SIOUX FALLS — Sioux Falls Washington led for most of their matchup with O’Gorman, but a late surge from the Knights forced the Class AA semifinal into overtime.
Washington held a one-point advantage with 2.4 seconds left in OT, but a shot from O'Gorman's David Alpers went down as time expired for a 58-57 buzzer-beater win to push the Knights to their third straight title game.
DAVID ALPHERS WITH ICE IN HIS VEINS!!!#sdpreps | @AlpersDavid | @OGHOOPS pic.twitter.com/duuHQQGvqH
— Digital Z South Dakota (@DigitalZSD) March 19, 2022
Washington (15-8) had control for most of the game, extending its lead to seven points by halftime. Joe Uttecht played his best basketball, leading all scorers with 28 points on an efficient 10-of-18 shooting from the field.
However, the veteran O’Gorman (23-2) squad refused to go away, using a strong third-quarter push to erase Washington’s lead. Alpers was the guy for the Warriors, doing his best to match Uttecht with 26 points on 10-for-16 shooting, including the game-winner in OT. Alpers had a double-double as well, finishing with a team-high 12 rebounds.
O’Gorman reaches the Class AA title game for the third straight time (excluding 2021’s tournament, which was canceled due to COVID-19) and gets a rematch of last year’s title game with Sioux Falls Roosevelt. Sioux Falls Washington will face Harrisburg in the third-place game.
