Top SD Games I Want to Watch This Week

There are many great games coming up this week, especially with the Hoops City Classic at Sanford Pentagon and the Corn Palace. The Entringer Classic in Brookings also has some top-notch matchups. There are some high-profile games at the Hoops City Classic with some out-of-Dakotas teams, so I am going to avoid talking about those. In this article, I am going to talk about 4 games that you should watch this coming week. Two of the games have North Dakota vs South Dakota matchups. <h3>Four Games to Watch This Week</h3> <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/paulolson-crop-828x544-1618021390.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1165792" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/paulolson-crop-828x544-1618021390-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <h4>Kindred vs. Groton Area</h4> Where: Harold Newman Arena (Jamestown) When: Monday, December, 27 (7:00 pm) Records: Kindred 3-1 Groton Area 4-0 Groton is the only team in the state of South Dakota playing on Monday (that I know of). Let’s not take anything away from the Tigers, they look to be a very legit team. The Tigers are an athletic group that is quick and they are great in transition. Groton forces many turnovers and they turn those into points in the blink of an eye. At times Groton will pick up in a full-court zone press. In the halfcourt, the Tigers are tough in their pack-line defense. They do not have a ton of size, but they make up for it with athletes, a fast pace, and serious 3-point shooting. [player_tooltip player_id="1270361" first="Lane" last="Tietz"] is one of the top Tiger players. He is a speedy and skilled guard. Tietz is a 3-point shooter and an athlete, the Vikings will have their hands full with him. Some of the other Tigers to look out for are [player_tooltip player_id="1275407" first="Jayden" last="Zak"], Cole Simon, Jacob Zak, and Kaden Kurtz. Kindred is much like Groton, as they are athletic. However, they are not like the Tigers when it comes to size. The Vikings are very big, strong, and powerful. Kindred does not have 1 or 2 big guys. They are loaded with size and they have a wide assortment of athletes. Last season Kindred was the best defensive team in Class B and they won the State Championship. When in man-to-man, they will play a pack-line defense similar to Groton. With all that length, you should expect Kindred to play some zone as well. They can take away many passing lanes that teams are not used to. On offense, the Vikings do not play super fast and they are more of an under-control team. They do not want to play a game in the high 70’s or 80’s. Just because Kindred doesn’t score 80 a night, I do not want you to think they are a boring team to watch. With all of their athletes, you should expect alley-oops and dunks from the blue and white. The top Vikings to look out for are [player_tooltip player_id="812227" first="Paul" last="Olson"], [player_tooltip player_id="1123710" first="Jaiden" last="Peraza"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1123711" first="Max" last="McQuillan"]. Olson and Peraza are most likely the ones who will be dunking and slamming. However, the Vikings have many others that can finish about the rim. One young player to watch is [player_tooltip player_id="1218749" first="Riley" last="Sunram"], he has had a nice season so far. When you match up these two teams up, Kindred has the advantage when it comes to rebounding. Kindred most likely has the better overall defense, but I think Groton forces more turnovers. Groton has a better 3-point shooting team. Kindred has a better inside game on both ends of the floor. The Vikings have some solid guards but I think Groton is quicker and has better shooters. This looks to be quite the matchup. If you have a chance to get to Jamestown, you will be in for some good basketball on Monday night! <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1353927" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/sayler-crop-2048x1345-1640528922-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/66-Ethan-Russell-crop-2500x1642-1634790262.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1312316" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/66-Ethan-Russell-crop-2500x1642-1634790262-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <h4>White River vs. Aberdeen Christian</h4> Where: Corn Palace (Mitchell) When: Tuesday, December 28 (9:00 pm) Records: White River 3-1 Aberdeen Christian 4-0 These two meet up as the nightcap at the Hoop City Classic in the palatial Corn Palace. Both teams are ranked in the Top Ten in the media rankings in South Dakota. Both of these teams know how to win games and they have played in front of large crowds in the past. White River and Aberdeen Christian played in the State B Tournament last season. The Knights had a 3rd place finish and the Tigers took 5th place. Obviously, both squads have State Tournament aspirations again this season. These two teams are headlined by All-State guards. White River has [player_tooltip player_id="963747" first="Joe" last="Sayler"] who is one of the elite talents and top athletes in South Dakota. Sayler can do it all, and he is an SDSU commit. Get ready for Sayler to put on a show and to wow the crowd in Mitchell. On the opposing side, Aberdeen Christian has a sharpshooter with [player_tooltip player_id="963783" first="Malek" last="Wieker"]. He is a sweet-shooting lefty that should not be left open. Wieker is a deadly 3-pointer shooter and a pull-up game savant. He also takes care of the ball and creates for teammates. Malek is averaging 18.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 5.5 apg. The Tigers from White River have two other standouts outside of Sayler. Look out for [player_tooltip player_id="968165" first="Dylan" last="Marshall"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1266275" first="Nic" last="Marshall"], this two could be the x-factors for White River. On the other side, the Knights have some very nice players as well. [player_tooltip player_id="963765" first="Ethan" last="Russell"], [player_tooltip player_id="963760" first="Jackson" last="Isakson"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1288337" first="Andrew" last="Brennan"] are all capable of having big games and being difference-makers for Aberdeen Christian. It would be great if we get to see Sayler and Wieker go at each other on Tuesday night. I am not sure if they will be matched up, but we can certainly hope so! This could potentially be a preview of a State Tournament matchup later this season. This game should not disappoint! <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/joehurlburt-crop-1232x809-1618967538.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1173633" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/joehurlburt-crop-1232x809-1618967538-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/57-Matthew-Anderson-crop-2500x1642-1639252529.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1345166" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/57-Matthew-Anderson-crop-2500x1642-1639252529-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <h4>Enderlin vs. Canton</h4> Where: Sandford Pentagon (Sioux Falls) When: Thursday, December 30 (2:00 pm) Records: Enderlin 2-2 Canton 2-4 This will be a fun North Dakota vs. South Dakota matchup. Both teams will be making their first appearance in the Hoop City Classic. The big name in this game is [player_tooltip player_id="787658" first="Joe" last="Hurlburt"] from Enderlin who has committed to Colorado. The day before this game, the Eagles play in Minot, so they will be traveling over 7 hours from Minot to Sioux Falls, they will be road warriors after this week! Enderlin will put on over 1,000 miles in two days. These two might not like where their win-loss record is right now, but they have been playing a tough schedule. I like this matchup as they both have good size, big-time athletes, and shooters. When I watched Canton earlier this season, they picked up fullcourt in a zone press with stud athlete [player_tooltip player_id="1238618" first="Matthew" last="Anderson"] at the top creating havoc. In the half-court, I imagine the C-Hawks will mix in both man and zone defenses. The Eagles will have the height advantage as they start 6’11, 6’9, and 6’6. On defense, I would expect Enderlin to play man-to-man defense for most of the game. They could also mix in some 2-3 and 1-2-2 zone. On offense, this one could be a higher scoring affair if Canton wants to run and get up and down with Enderlin. The leading three stat producers for Enderlin are [player_tooltip player_id="787658" first="Joe" last="Hurlburt"] with 27.5 ppg, 13.3 rpg, 5.3 apg, [player_tooltip player_id="1050248" first="Carson" last="Bartholomay"] with 18.5 ppg. 5 rpg, 1.8 apg, and [player_tooltip player_id="812220" first="Gus" last="Hurlburt"] with 15.3 ppg, 9 rpg, 1.5 apg. To counter the big Enderlin team Canton will bring 6’8 [player_tooltip player_id="1227942" first="Jacob" last="Vandeweerd"] who is a strong, hard-working post that can also hit the triple. The C-Hawks also have 6’4 [player_tooltip player_id="1238618" first="Matthew" last="Anderson"] who is a playmaker that will score from all over. If this game gets rolling early on and the teams are pushing the tempo, the fans will really be in for a treat. Expect many 3-pointers, dunks, blocks, and high-light plays! I am excited for this cross-border matchup at the Sanford Pentagon. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/kalengarry-crop-1125x739-1635048361.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1314219" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/kalengarry-crop-1125x739-1635048361-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/olivervincentpic-crop-600x394-1636828279.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1327251" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/olivervincentpic-crop-600x394-1636828279-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <h4>Sioux Valley vs. De Smet</h4> Where: Brookings High School When: Friday, December 31 (6:30 pm) Records: Sioux Valley 2-0 De Smet 4-1 These two great programs square off at the Entringer Classic. Volga (Sioux Valley) and De Smet are 35 minutes apart from each other down Highway 14. I think it is fair to say that these two teams know each other well. They both have players that play AAU hoops with the Pentagon Schoolers and Sioux Valley has two coaches that coach AAU for the Schoolers. At the moment Sioux Valley is ranked #1 in Class A and De Smet is ranked #1 in Class B. Last season, Sioux Valley had a 2nd place finish at the State Tournament. De Smet won the Class B State Championship. The two biggest names are [player_tooltip player_id="963744" first="Oliver" last="Vincent"] from Sioux Valley and [player_tooltip player_id="812196" first="Kalen" last="Garry"] from De Smet. Both players were All-State selections last season and Garry was the Class B Player of the Year. On the year, both squads are off to a nice start. The highlight so far on the season for De Smet was their game against Dream City Christian (AZ) where they lost 57-61. Dream City Christian is a national power and they have multiple high-ranked recruits. Garry had a great showing and he dropped 35 points. He has also had many impressive games with gaudy numbers. Sioux Valley has only played the two games, so we have a small sample size. I do know, that they have some great players. The top Cossacks are [player_tooltip player_id="812212" first="Hayden" last="Ruesink"], [player_tooltip player_id="963744" first="Oliver" last="Vincent"], [player_tooltip player_id="968190" first="Parker" last="Puetz"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1266223" first="Alec" last="Squires"]. The top Bulldogs are [player_tooltip player_id="812196" first="Kalen" last="Garry"], [player_tooltip player_id="812211" first="Rett" last="Osthus"], [player_tooltip player_id="968174" first="Tory" last="Holland"], and [player_tooltip player_id="963766" first="Damon" last="Wilkinson"]. One matchup to keep your eyes on is Sioux Valleys 6’9 sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1266223" first="Alec" last="Squires"] vs. De Smet’s 6’9 jr. [player_tooltip player_id="963766" first="Damon" last="Wilkinson"]. These two will play a big role in rebounding and rim protecting. [player_tooltip player_id="968174" first="Tory" last="Holland"] vs. [player_tooltip player_id="812212" first="Hayden" last="Ruesink"] is another intriguing matchup. Will the game come down to [player_tooltip player_id="963744" first="Oliver" last="Vincent"] or [player_tooltip player_id="812196" first="Kalen" last="Garry"]? All I know is that this will be an amazing matchup that will be must-see basketball on Friday night in Brookings.