ABERDEEN — Here we go again.
With just one game to go, De Smet will look to defend its Class B state title against Lower Brule, which is in search of its first state championship in school history.
Just 364 days prior, those words rang true as well. And now, with the Class B state title game set for Saturday at Wachs Arena in Aberdeen, the excitement begins.
Much has changed since the last title game. De Smet lost five seniors and Lower Brule saw four graduate.
Yet, much is the same.
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The Bulldogs still have to deal with Brian LaRoche Jr., Gavin Thigh and Ellwyn Langdeau, and the Sioux still have to worry about Damon Wilkinson, who racked up 19 points and 23 rebounds in last year’s battle.
For Lower Brule, coach Brian LaRoche Sr. said the first state championship in school history would mean “everything.” And while De Smet is in search of its third-straight ring, coach Jeff Gruenhagen, it's not so much about getting a third as it is about getting one.
“Two, three in a row, however it goes down, just one is so special for each group of kids,” Jeff Gruenhagen said.
The two squads clashed earlier in the season at the Hanson Classic, giving perhaps a glimpse of what Saturday could play out like. That rendition ended with a De Smet clamping down defensively in the second half to pick up a win — eerily similar to last season’s championship.
But the Sioux have been firing on all cylinders offensively, especially in their most recent 16 minutes of action where they hit 16 of 24 shots and poured in 35 points en route to a win over White River — the same team they beat in the semifinals last year to get to the championship against De Smet, ironically enough.
“We got that taste,” LaRoche Sr. said of coming up short. “Let’s go get it, that’s how we feel.”
Offensively, 100 points is the goal for the Sioux every night, according to LaRoche Sr., and Gruenhagen acknowledged there’s no tried and true way to keep the Sioux down on offense due to their speed and ball movement, but using some of what they did in January's win is a good start.
“The way they move the basketball, it’s always a little different for them. Different guys are taking shots, different guys are on,” Gruenhagen said. “We have our hands full for sure.”
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There’s no question the two best teams in Class B will be taking the floor around 7:45 p.m. on Saturday. They've both taken on some of the toughest schedules in the Class B to ready themselves for the four quarters that lie ahead Saturday night.
The only question left is who’s the best. And the 32 minutes that determine that answer are almost assuredly set to be some of the most electric of the entire season.
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