Today’s Hanson Classic features a host of explosive scorers and top-five teams playing at the Corn Palace.
The eight-game event starts at 10 a.m. and continues until 8:30 p.m., with a number of ranked Class A and Class B teams scattered throughout the day.
Corsica-Stickney faces Clark/Willow Lake at 10 a.m., followed by Hanson against Lyman at 11:30 a.m. Chamberlain faces Class B No. 5 Viborg-Hurley at 1 p.m., while St. Thomas More plays Tea Area at 2:30 p.m.
Class B No. 5 Canistota plays White River at 4 p.m., followed by Aberdeen Christian vs. Class B No. 3 Howard at 5:30 p.m. Class B No. 1 De Smet plays Class B No. 2 Platte-Geddes at 7 p.m., while Class A No. 3 Sioux Valley playing Class A No. 1 Dakota Valley at 8:30 p.m. in the finale.
Due to COVID-19, the event organizers will follow Corn Palace guidelines. Face masks are required inside the Corn Palace, while social distancing is encouraged.
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Fans can watch the classic online at www.beavers.liveticket.tv for $12.50 all day. It won’t be available locally on Mitchell Telecom. The pay-per-view sales will be available via VISA, MasterCard or PayPal. Fans must create a personal account with a personal email and password. Fans will use this email/password to login for each game each day in the video player on www.beavers.liveticket.tv .
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students. Courtside reserved seats won’t be available, while fans won’t be allowed to sit on the stage directly behind the scorers table. Games will start 15 minutes following the completion of the previous game.
Here’s are three storylines to watch today:
No. 1 vs. No. 2
Class B pundits will be glued to this one when No. 1 De Smet plays No. 2 Platte-Geddes at 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs are 10-1 and their only loss was against Class A No. 3 Sioux Valley (54-50). Entering Friday, the Black Panthers (7-0) are the last undefeated team in Class B.
It will also be a contrast in personnel. The Bulldogs rely heavily on junior guards Kalen Garry (22.5 ppg/6 rpg) and Rett Osthus (9.8 ppg/5 apg). Garry has also hit a team-high 26 3-pointers. Senior forward and Dakota Wesleyan University football commit Ethan McCune chips in with 7.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
The Black Panthers are powered by 6-foot-5 Kelby VanDerWerff (20 ppg/12 rpg) and 6-foot-4 Caden Foxley (16 ppg/10 rpg). VanDerWerff also scored his 1,000th career point earlier this season.
High-scoring guards in finale
There will be no shortage of high-scoring guards in the nightcap.
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Entering Friday, No. 1 Dakota Valley (8-0) and No. 3 Sioux Valley (12-0) are two of the last three undefeated teams in Class A.
Dakota Valley’s Paul Bruns averages an eye-popping 30.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-4 University of North Dakota commit also dishes out 4.4 assists and 3 steals per game. He’s also closing in on 2,000 career points. Bruns’ brother, Isaac, is a sophomore guard that registers 23.5 points and 6.8 boards per game. Senior guard Chayce Montagne complements the brothers with nine points and four rebounds per game.
The Cossacks counter with sophomore Oliver Vincent (21.7 ppg) and senior Kelton Vincent (11.3 ppg/6.3 apg). Six-foot-5 junior Hayden Ruesink anchors the post and records 10.3 points and 6.8 rebounds a game. Forward Parker Puetz contributes 9.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Howard continues busy week
After dropping a 54-51 decision against De Smet on Jan. 12, Howard has picked up two straight Cornbelt Conference wins over Hanson (60-44) and Bridgewater-Emery (57-48, OT) this week.
The Tigers will continue their busy week against Aberdeen Christian, which is on an eight-game winning streak.
The Tigers (9-1) are powered by a pair of future DWU basketball players in Sam Aslesen and Tisyn Spader. The 6-foot-7 Aslesen is averaging 18.3 points and eight rebounds per game. Spader, a 6-foot-4 guard, is averaging 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest. Six-foot-4 junior Jace Sifore (9 ppg/7.6 rpg) mans the middle for the Tigers.
The Knights (8-2) feature a balanced attack with five players scoring between 8.5 and 13 points per game. Sophomore Malek Wieker scores a team-high 13 points a game, while 6-foot-6 senior Brent Ekanger averages 11.2 points and nine rebounds per game.
