Sioux Falls Washington: Season Review

The Warriors made a AA State Tournament appearance and they took home a 3rd place finish! [player_tooltip player_id="812201" first="Mikele" last="Kambalo"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1265960" first="Angok" last="Akot"] earned All-State Tournament Team honors. In the State Semifinals, the Warriors had a dogfight with O’Gorman but they came up short by one point. WHS bounced back from the emotional loss and ended the season with a win over Harrisburg to take home the 3rd place trophy. It was Jeff Tobin’s first season as head coach of the Warriors. He and SF Washington had a great season and they will look to build from their success. Congratulations on a great season coach Tobin and the Sioux Falls Washington Warriors! <h4>Stat Leaders</h4> [player_tooltip player_id="812201" first="Mikele" last="Kambalo"] (2022) |5-10 PG| - 18.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.8 spg, 38.8 3FG%, 78.9 FT% [player_tooltip player_id="968154" first="Joe" last="Uttecht"] (2022) |6-1 G| - 10 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.6 spg, 46.9 3FG%, 74.2 FT% [player_tooltip player_id="968171" first="Tommy" last="Peterson"] (2022) |6-2 F| - 6.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.1 apg [player_tooltip player_id="1172924" first="Cole" last="Peterson"] (2022) |6-2 G| - 3.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.4 apg [player_tooltip player_id="1172904" first="Zharic" last="Sheppard"] (2023) |6-6 F| - 6.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 72.7 FT% [player_tooltip player_id="1390895" first="Mandalla" last="Mohamed"] (2023) |6-2 G| - 7.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.3 pg, 1 spg, 43.3 3FG%, 67.3 FT% [player_tooltip player_id="1265960" first="Angok" last="Akot"] (2022) |6-8 F| - 9.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1 apg, 50 3FG% <h4>Team Stats</h4> PPG: 62 FG%: 42.1 3FG%: 34.7 FT%: 67.4 RPG: 34.5 APG: 12 SPG: 7.6 BPG: 1.5 3’s made: 152 FT’s made: 246 <h4>Warrior Talk with Coach Jeff Tobin</h4> PHD: What were some of the highlights of the season? Coach Tobin: "Some of the highlights from this season were simply seeing guys gain confidence as the season progressed. We had a lot of guys who were new to the varsity floor, and from the beginning to the end it was a night and day difference in who some of these guys are as basketball players. We had some thrilling games along the way, but I think the highlight has to be how we performed an competed at a high level at the state tournament and played our best basketball of the season. That’s really something to be proud of." PHD: Who was your "go-to" player when you needed a basket? Coach Tobin: "Our go-to player all year long was [player_tooltip player_id="812201" first="Mikele" last="Kambalo"]. He carried us at times and we really relied on him to play a lot of minutes and have the ball in his hands a lot of the time. MK was so special in finding his shots and making the game be at his pace, which is much quicker than most others. He hit some big-time shots when we needed them, and put on a few memorable performances along the way." PHD: Which player improved the most for you this season and what did he improve on? Coach Tobin: "I think the player that improved the most was [player_tooltip player_id="1390895" first="Mandalla" last="Mohamed"]. Mandalla was our best defender on the floor but was also our best passer. He has some elite court vision and is such an unselfish player. He has a competitiveness that is unmatched and brings an energy to the floor that we were always counting on. We are excited to see how he continues to improve." PHD: Who were a few of your hardest workers and what did they do well? Coach Tobin: "We have a lot of guys that worked extremely hard. The first guy to mention is [player_tooltip player_id="968154" first="Joe" last="Uttecht"]. He was our Captain, our first guy in the gym, and the last to leave. He was a no-excuse guy and expected those around him to follow his example. We will miss his leadership and his poise, but we know that it has rubbed off on guys who will return to our program. A couple of other hard workers are [player_tooltip player_id="1172924" first="Cole" last="Peterson"] and Kaden Schmidt. These are two guys who get up before school every morning and get to the gym to shoot extra shots. They have made it an expectation that they will be there shooting if others want to join. These are the kinds of things that make a program special." PHD: Can you talk about a time when you and the team overcame adversity? Coach Tobin: "The biggest moment of adversity was probably halftime of our 3rd game against Huron. We were 0-2 at the time and down by about 15 at halftime at Huron. It was a gut-check time to decide who we were going to be. We got down as many as 20 in that game and found a way to come back and win by 8. It was really a turning point in our season that gave us the confidence we needed going into Christmas break." PHD: Who was your best practice player and why? Coach Tobin: "Our best practice player was senior [player_tooltip player_id="968192" first="Patrick" last="Osborn"]. Patrick showed up every day and worked his tail off, again, without any excuses. Patrick was always trying to make himself and his teammates better. He always played hard and was a big piece in helping us play at our highest level." PHD: Who were some of your key bench players? Coach Tobin: "Off the bench, we had some key seniors and juniors who were crucial in the team we became in the end. [player_tooltip player_id="1390895" first="Mandalla" last="Mohamed"] was our best defender and played a huge role on the offensive end passing and scoring the ball. [player_tooltip player_id="1172924" first="Cole" last="Peterson"] came in and provided leadership through his voice and knocked down some big shots along the way. Noah Robertson brought an edge and an intensity that we greatly needed and grabbed key rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id="963809" first="Tryg" last="Auten"] grew into a bigger role toward the end of the season that we were thrilled with, playing hard-nosed defense and hitting some key shots." PHD: Can you make a few comments about the seniors that you are losing? Jeff Tobin: We will have seven seniors that we will lose to graduation this year: [player_tooltip player_id="968154" first="Joe" last="Uttecht"], [player_tooltip player_id="812201" first="Mikele" last="Kambalo"], [player_tooltip player_id="1265960" first="Angok" last="Akot"], Noah Robertson, [player_tooltip player_id="968192" first="Patrick" last="Osborn"], [player_tooltip player_id="968171" first="Tommy" last="Peterson"], and Blayne Verhey. These seniors have been a joy to get to know and work with, and they were a fun bunch to be around. Not only were they very talented on the court, but they also are great people who will do awesome things in their next chapter. We are thankful for all they have done to better our Warrior Basketball Program and even more so, our Warrior community. PHD: Who are some of your top players that will be back next season? Jeff Tobin: Some of our top returners next year will be [player_tooltip player_id="1172904" first="Zharic" last="Sheppard"] (started about half this season), [player_tooltip player_id="1390895" first="Mandalla" last="Mohamed"], [player_tooltip player_id="1172924" first="Cole" last="Peterson"], [player_tooltip player_id="963809" first="Tryg" last="Auten"], [player_tooltip player_id="1227935" first="Gage" last="Gasca"], Kaden Schmidt, and Dan Sanchez. These 7 juniors had a great year of Varsity/JV experience and really grew up as the season progressed. We are looking forward to a great spring/summer/fall with this group. <h4>Warrior Scores/Schedule (16-8)</h4> Yankton L 53-66 Harrisburg L 57-69 Huron W 61-53 Aberdeen Central W 67-52 Pierre W 64-44 O’Gorman L 51-62 SF Jefferson W 70-64 Marshall (MN) W 58-54 SF Lincoln L 81-83 SF Roosevelt L 43-64 Brookings W 62-33 Watertown W 68-64 Brandon Valley W 54-29 O’Gorman L 50-52 Mitchell W 71-66 SF Roosevelt L 40-66 SF Jefferson W 75-68 SF Lincoln W 68-65 Rapid City Stevens W 70-54 Rapid City Central W 63-42 Watertown W 70-63 (SODAK 16) SF Jefferson W 66-56 (State) O’Gorman L 57-58 (State) Harrisburg W 66-55 (State 3rd place game)