<p>Prep Hoops tracks The Race for Mr. Basketball across the country. Who is leading "The Race" in South Dakota? Prep Hoops has a look today (an award given to the top senior each year). </p>
<p><strong>The Favorite. [player_tooltip player_id="732175" first="Matthew" last="Mors"]</strong>. The odds on favorite to win the award this year is [player_tooltip player_id="732175" first="Matthew" last="Mors"]. Mors has Yankton at 12-2 on the season averaging 24.6 points per game. Mors broke a school record with 48 points in early December plus he has a state title to his name (9th grade) and a state runner-up finish as a sophomore. Yankton is of course one of the title contenders this year with Mors leading the way. Mors is 6th all time in the state in scoring and assuming he stays healthy Mors will finish a top three scorer in state history. Last week in his most recent game, Mors had 26 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Pierre. </p>
<p><strong>The Top Contender. [player_tooltip player_id="732179" first="Paul" last="Bruns"]</strong>. An interesting discussion is, how close to the heels of Mors is [player_tooltip player_id="732179" first="Paul" last="Bruns"] of Dakota Valley? Through 13 games Bruns is scoring 29.5 points per game shooting 52 percent from the field as a guard, 42 percent from the arc, and 85 percent at the foul line. In addition, Bruns also averages 11.8 rebounds a game ranking with the elite rebounders in the state if not the elite rebounder. Throw in 4.4 assists and three steals a game and you have a top trophy contender. Bruns has had DV ranked number one in the state most of the season and although they recently lost a game, Bruns and the Panthers are still a Class A favorite. Bruns has scored 1,874 career points and will likely hit the 2,000 point mark around late February. If Dakota Valley wins a state title and Yankton doesn’t, could the overall player of the year award go the way of Bruns?</p>
<p><strong>Final Five - Next Pair</strong>. Who else would rank in the top five for Mr Basketball? Here is our next group of two. </p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="757827" first="Connor" last="Libis"]</strong> of Dell Rapids - St. Mary. Connor is on the heels of Mors as both players climb the all time leading scoring lists in South Dakota history. Libis will also likely be a top 3-4 scorer all time in state history when their careers are complete. Libis is scoring 23 a game. In big games Libis had 32 beating fellow top ten squad Elkton-Lake Benton and he had 43 points in a win over White River. On the other hand, the Cardinals have won half of their games this year by 30 plus points. Often times Libis will take an early seat so there are games where Libis won’t have the same attempts as some of the other guys on this list. Connor has his team at 10-3 on the season and ranked 5th in the state. </p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="975500" first="Brady" last="Fritz"]</strong> of Winner. Through 14 contests Brady is scoring 25 points a game completing 54 percent of his attempts including making 54 percent of his attempts and 77 percent of his foul shots. Fritz also grabs five boards a game for a 14-1 team that is ranked in the Class A top ten. Fritz is coming off of a 35 point game where he made seven shots at the arc. Two days before that Fritz scored 41 points in a win over Bennett County. </p>
<p><strong>The 5th Finalist</strong>. Who would be the 5th guy on the list? That’s a tough call right now. Here are several in the running:</p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="975516" first="Jakob" last="Dobney"]</strong> of Vermillion. I’d look close at Dobney right now as the current favorite for number five. He has his team undefeated in Class A, ranked number one in Class A, and he is coming off great games leading his team to wins over Sioux Falls Christian and Dell Rapids. </p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="975518" first="Sam" last="Aslesen"]</strong> of Howard. Sam is another top contender. His team is 14-1 and was two scores away from being undefeated and ranked number one in the state. Sam recently had 30 in a key win over Elkton-Lake Benton - a top ten team - and Sam’s game winner versus White River ranks with a top play of the season. </p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="975510" first="Tyler" last="Prins"], [player_tooltip player_id="975506" first="Noah" last="Van Donkersgoed"], and [player_tooltip player_id="975512" first="Xavier" last="Van Beek"]</strong> of Sioux Falls Christian. The greatest strength of the Chargers is their balance of talent. That may also be an individual awards crutch for these guys but they will certainly take team wins over individual chances. And we will try and keep in mind these are seriously talented seniors all one one team. </p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="975543" first="Zane" last="Alm"]</strong> of Mitchell. Alm has Mitchell at 10-1 on the season and ranked second in state. He’s the top shot blocker in the class plus he is averaging a double-double. Alm is also ranking as one of the state’s top senior prospects now too.</p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="975509" first="Kelton" last="Vincent"]</strong> of Sioux Valley. Kelton runs the 12-1 Sioux Valley squad that is ranked top five in the state. He’s also one of the elite passers in the state plus Kelton of course has the play of the year hitting the buzzer beater that has been on Sportscenter. </p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="757858" first="Micah" last="Swallow"]</strong> of Rapid City Central. RCC is a top five team in the state at 9-4 and it’s in large part to the all around contributions of Micah. Swallow had 27 and 15 in his most recent game. </p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="734065" first="Eli" last="Williams"]</strong> of Sioux Falls Washington. The best team in the state needs a rep right? There is so much balance on the Warrior team that individual numbers won’t grab your eye but Williams is one of their better scorers, better defenders, and playmakers. He’s one of the best passers in Washington history. </p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="975508" first="Tyce" last="Ortman"]</strong> of Canistota. Had the game tying score at the buzzer leading to a win over Hanson. Tyce scored 34 to beat White River. Ortman has lead Canistota to an 11-2 record and a top five spot in the state. </p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="732203" first="Colin" last="Rentz"]</strong> of Dell Rapids. Rentz is another player with a top play of the season, the buzzer beater to beat Tea. Rentz had 29 in that game, he’s had double-doubles this year as a guard, and he’s the best transition player in the state. </p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="975499" first="Jackson" last="Hilton"]</strong> of Brandon Valley. Jackson’s performance in a win over Yankton is quite memorable. BV is hoping to get a roll soon as they are 7-5. Hilton is a top hooper, committed to South Dakota State for football, and he’s also a top baseball prospect. </p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="975502" first="Gradee" last="Sherman"]</strong> of Viborg-Hurley. Sherman just had a 21 point, 14 rebound double-double against Canistota solidifying his team as the second ranked squad in Class B. He’s a future Augustana football player but also a constant double-double on the court. </p>
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