The first of many basketball classics at the Corn Palace starts today.
Eight games -- including six varsity contests -- makeup the Corn Palace Classic from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. today. The event takes in place of the Hoop City Classic, which was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
There are no restrictions on ticket sales for today’s eight-game event, but fans are required to wear a mask. Spectators are allowed to sit on the stage bleachers and the soft seats. The bleachers on the baselines are reserved for team personnel and there are no designated student sections.
General admission tickets are $10 and are good for all day. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. and the action starts with two junior varsity games between Mitchell and Thunder Basin (Wyo.) at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Gregory faces Bridgewater-Emery at 1 p.m. to kick off the action. The Mitchell girls play Thunder Basin at 2:30 p.m., followed by the Kernel boys vs. Thunder Basin at 4 p.m. Hanson takes on Aberdeen Christian at 5:30 p.m., Vermillion faces Viborg-Hurley at 7 p.m. and Howard plays White River at 8:30 p.m.
Here’s a closer look at the six varsity contests:
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Bridgewater-Emery vs. Gregory: Bridgewater-Emery (3-2) takes on Gregory (3-1) and its two-headed monster of Coy Determan and Daniel Mitchel.
The duo have been filling it up this season. Determan, a 6-foot-2 junior guard, is averaging 26 points, 11 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.5 steals per game this season. Determan, who recently scored his 1,000th career point, has a 43-point game on his résumé this season. He also has a 30-point game and a triple-double through the first four games.
A 6-foot-7 freshman forward, Mitchell is posting 25.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. He had a 33-point and 15-rebound game against North Central (Neb.), while he posted 30 points and 17 boards against Chamberlain. He leads the Gorillas with 10 blocked shots.
The Huskies have three players that average eight or more points per game. Sophomore Sutton Arend leads the team with 10 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Senior Camden Dye adds nine points and 6.2 rebounds per contest, while senior Bodie Burnham chips in with eight points a game.
Thunder Basin girls vs. Mitchell: Mitchell (2-1) is coming off back-to-back wins in Rapid City. Macy Kempf paces the Kernel offense as a do-it-all forward, though Camryn Krogman’s 3-point shooting has also stepped up early in the season. They, along with Avia Haley and Adaya Plastow, make up Mitchell’s senior-led starting lineup.
Thunder Basin (3-1) is paced by senior guard Gabby Drube, who averages 16.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Six-foot-3 sophomore Joelie Speltz chips in with 8.8 points and 4.8 rebounds a contest.
Thunder Basin vs Mitchell: Mitchell (4-0) features an imposing frontline in 6-foot-10 Zane Alm and 6-foot-6 Caden Hinker. Hinker averages team-highs in points (17) and rebounds (11.5). Alm is right behind with 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He’s also blocked a team-high nine shots.
Thunder Basin (4-0) is the No. 2-ranked team in Wyoming and have four players that score in double figures. Deegan Williams, a 6-2 guard, leads the team with 19.8 points per game, while 6-1 guard McKale Holte has put up 14.3 points per game. Thunder Basin also handed St. Thomas More a 55-40 defeat on Dec. 12.
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Aberdeen Christian vs. Hanson: The Beavers (4-0) feature a balanced scoring attack. Ethan Cheeseman tossed in 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Hanson’s 68-38 win over Kimball/White Lake on Dec. 21. Noah Price (17), Hayden Bahmuller (11) and Riley Ferry (10) also scored in double figures. Price also scored 23 points in the season opener against Ethan and Luke Haiar finished with 15 points. Bahmuller, a 6-foot-7 senior post, blocked a school-record nine shots against McCook Central/Montrose on Dec. 15.
Aberdeen Christian (1-2) has lost two games by a total of four points. The Knights, who qualified for their first Class B state tournament last season, are led in scoring by 6-foot-6 sophomore Brent Ekanger and guard Malek Wieker. The duo both average 13 points per game, while Ekanger collects a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game. Six-foot-5 sophomore Ethan Russell adds 7.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Viborg-Hurley vs. Vermillion: Viborg-Hurley (3-0) has a versatile and athletic lineup. The Cougars are led by 6-foot-5 jumping jacks Gradee Sherman and Eli Boomgarden. Sherman scored 22 and 23 points in the first two games. He added nine rebounds and four steals against Bridgewater-Emery. Boomgarden scored 10 points in both of Viborg-Hurley’s first two games.
Viborg-Hurley’s multi-sport standouts Hayden Gilbert, Carter Gust, Grant Mikkelsen and Angel Johnson also contribute to the Cougars.
Vermillion (3-0) recently forced 24 turnovers in a win over Irene-Wakonda. Vermillion’s Jakob Dobney led the Tanagers with 25 points (11 of 14 from the field) and six steals. Noah Gilbertson added 10 points and seven rebounds, while Connor Saunders finished with eight points.
White River vs. Howard: Howard (3-0) plays White River (2-1) in an all-Tiger finale. Howard features a 1-2 punch in seniors Tisyn Spader and Dakota Wesleyan University signee Sam Aslesen. The 6-foot-7 Aslesen scores a team-high 22 points per game. Spader, a 6-foot-4 guard, averages 21.6 points per game.
White River counters with a potent offensive attack led by South Dakota State University commit and sophomore guard Joe Sayler, who averages 24.3 points per game. Junior guard Dylan Marshall follows with 18.3 points per game, while senior guard Colbe Scott chips in with 15 points a contest. The teams played last season at a rescheduled Hoop City Classic game, with White River completing a 13-point fourth-quarter rally with a buzzer-beater at the Corn Palace.
