Aberdeen Christian: State Tournament Run

If you have not heard of the Knights from Aberdeen Christian then you must not follow Class B South Dakota Basketball. They qualified for their third straight State Tournament this spring! Two years ago the Knights and the rest of the State qualifying teams did not get to play out the tournament out because of COVID-19. Aberdeen Christian had another wonderful season in 2021-2022. They played a tough regular-season schedule and they ended the year with an impressive 21-5 record. The wild thing is that the Knights return everyone back from this team. The entire starting 5 and all the reserves will be back! When PHD comes out with "The Way Too Early Rankings" for next season, Aberdeen Christian will be highly ranked! Read below for an in-depth look at the highly talented Knights and their impressive State Tournament run. <h4>Player Stats</h4> [player_tooltip player_id="963783" first="Malek" last="Wieker"] (2023) |6-0 G| - 17 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.4 spg, 44 3FG%, 78 made 3-pointers [player_tooltip player_id="963765" first="Ethan" last="Russell"] (2023) |6-6 SF| - 14.6 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, .7 spg, 1.6 bpg, 30 3FG% [player_tooltip player_id="963760" first="Jackson" last="Isakson"] (2023) |6-3 G| - 11.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.2 spg, 55 2FG%, 4 charges taken [player_tooltip player_id="1288337" first="Andrew" last="Brennan"] (2023) |5-9 G| - 5.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 spg, 50 2FG% Kaden Clark (2023) |6-3 F| - 5.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.2 apg, .9 spg 57 2FG% Abe Holscher (2023) |6-0 G| - 3.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg, .3 apg, .6 spg [player_tooltip player_id="1266233" first="Blake" last="Rich"] (2024) |6-5 F| - 2.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg Joey Johnson (2024) |6-4 F| - 1.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg <h4>Team Stats</h4> PPG: 60.7 RPG: 34.2 APG: 15.9 SPG: 6.7 BPG: 3.1 FG%: 44 2FG%: 53 3FGM: 187 3FG%: 35 FT%: 67 <h4>Post-Season Awards</h4> [player_tooltip player_id="963783" first="Malek" last="Wieker"] - 1st Team All-State, 1st Team All-Conference, Co-MVP of Lake Region Conference [player_tooltip player_id="963765" first="Ethan" last="Russell"] - 2nd Team All-State, STATE All-Tournament Team, 1st Team All-Conference, Co-MVP of Lake Region Conference [player_tooltip player_id="963760" first="Jackson" last="Isakson"] - 1st Team All-Conference [player_tooltip player_id="1288337" first="Andrew" last="Brennan"] - Honorable Mention All-Conference Kaden Clark - Honorable Mention All-Conference <h4>Knight Talk with Coach David Rohrbach</h4> PHD: What were some of the highlights of the season? Coach Rohrbach: "Some highlights this year was our win streak in the middle of the year, in which we beat several good teams including Potter County, Waubay Summit, and Howard. Another highlight was qualifying for the State Tournament." PHD: Who was your "go-to" player when you needed a basket? Coach Rohrbach: "Whenever we needed a bucket [player_tooltip player_id="963783" first="Malek" last="Wieker"] was the guy who a lot of times would have the ball in his hands. He is great under pressure and doesn’t shy away from big moments." Which players improved the most for you this season and what did they improve on? Coach Rohrbach: "Kaden Clark and [player_tooltip player_id="1288337" first="Andrew" last="Brennan"] -Both guys who filled starting roles for us. They gave us each over 5 points a game and were great assist guys as well. Always do whatever the team needs on any given night. In our SODAK 16 game, they led us in scoring in the first half giving us a huge lift offensively." PHD: Who were a few of your hardest workers and what did they do well? Coach Rohrbach: "Our whole team works so hard it’s hard to pick one particular guy. That’s what makes me so proud of this group." PHD: Can you talk about a time when you and the team overcame adversity? Coach Rohrbach: "At the State B Tournament, I felt our guys overcame some adversity. We found ourselves in the 7th place game after not playing our best the first couple of days. But the guys came out and put together a strong game to finish the season well heading into the off-season with a win." PHD: Who was your best practice player and why? Coach Rohrbach: "Our second five was tremendous all season long. Very talented group who pushed our starters every day, both to get better and so they would be ready when they were called upon." PHD: Who were some of your key bench players? Coach Rohrbach: "Abe Holscher, [player_tooltip player_id="1266233" first="Blake" last="Rich"], Joey Johnson, Konnor Furman" PHD: Can you make a few comments about the seniors that you are losing? Coach Rohrbach: "No Seniors" PHD: Who are some of your top players that will be back next season? Coach Rohrbach: "We bring back our whole starting lineup and team." "[player_tooltip player_id="963783" first="Malek" last="Wieker"], [player_tooltip player_id="963765" first="Ethan" last="Russell"], [player_tooltip player_id="963760" first="Jackson" last="Isakson"], Kaden Clark, [player_tooltip player_id="1288337" first="Andrew" last="Brennan"]" <h4>Knights Scores & Schedule (21-5)</h4> James Valley Christian W 57-42 Warner W 64-40 Leola-Frederick Area W 71-37 Britton-Hecla W 66-38 White River L 48-58 FACS (TN) L 40-56 Oakes (ND) W 78-50 Potter County W 61-56 Faulkton Area W 58-54 Waubay-Summit W 57-50 Platte-Geddes W 60-49 Herreid-Selby Area W 76-43 Wilmot W 61-34 North Central W 73-33 Northwestern W 48-44 Ipswich W 61-47 Howard W 73-53 Langford Area W 57-42 Aberdeen Roncalli W 63-33 Groton Area L 46-60 Britton-Hecla W 54-30 Langford Area W 60-47 Lyman W 64-46 (SODAK 16) Potter County L 48-63 (STATE) Waubay-Summit L 42-56 (STATE) Freeman Academy-Marion W 72-65 (STATE) <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/aberdeenchristian.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-1428601" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/aberdeenchristian-300x236.jpg" alt="" width="182" height="143" /></a>