Thirty Years in the Making, Wessington Springs Boys Basketball Lands First State Tournament Appearance Since 1994
An impenetrable defensive foundation paired with one of Class B’s best scoring offenses steered the Spartans to success throughout the regular and post season, leading No. 4 Wessington Springs to deliver a convincing 54-35 win over 13-seed Waverly-South Shore in the SoDak 16 on Tuesday, March 5 in Huron.
With 21 consecutive wins and a victory in the SoDak 16, Wessington Springs has earned a trip to the state tournament — the first appearance for the boys in 30 years when the Spartans were state-bound in 1994 as a member of Class A.
Only allowing 10 points by halftime in Tuesday's game, the Spartan's defense, once again, stepped up.
“Coming into the year, the number one goal I had is to get better defensively. This year we finished second in the state in points given up per game out of 73 class B teams,” said Head Boys Basketball Coach Kenny Huether. “Even on nights we aren’t as sharp offensively, as long as we keep playing great D, we have found success.”
In the SoDak 16 game, Ryder Michalek led the Spartans with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Colby Flowers also had 12 rebounds along with nine points. Parker Graff scored 14 points and had six rebounds. Brock Krueger rounded the game out with eight points.
Advancing to the Class B state quarterfinals, the Spartans will take on Howard (five seed) on Thursday, March 14 in Aberdeen at 1:45 p.m. The sole loss (38-33) on the season for the Spartans was against the Howard Tigers in December.
“We sniffed going to state last year but ended up six points short to Viborg-Hurley. We played hard and we were a little physically overwhelmed by their size,” Huether pointed out, adding that advancing to where the Spartans now find themselves is a culmination of a whole year’s work. “Camps, workouts, a grueling 20-game schedule. We fight to stay injury free and keep sickness from getting you down. To overcome everything and be here, we are excited for the opportunity.”
