halftime.
Amari Ward paced a balanced attack for the Cossacks with 11 points. Talya Vincent, Liberty Trygstad, Kailey Cradduck and Masey Top each contributed eight. Cradduck also snared 10 rebounds.
Leighton Scherr's 10 points and Rachael Hyde's nine rebounds led STM (16-6).
Class A (No. 6 Sioux Falls Christian 55, No. 11 Groton Area 25)
MADISON — Defending state champion Sioux Falls Christian earned the chance to defend its title by controlling most of the game.
The Chargers led 15-5 after one quarter and 24-10 at halftime before erupting for a 26-6 scoring spurt in the third quarter.
Aubrie VanBeek scored 17 points, Lezlei Setzer 13 and Dvoracek 11 for SFC. Selzer added seven rebounds and Emory Lems five assists.
Groton Area (16-7) was led by Jerica Locke with 11 points and six rebounds.
Class B (No. 3 Bennett County 72, No. 14 Ipswich 21)
WINNER — Sisters Peyson and Reagan O'Neill combined for 43 points and 24 rebounds to lead defending state champion Bennett County.
BC led only 21-13 after one quarter before taking over with a 17-5 scoring surge in the second quarter and a 21-0 run in the third period.
Peyson finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds and Reagan 19 and 14. Morgan Waln pitched in with 13 points and seven steals.
Marley Guthmiller had eight points and nine rebounds and Jalyssa Hutson seven rebounds for Ipswich (15-8).
Class B (No. 9 Corsica-Stickney 38, No. 8 Waubay-Summit 32)
HURON — Waubay-Summit's bid to become the Mustangs' girls baskeball team to qualify for state since the co-op formed in the 2015-16 season ending with the close loss.
Braylee Bordewyk led the way for Corsica-Stickney with 22 points and six rebounds.
Waubay-Summit (20-3) received 14 points from Brynlee Amdahl and 13 from Addison Heinje. Peyton Rumpza and Heinje each grabbed 11 rebounds and Liza Purdy seven. The loss snapped a 12-game winning streak for the Mustangs.
Class B (No. 4 Ethan 53, No. 13 Deubrook Area 34)
PARKER — Deubrook Area's quest to make it back to state for a second-straight year ended with the loss.
Ethan's Taziah Hawkins proved to be a big reason why. She canned five 3-pointers in the first half and eight overall on the way to scoring 27 points. Rachel Klock chipped in with 11 points and seven rebounds. Marissa Storm dished out eight assists.
The Rustlers led 18-3 after one quarter and after Deubrook Area opened the second quarter with a basket, reeled off a 14-0 run.
Mataya Gouws produced 15 points and Peyton Trooien seven for the Dolphins (13-10).
Class B (No. 2 Parkston 40, No. 15 De Smet 36)
MITCHELL — De Smet (11-12 overall) battled down the wire against Parkston before falling.
Keeara Oakley (15 points) and Morgan Maxwell (10 points) paced Parkston. Berkley Ziebart recorded seven points and Kahris Tapio nine rebounds.
Hazel Luethmers totaled 13 points and seven rebounds for De Smet. Audi Currier added nine and eight. Brooke Jennings hauled in 10 rebounds.
Class B (No. 5 Colman-Egan 49, No. 12 Warner 44)
HURON — Colman-Egan used a 15-8 fourth-quarter scoring advantage to win the back-and-forth affair.
Colman-Egan led 20-9 after one quarter and 25-18 at halftime before Warner grabbed the lead with an 18-9 scoring surge in the thrid quarter.
Brynee Landis' 20 points and seven rebounds and Quinn Meyer's 12 points topped CE. Jolie Flatten followed with nine points and Maci Voelker seven rebounds.
Jaycee Jung scored 12 points and Kayde Macknee nine for the Monarchs (16-7). MaKenna Leidholt grabbed 10 rebounds and Mackner eight.
Other SoDak 16 results
Scores from other state-qualifying girls basketball games on March 5:
- Class A — No. 2 Mahpiya Luta 79, No. 15 McCook Central-Montrose 21; No. 3 Wagner 46, No. 14 Dell Rapids 31; No. 5 Lennox 62, No. 12 Miller 33; No. 7 West Central 54, No. 10 Mobridge-Pollock 42; and No. 9 Lakota Tech 72, No. 8 Rapid City Christian 59.
- Class B — No. 1 Lyman 53, No. 16 McIntosh 22; No. 6 Harding County 73, No. 11 Jones County 30; and No. 7 Centerville 57, No. 10 Highmore-Harrold 41.
State tournament pairings
- State A (March 12-14 in the Watertown Civic Arena) — First-round games on March 12 include No. 1 Hamlin (21-1) vs. No. 8 Lakota Tech (19-4) at 11 a.m., No. 4 Sioux Valley (21-2) vs. No. 5 Lennox (19-3) at 12:45 p.m., No. 2 Mahpiya Luta (21-0) vs. No. 7 West Central (18-4), 5 p.m. and No. 3 Wagner (19-2) vs. No. 6 Sioux Falls Christian (19-4) at 6:45 p.m.
- State B (March 12-14 at Brookings) — First-round games on March 12 include No. 1 Lyman (21-2) vs. No. 8 Corsica-Stickney (17-5) at 11 a.m., No. 4 Ethan (21-2) vs. No. 5 Colman-Egan (22-1) at 12:45 p.m., No. 2 Parkston (20-3) vs. No. 7 Centerville (21-2) at 5 p.m. and No. 3 Bennett County (20-3) vs. No. 6 Harding County (22-1) at 6:45 p.m.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: SoDak 16 state Class A & B girls basketball games