MITCHELL — The final South Dakota Prep Media basketball polls of the season have arrived.
As boys postseason region tournaments get underway on Monday and Tuesday night, everyone is looking up at top-ranked Dakota Valley, Class A's unanimous No. 1, and Aberdeen Christian, who owns all but one first-place vote in Class B. Meanwhile, the Class AA SoDak 16 field will be finalized Monday night, with the largest classification chasing unanimous No. 1 Sioux Falls Jefferson.
The final girls rankings of the season were included last week, prior to the start of the postseason region tournaments.
The South Dakota Prep Media basketball polls for the week of Feb. 27 are listed below, ranking the top-five teams in each class. First-place votes are indicated in parentheses and teams are ranked by total points received.
Boys
Class AA
1. Sioux Falls Jefferson (19), 18-1, 95; 2. Sioux Falls Lincoln, 17-3, 74; 3. Sioux Falls Washington, 14-6, 52; 4. Mitchell, 16-4, 44; 5. Yankton, 15-5, 20.
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Others receiving votes: None.
Finishing at No. 4: After wrapping up the regular season with a second consecutive Eastern South Dakota Conference championship, Mitchell slots in at No. 4 in the final poll with a record of 16-4. The Kernels received votes in every edition of the poll this season, first entering the top five on Jan. 2 and staying there for the next eight weeks. Mitchell ranked as high as No. 3 — matching its highest ranking from each of the past two seasons — a spot it held from Jan. 23 through the week of Feb. 13.
Class A
1. Dakota Valley (19), 20-0, 95; 2. Sioux Falls Christian, 16-4, 74; 3. Sioux Valley, 18-2, 57; 4. Winner, 19-1, 33; 5. St. Thomas More, 18-2, 20.
Others receiving votes: Lennox 3, Hamlin 2, Rapid City Christian 1.
Chasing history: Coming off an undefeated state championship season, Dakota Valley was the preseason No. 1 and gave voters no reason to question that status. For the season, only one total first-place vote (all the way back in the preseason poll) didn’t go to the Panthers, who enter the postseason at 20-0 once again. Dakota Valley’s win streak currently stands at 47 games, with a chance to tie the all-time Class A record at 48 with a Region 4A quarterfinal victory on Tuesday.
Class B
1. Aberdeen Christian (18), 18-2, 94; 2. De Smet (1), 17-3, 75; 3. Lower Brule, 17-3, 59; 4. White River, 16-4, 37; 5. Faith, 19-1, 16.
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Others receiving votes: Viborg-Hurley 2, Castlewood 2.
Knights at No. 1, again: For the second time in four seasons, Aberdeen Christian is headed into the postseason with the No. 1 ranking, having held the top spot for the past five weeks. The Knights finished at the top in 2020, but were denied the opportunity to prove their ranking when the state tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. Aberdeen Christian is looking to qualify for a fourth-straight state tournament. The Knights finished in seventh last season and as runner-up in 2021.
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