ABERDEEN — Dynasties aren't supposed to happen in Class B boys basketball.
Prior to last weekend, it had been almost 70 years since a team won three titles in a row in the state's class of smallest schools.
So if there was ever a dynasty in small-school South Dakota boys high school basketball, it'd be what De Smet is doing right now.
The Bulldogs' 62-48 win over Lower Brule on Saturday marked their third state championship in a row, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished in Class B since 1946-1948 when Webster won three in a row.
And while winning back-to-back championships is an impressive feat in and of itself, the way De Smet won its third may be the most impressive of all.
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“It's great that they focused in this year to do that with a little bit of weight on their shoulders,” coach Jeff Gruenhagen said. “People kind of overlooked us because of who we graduated and thought, ‘Can we do that again?’”
After last season’s championship, the Bulldogs lost a load of talent, with five seniors graduating, including Division I prospect Kalen Garry. Yet just like the previous two seasons, De Smet didn’t lose to a Class B school again this year.
While Damon Wilkinson was a huge part of the past two championships — he had 19 points and 23 rebounds last year and 18 points and 20 rebounds this year — it was an entirely different supporting cast this season.
A new crop of juniors, including Kadyn Fast and Tom Aughenbaugh, were among the players who helped propel the Bulldogs this season, with Fast picking up 10 points and six assists and Aughenbaugh racking up 16 points in the championship.
George Jensen, another junior, had nine points and six rebounds and Kasen Janssen, a senior who had a larger role this season, picked up nine points and nine rebounds.
“We just started clicking right away," Gruenhagen said of the season. "(We) dug in, played some defense, held some good teams to lower scores. And I think a lot of teams we were playing were surprised that we came out and played that well, when they were just thinking they were going to have to just concentrate on Damon."
Another dominant season with such flux in the roster prior to the campaign just adds more proof that the De Smet dynasty is one that extends beyond the dominance of one player or one class. Instead, it shows the Bulldogs’ run is one that will be remembered for years as one of the most consistently dominant stretches by a school across multiple seasons.
“We’re De Smet. We like to win and we got it done,” Aughenbaugh said.
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So now the question that looms is what’s stopping the Bulldogs from getting it done for a fourth time in a row next year.
Well, for starters, Wilkinson is graduating. But the Bulldogs return eight juniors from this year’s squad, including three who saw significant minutes in the championship, and if they showed us anything, it’s that a bit of turnover on the roster may not matter as much as it appears.
And if you ask Wilkinson, the fourth championship certainly isn’t a far-fetched idea.
“They’re going to be really good next year,” the senior said. “I’m not going to be cocky, but I’m seeing a four-peat.”
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