Late surge gives Hamlin a chance to win a second-straight State A boys basketball crown

SIOUX FALLS — Here's a recap of Friday games in the state Class A boys basketball tournament at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.

Friday's Semifinals

Hamlin 57, Rapid City Christian 42 — Third-seeded and defending champion Hamlin pulled through down the stretch to survive a physical battle with second-seeded Rapid City Christian.

Christian used a 10-0 run early in the game to led until midway through the third period. Hamlin closed the quarter with a 10-4 run and outscored the Comets 17-3 in the final period.

"It was physical last year when we played them in this game (state semifinals) and again this year when we played them in the Corn Palace," Hamlin coach Todd Neuendorf told South Dakota Public Broadcasting. "We were kind of expected the same thing."

Part of Hamlin's first-half struggles were due to foul trouble. The Chargers played most of the second quarter without a couple starters but were able to trim the deficit to 25-22 at halftime.

"We had some guys step up and play big for us," Neuendorf said. "Once we got everybody back together on the floor, we were able to get things going."

Hamlin led 40-39 after three quarters and opened the final period with 3-pointers by Zac VanMeeteren and Easton Neudorf and never looked back.

Neuendorf finished with 18 points and six steals, VanMeeteren 14 points and Evan Stormo 11 points. Jackson Wadsworth added seven points and seven assists.

Benson Kieffer's 13 points paced RCC. Wes Schlabach chipped in with seven points and seven rebounds.

Hamlin's Jackson Wadsworth catches a pass against Rapid City Christian's Wes Schlabach during their semifinal game in the state Class A boys basketball tournament on Friday, March 21, 2025, in the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center at Sioux Falls. The defending champion Chargers rallied to win 57-42.

Sioux Falls Christian 71, Lennox 51 — Top-seeded and top-rated Sioux Falls Christian earned a return trip to the championship game with the win. The Chargers led 31-23 at halftime before blowing the game open with a 23-10 surge in the third quarter.

Griffen Goodbary tallied 16 points, Brant Wassenaar 15, Britton Mulder and Carson Nickles 11 each and Cole Snyder 10 for SFC. Snyder and Wassenaar each dished out seven assists.

Tate Gerdes had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Aiden Hanssen 10 points for Lennox.

Friday's Consolation Semifinals

West Central 59, Groton Area 40 — Connor Mebius scored 20 points to carry West Central, which also got 14 points and nine rebounds from Will Kuhl and 12 points from Kolte Garry.

Ryder Johnson produced 12 points and seven rebounds, Becker Bosma 10 points and Gage Sippel seven points and eight rebounds for Groton Area.

Clark-Willow Lake's Emmerson Larson goes up for two points against Hill City's Everett Sullivan during their consolation semifinal game in the state Class A boys basketball tournament on Friday, March 21, 2025, at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls. Hill City rallied to win 68-63.

Hill City 68, Clark-Willow Lake 63 — Hill City notched its first-ever state tournament win by overcoming a nine-point deficit late in the third quarter and closing the game with a 13-8 run in the final 4:10.

Everett Sullivan snapped a 63-63 tie by hitting two free throws with 1:31 remaining. Devin Buehler added a free throw and Zane Messick two free throws in the final 28.4 seconds.

Messier (20 points, seven rebounds), Buehler (17 points) and Sullivan (13 points, seven rebounds) paced the Rangers.

Chris Bevers led Clark-Willow Lake with 21 points. Sully Felberg added 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists; Emmerson Larson 15 points and Bo Begeman 10 points and seven rebounds.

Saturday's Games

Seventh Place (Groton Area vs. Clark-Willow Lake, noon); consolation championship (West Central vs. Hill City, 1:45 p.m.); third place (Lennox vs. Rapid City Christian, 6 p.m.); and championship (Hamlin vs. Sioux Falls Christian, 7:45 p.m.).

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Coverage of the final two days of the State A boys basketball tourney

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