South Dakota

2025 SDHAA State Girls' Basketball Saturday Recap

Published

10 months ago

March 16, 2025

2025 SDHAA State Girls' Basketball Saturday Recap

The 2025 SDHSAA state girls’ basketball tournaments wrapped up on Saturday, March 15, from Rapid City (AA), Spearfish (A), and Huron (B).

Class B

7^th/8^th Place Game

Harding County 48 Deubrook Area 39

Harding County defeated Deubrook Area 48-39 to place seventh at the ‘B’ girls state tournament. The Ranchers were led offensively by Bailey Verhulst. She scored 13 points in the winning effort. The Dolphins top scorer was Kylee Johnson. She finished with a double-double, 11 points and ten rebounds, in the loss for Deubrook.

Consolation Championship

Parkston 38 Lyman 35

Parkston is the ‘B’ girls consolation champions after a 38-35 win over Lyman. The Trojans were led by Lauren Ziebart and Keeara Oakley, who both scored ten in the contest. Oakley also had ten rebounds as well. Bree Smart scored ten points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Raiders in the loss.

3^rd/4^th Place Game

Centerville 65 St. Mary 50

Centerville finishes the year in third place after they defeated St. Mary 65-50 on Saturday. The pair of Emma Marshall and Althea Gust led the way for the Tornadoes as each notched 15 points in the game. Marshall also led the team with 13 rebounds. St. Mary’s top scorers were Brianna Griffin and Madala Hanson. They each finished with 12 points and combined for ten rebounds.

Championship

Bennett County 71 Sanborn Central/Woonsocket 61

For the first time since 1986, Bennett County has won a girls state basketball championship. The Warriors defeated Sanborn Central/Woonsocket 71-61 on Saturday night in Huron. Bennett County was led by the O’Neill sisters, Reagan and Peyson, who combined for 43 points in the contest. Liz Boschee and Alexa Goertz each scored 15 points for the Blackhawks.

Class A

7^th/8^th Place Game

Wagner 59 Mt Vernon/Plankinton 47

Wagner defeated Mt. Vernon/Plankinton 59-47 in the seventh place game on Saturday. Ashlyn Koupal had a double-double with 33 points and ten rebounds for the Red Raiders. She also had nine blocks in the game. Reagan Rus was the top scorer for the Titans with 20 points. She also had nine rebounds in the loss.

Consolation Championship

Sioux Valley 74 Mobridge-Pollock 59

Sioux Valley won the consolation championship with a 74-59 win over Mobridge-Pollock. Kaile Cradduck had a double-double for the Cossacks with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Talya Vincent also had 17 points and Liberty scored 16 points in the win as well for Sioux Valley. For the Tigers, Blake Thompson led the team with 20 points and a couple of steals.

3^rd/4^th Place Game

Hamlin 60 Dakota Valley 45

Hamlin defeated Dakota Valley 60-45 to place third in Class A. Addison Neuendorf and Addie Steffensen combined for 45 points in the Chargers winning effort. For the Panthers, Cameryn Sommervold led the team with 12 points, eight rebounds, and a couple steals.

Championship

Sioux Falls Christian won a thriller over Mahpíya Lúta 57-56 in a shot at the buzzer. Lezlei Setzer, who led the Chargers with 14 points, released the final attempt that just beat the buzzer and fell through the hoop. Emory Lems also tallied 12 points in the win for Sioux Falls Christian. Essence Tobacco led Mahpíya Lúta with 15 points on five of six from beyond the arc.

Class AA

7^th/8^th Place Game

Sioux Falls Jefferson 52 Pierre TF Riggs 51

Sioux Falls Jefferson won the seventh place game 52-51 over Pierre TF Riggs. Abby Horner scored 22 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and contributed with three steals for the Cavaliers. For the Governors, Emery Larson led the offense with 23-points. Eighteen of her points were scored from beyond the arc.

Consolation Championship

Mitchell 49 Spearfish 38

Mitchell defeated Spearfish 49-38 in the consolation championship. Addie Siemsen scored 13 points to lead the Kernels offensively in the game. On the Spartans side, it was Jozie Dana who led the team on offense with 11 points.

3^rd/4^th Place Game

Sioux Falls Washington 67 Rapid City Stevens 64

Sioux Falls Washington defeated Rapid City Stevens 67-64 in the third place game. Two of the strengths for the Warriors was a 54% shooting performance and +20 in the rebound department. Dana Harpe led Washington in scoring with 20 points and nine rebounds. Taaliya Porter led the Raiders with 37 points and nine rebounds.

Championship

O’Gorman 47 Brandon Valley 46

O’Gorman goes back-to-back in Class AA as the Knights defeated Brandon Valley in a 47-46 thriller on Saturday night. Sydney Terveen led O’Gorman in scoring with 21 points, but it was five late points by Ruby Moore that put the Knights ahead. The Lynx were led by Alyvia Padgett, who scored 12, and Amanda Lease, who tallied 11.

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South Dakota

Sheridan Lake rescue prompts winter ice safety warning

Published

9 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Sheridan Lake rescue prompts winter ice safety warning

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – A harrowing scene at Sheridan Lake ended without serious injury Tuesday after a man, a woman and their dog fell through thin ice near the swimming beach, authorities said.

Keep pets on a leash and never attempt a risky rescue if someone falls through the ice, officials said. Call 911 immediately.

The South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks agency advises that ice three inches or less is unsafe. Four inches is generally considered the minimum for walking, ice fishing or skating.

Lt. Casey Kenrick of the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office said the incident is a reminder to take extra precautions this winter.

“Usually at this time the ice is significantly thick on the lakes around the area, well, some aren’t even frozen all the way at this point. The temperatures have been up and down so much that the ice isn’t solid even though it may look like it is, so make sure you know the ice depth that you’re getting onto,” Kenrick said.

Kenrick said those precautions could mean the difference between a close call and a tragedy.

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South Dakota

A day in South Dakota history

Published

21 hours ago

January 8, 2026

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RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – On Jan. 7, 1995, William Janklow began his third of four terms as governor. From statehood until 1972, governors served two-year terms. Voters then approved a constitutional amendment in 1972 allowing governors to serve two consecutive four-year terms.

Janklow served from 1979 to 1987 and again from 1995 to 2003. His 16 years are the longest stint of any governor in South Dakota history

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South Dakota

As South Dakota’s student population shrinks, more choose homeschools

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

As South Dakota’s student population shrinks, more choose homeschools

South Dakota’s K-12 population dropped slightly this year, along with public and private school enrollment, but enrollment in alternative instruction grew once again.

That’s according to headcount numbers taken Sept. 26, 2025, and released by the South Dakota Department of Education by Dec. 31.

All totaled, there are 163,053 K-12 students across the state, with 83% of those students attending public schools, 9% enrolled in nonpublic schools and 8% in alternative instruction.

There are 934 fewer K-12 students across the state than last year’s count of 163,987, a 0.5% decrease.

Public school enrollment decreased by 1,736 students statewide. Across 147 public school districts, there were 135,577 K-12 students this fall, down from 137,313 in last year’s fall count, a decrease of slightly more than 1%.

Private school enrollment decreased by 142 students statewide, totaling 15,043 students in nonpublic schools accredited by the SDDOE across the state, down from last year’s count of 15,185, a decrease of 1%.

Nonpublic school enrollment includes 9,462 students in private schools, 5,072 in tribal/BIE schools, 268 in special population schools, 175 in coop/multi-districts, 26 in community-based service providers, 21 in the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and 19 in alternative schools.

Alternative instruction enrollment increased by 944 students statewide, totaling 12,433 students in alternative instruction or homeschooling this fall, up from 11,489 in last year’s count, an increase of 8%.

In the Sioux Falls metro area, there are 52,325 K-12 students, with 85% attending public schools, 9% enrolled in nonpublic schools and 6% in alternative instruction.

Sioux Falls area public schools

The state’s largest public school district, the Sioux Falls School District, shrunk by 171 students this fall, down from last year’s count of 24,221 K-12 students to this year’s count of 24,050.

Sioux Falls’ neighboring public K-12 school districts saw the following enrollment changes this year:

Harrisburg, the state’s third-largest district, grew by 173 students, from 6,182 last year to 6,355 this year.
Brandon Valley, the state’s fourth-largest district, grew by 82 students, from 5,073 last year to 5,155 this year.
Tea Area grew by five students, from 2,509 last year to 2,514 this year.
West Central shrunk by 32 students, from 1,418 last year to 1,386 this year.
Lennox grew by 14 students, from 1,119 last year to 1,133 this year.
Tri-Valley grew by 41 students, from 952 last year to 993 this year.
Dell Rapids shrunk by 32 students, from 965 last year to 933 this year.
Canton shrunk by 23 students, from 888 last year to 865 this year.
Baltic grew by three students, from 539 last year to 542 this year.
Garretson shrunk by 10 students, from 468 last year to 458 this year.

All totaled, there are 44,384 K-12 students in Sioux Falls area public schools, a growth of 50 students or 0.1% from last fall’s count of 44,334.

Sioux Falls area private schools

Sioux Falls’ three largest private K-12 school systems saw the following enrollment changes this year:

Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools, the largest private school system in the state, shrunk by two students, from 2,224 last year to 2,222 this year.
Sioux Falls Christian School shrunk by nine students, from 1,447 last year to 1,438 this year.
Sioux Falls Lutheran School grew by 41 students, from 336 last year to 377 this year.

Other local nonpublic K-12 school enrollments include:

221 students at St. Mary’s School in Dell Rapids;
130 students at Children’s Home Society of South Dakota;
125 at East Dakota Educational Cooperative;
119 at LifeScape;
49 at McCrossan Boys Ranch;
45 at Good Shepherd Lutheran School,
43 at Westside Christian School,
23 at Bethel Lutheran School;
Four at Southeastern;
Three at Baan Dek Montessori;
One at 605 Prep;
One at DakotAbilities.

All totaled, there are 4,801 K-12 students in Sioux Falls area nonpublic schools, a growth of 24 students or 0.5% from last fall’s count of 4,777.

Sioux Falls area alternative instruction

Though it’s the second-largest public school district in the state, Rapid City Area Schools saw the largest number of students opt out of public school and into alternative instruction and homeschooling once again this year, with 1,839 students, followed by the largest district, Sioux Falls, with 1,793 students.

Sioux Falls-area schools had the following alternative instruction enrollment shifts this year:

1,793 in Sioux Falls, an increase of 131 from last year’s count of 1,662;
379 in Harrisburg, an increase of 78 from last year’s count of 301;
350 in Brandon Valley, an increase of 67 from last year’s count of 283;
111 in Tea, a decrease of four from last year’s count of 115;
105 in Lennox, an increase of two from last year’s count of 103;
97 in West Central, an increase of six from last year’s count of 91;
87 in Dell Rapids, an increase of 11 from last year’s count of 76;
79 in Canton, a decrease of two from last year’s count of 81;
73 in Tri-Valley, an increase of seven from last year’s count of 66;
42 in Garretson, an increase of 10 from last year’s count of 32;
24 in Baltic, a decrease of one from last year’s count of 25.

All totaled, there are 3,140 students in alternative instruction in the Sioux Falls metro area, an increase of 305 students or 10.7% from last year’s count of 2,835.

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