Three Up, Three Down
Who is playing well, who has recently struggled, and who are the players leading the way? It’s Three Up, Three Down.
Three Up
Rapid City Central. The Cobblers have won six straight games and are now 8-3 heading into a two game swing in Sioux Falls. The losses have come to Huron, a top team in Wyoming, and a top team in Nebraska. Who knows what will happen tonight but this conversation is about up to this point. The trio of Kohl Meisman (6-foot-6 wing/forward up front), Micah Swallow, and Julian Swallow has given this team a consistent scoring punch.
RC Stevens. Staying in Rapid City, the Raiders started the year 0-3 but then have won eight straight games. The Raiders eight game streak consisted of teams they should beat as well as teams at the mid-level, and now Stevens needs to show they can play with the good teams. They lost all three games they played against winning record squads, Roosevelt and O’Gorman are up this weekend. It’s been a good year for senior guard Colton Hartford so far and 6-foot-4 sophomore Terrance Eastman has showed quality potential.
Lennox. The Orioles are 10-1 and look like the best team in the region. Since a season opening loss to Sioux Falls Christian, Lennox has defeated good teams from Madison, Vermillion, and some others plus big things look to be ahead. Josh Arlt is having a great year scoring 20 points per game shooting 47 percent from the floor and 80 percent at the foul line. Will Daugherty and Josh Arlt make a fantastic backcourt.
Three Down
SF Washington. A four game winning streak has put the Warriors at 3-5 but there are opportunities ahead. That said, the four game losing streak wasn’t just tough, the games were ugly. An average of a 16 point per game loss each night has made things even tougher. A win over Huron is on the resume though.
Flandreau. There have been some tough losses including two Ls in the last three games. They are 5-4 but three of those wins were against 1-win teams. There are several winnable teams coming up so the record can pick up but Madison handed them a 58-42 defeat a week ago. They’ve had a week off to right the ship from that loss.
Howard, The Tigers opened the season with seven straight wins but when the schedule got tougher the losses came. The De Smet loss was by two scores but Viborg-Hurley knocked them down 61-29. Beating Bridgewater-Emery earlier in the week helped get them swinging back the other way. A rematch is coming up with Viborg-Hurley and the hope is Howard plays better.