Sioux Falls O’Gorman won its third straight state Class AA championship while all three number one seeds and two defending champs lost in the girls state tournaments played Thursday through Saturday.
O’Gorman continued to have Brandon Valley’s number as the Knights stopped the Lynx 59-53 for the third straight year in the AA title game in Rapid City. Brandon Valley handed SFO its only regular season loss and had been undefeated and was the number one seed.
In other placing games third seed Sioux Falls Washington defeated #5 Aberdeen Central 65-42 for third place, number seven Mitchell downed #4 Rapid City Stevens 59-53 for fifth, and #8 Tea Area toppled #6 Sioux Falls Jefferson 69-55 for seventh.
Fifth-seeded Lennox cruised to the Class A title, winning by an average of 15 points per game and stopping last year’s runner-up and unbeaten Mahpiya Luta 65-51 in Watertown. Lennox also rolled past #1 seed Hamlin 57-41 in semifinal action. Mahpiya Luta had avenged its one-point loss to defending champion Sioux Falls Christian a year ago with a 58-45 semifinal win.
Sioux Falls Christian rebounded with a 51-50 victory over Hamlin for third place. Number four Sioux Valley nudged #7 West Central 63-61 for fifth, and eighth seed Lakota Tech defeated #3 Wagner 67-64 for seventh.
Number one seed Lyman and defending champ Bennett County both lost in first round play in the upset-laden Class B tourney in Brookings. Fourth-seeded Ethan downed #6 Harding County 48-39 in the championship tilt.
Number eight Corsica-Stickney, who defeated #1 Lyman 65-56 in first round play, also stopped #2 Parkston 65-58 for third place. Bennett County bounced back to place fifth with a 58-47 win over Lyman, and #7 Centerville beat #5 Colman Egan 53-46 for seventh.
