Huron Holiday Classic

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HURON — Two big days of basketball are scheduled for the Huron Holiday Classic, which will be held Friday and Saturday at Huron Arena.
Kicking off the event will be seven girls’ basketball games on Friday beginning at 10 a.m. Five boys’ basketball games will be held Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m.
Admission will be $7 for adults and $5 for students each day. One admission will cover the entire day’s games.
Here’s a look at the matchups for the Huron Holiday Classic.
Friday
10 a.m.
Hitchcock-Tulare vs. Leola-Frederick Area
Both teams currently have just one loss this season and both teams have games scheduled the night before their meeting.
“Leola-Frederick Area will be a good matchup for us,” said Kristi Smith, who is in her first season as coach for Hitchcock-Tulare. “They have some great shooters and are known for playing tough, aggressive defense.”
The Lady Patriots, who are currently 3-1, are led by senior starters Ally Binger, Tyler Schone and Baylee Enander. Filling the other starting spots are junior Dawsyn Otto and sophomore Elizabeth Salmen.
Providing depth for Hitchcock-Tulare will be freshmen Dannyn Peterson, Kenidee Enander, Ashley Masat, Kaitlynn O’Dell and Kaitlyn Rathjen, along with junior Christine Michlitsch.
“Our goal is to get a ‘W’ and enjoy the day,” Smith said. “The Huron Arena is a great venue to play in, and we are looking forward to having a fun experience there.”
Leola-Frederick Area, which will face Wolsey-Wessington in the Big Bo Classic on Thursday in Wolsey, is currently 2-1.
“We’re expect a highly competitive game,” Leola-Frederick Area coach Troy Podoll said of facing Hitchcock-Tulare.
The Titans are a veteran team with four of their five starters being seniors, and at times all five starters are seniors. Taking the floor at the start will be seniors Michaela Podoll, Keely Podoll, Casandra Hinz, and Abby Berreth. Junior Maddie Nordine holds the other starting spot, but on occasions is replaced by senior Hannah Sumption in the starting lineup.
Filling reserve roles for Leola-Frederick Area are junior Brooklyn Podoll, junior Meza Meyers, freshman Avery Wolff, sophomore Miranda Lai and freshman Anna Lapka.
“This is our first time playing in the classic, and our first trip back to Huron since the 2015 Class B State Tournament,” Podoll said. “We’re hoping to play well, represent our community well and emerge with a win if all goes well.”
11:30 a.m.
Iroquois vs. Lower Brule
Iroquois, which is a young team, is still searching for its first victory after three games this season.
Allie Diehl is the lone senior for the Lady Chiefs and she is joined in a leadership role by sophomore Niah Rogers. Filling out the rosters are freshmen Hayley Geyer, Jorja Huls, Morgan Knutson, Kaitlyn Maas and Sierra Kogel, along with eighth-graders Harley Nelson and Katie Dubro.
Lower Brule, which has won four of its first six games, brings in a bit more experienced lineup despite being without a senior on the roster.
“We are returning our key players from last year and have a couple of transfers that add some depth into our lineup,” Lower Brule coach Brian LaRoche said.
Leading the Lady Sioux are juniors Molly Jandreau, Chasity LaRoche, Arianna Traversie, Mary Goodlow and Laurissa LaRoche. They are joined by sophomores Bariah LaRoche, Justina Grassrope-Brouse and Katleyn Bortolussi.
“We are expecting to have a good experience and hopefully get to catch some of the other games, and get to see some different teams play,” LaRoche said.
1 p.m.
James Valley Christian vs. Colman-Egan
This game will be a matchup of speed vs. height, according the JVC coach Ryan Glanzer.
“This should be a good game. Both of us are young, but talented teams,” he said. “They are tall, so we will have to make sure we box out every possession, and once we get the rebound, we need to push the ball up the floor.”
The Lady Vikings, who are currently 1-4, are led by seniors Sadie Stahl and Avery Shumaker. They are joined in the starting lineup by juniors Elizabeth Mendel and Rebekah Williams, along with sophomore Alanna Hood.
Guard Haleigh Nicol is the lone senior on the roster for Colman-Egan, which is 2-3. Also filling leadership roles for the Hawks are juniors Madison Voelker, Katie Hannasch and Olivia Moore, along with sophomore Jordan Wittrock.
“They start three girls that are 5-10, so they will be pretty tall,” Glanzer said of Colman-Egan.
“Madison Voelker and Mackenzie Hemmer are their main scorers, but they have good role players around them.”
2:30 p.m.
Ipswich vs. Jones County
Ipswich has put together six straight wins to start the season.
“We are excited to play in Huron Arena; it has a great atmosphere to play in,” Ipswich coach Brian Hogie said. “We hope to come out and play hard and execute well.”

Allison Severson is the lone senior on the roster for the Lady Tigers. She is joined in the starting lineup by juniors Kamryn Heinz, Abby Grabowska and Aleah Steger, along with freshman Halle Heinz. Filling reserve roles are sophomore Tessa Kilber and junior Bailey Hammrich.
Leading Jones County, which is 1-2 this season, are seniors Molly Dowling, Emily Flynn and Savannah Krogman. They are joined by sophomores Lilli Moore, Liz Fullen and Emily Jacobs.
“Jones county is a team we don’t know very much about. We don’t cross paths very often, even with teams that we both play,” Hogie said. “We need to contain Krogman and Dowling, as they are two good ball players.”
4 p.m.
Faulkton Area vs. Chester Area
Despite having no seniors on the roster, Faulkton Area is off to a 4-0 start this season.
Leading the Trojans are juniors Taylor Cramer, Grace Schlechter and Bailey Martinmaas, along with sophomores Makenzie Hustead, Abby Vetch, Morgan Melius and Brooke Niederbaumer.
Chester Area’s roster is also short on seniors, as Dakota Alfson is the lone senior on the team.
Alfson will be joined in the starting lineup for the Flyers by juniors Hanna Reiff, Jennilee Hoyer, and Jadon Wages, along with sophomore Makenna Larson.
Coming off the bench will be freshman Kenna Brown, junior Hailey Ewold and freshman Jada Becker.
“It will be a good opportunity to see a quality opponent that we wouldn’t see on our regular season schedule,” Chester Area coach Ross Peterson said. “This will be our third year participating in the Huron Classic. The past two years we have had an opportunity to play teams that we wouldn’t see during the season, which gives us a good assessment as to what is working and what is not as we head into January.”
5:30 p.m.
Sanborn Central-Woonsocket vs. Faith
These two teams are currently both undefeated. Sanborn Central-Woonsocket is 2-0, but will face Hitchcock-Tulare on Thursday, while Faith is 4-0.
“We will be facing a very good Faith team which is very well coached,” Sanborn Central-Woonsocket coach Tim McCain said. “They had a very good team last year and return four starters from that team.
“They are off to a good start this year and beat New Underwood, who qualified for the state tournament last year,” he said.
“They have a nice mix of players that we will have to defend. Kailyn Groves is a nice post player and they balance that with two good shooters in Jayden Shoemaker and Sydnie Schauer.”
Leading the Lady Blackhawks this season are seniors Abby Doering, Tristan Ziebart and Sarah Moody, along with juniors Megan Poyer and Madi Moody. Filling key reserve roles are senior Alissa Ball, juniors Abby Vermeulen, Tesa Jensen and Erica Howard, along with sopmore Kaylee White.
“This should be a fun event for our girls over the Christmas break. Huron has done a good job of getting this event organized and we are looking forward to playing a quality opponent,” McCain said. “We have not played many games so far this year, so this will be a good check to see where we fit in with some of the top teams in the state.”
Groves, a senior; Shoemaker, a junior; and Schauer, a sophomore, are joined in the starting lineup for Faith by senior Brooke Lemmel and junior Mikenzy Miller.
Reserves for the Lady Longhorns are senior Triston Delbridge, who is currently out with an injury, eighth-grader Kaycee Groves, junior Shianna Price, freshman Aiyana Byrd, freshman Ariah Engel, sophomore Megan Drum, sophomore Allix Vance, sophomore Jaydon Delbridge, freshman Delaney Smith and freshman Kirston Delbridge.
“We are facing a team that has been one of the best teams in the state for the last several years,” Faith coach Bryan Carmichael said. “They are very well coached, and it will be a lot of fun for my team to face a team with the tradition they have.”
7 p.m.
Miller vs. Elk Point-Jefferson
Miller and Elk Point-Jefferson both enter the classic with a pair of wins. Miller is 2-1, while Elk Point-Jefferson is 2-2.
“We’re excited to play in the venue and to play someone from the east,” Miller coach Aaron Zeller said. “I want my girls to gain some big-game experience and play well against a battle-tested EPJ team.
“My girls are working hard to prepare for this game and know they will have to play good defense, and execute our offense well in order to be competitive,” he said.
Seniors Teanna Pawlowski and Annie Keeter hold starting spots for the Rustlers, along with juniors Erin Moncur and Brooke Sargent, and sophomore Kadye Fernholz. Coming off the bench will be junior Elise Brooks, along with sophomores VonnaGail Schlechter, Abby Ketelhut, Rachel Oligmueller, Rachel Joy and Josi Stevens.
“EPJ is a solid team, they proved that by beating Madison earlier this year,” Zeller said. “They move the ball around very effectively and do not waste many possessions.
“They have good size, complimented by really good guard play,” he said. “They are very well coached and will definitely be in the mix at the end of the year.”

Saturday
1 p.m.
Lyman vs. Hitchcock-Tulare
Lyman is coming off its first win of the season, while Hitchcock-Tulare is looking to get back into the win column after an overtime thriller against Redfield-Doland in its latest outing.
“I think we will match up very nicely with them,” Lyman coach Eric Diehm said of facing the Patriots. “Just looking at their roster, we seem to be similar in size.
“They will be a well-coached team and will play good fundamental basketball,” he said. “It should be a fun and exciting game.”
Tate Wagner is the lone senior in the starting lineup for the Raiders, who are 1-3. He is joined by junior Carter Collins and sophomores Ty Schindler, Baptiste Pourier and Brenden Estes.
Reserve roles will be filled by sophomore Kaden Choal and freshmen Jacob Schindler and Tyson Floyd.
“We are in our third year of coming to the classic and it has always been a good time,” Diehm said. “The players like to play in a big gym and there is always a good crowd on hand. The teams that are chosen seem to match up well and it will be fun and entertaining basketball.”
Seniors Caileb Wanner and Zach Binger hold two of the starting spots for Hitchcock-Tulare. They will be joined by juniors Ty Hofer and Grant Hamilton, along with sophomore Logan Gilbert.
Reserves for the Patriots, who are 1-4, include senior Anthony Anderson, junior Coby Stoner and junior Dawson Gahm.
“Lyman is an unfamiliar opponent for us,” said Wayne Smith, who is in his first season as coach for Hitchcock-Tulare. “It’s always a good learning experience to play against new opponents.”
2:30 p.m.
Ethan vs. Leola-Frederick
Leola-Frederick will be searching for its first win after three games this season, while Ethan brings in a 2-1 mark.
“We are looking forward to playing a quality team from a different region,” Leola-Frederick coach Brock Pashen said.
Making up the starting lineup for the Titans are senior Alex Sumption, juniors Trevor Sumpetion and Tanner Geffre, sophomore Haydn Podoll and freshman Isaac Sumption. The key reserves are senior Lance Feickert and freshman Josh Hoffman.
Leading Ethan will be seniors Derek Storm, Abiah Plastow, Tanner Hines and Dylan Chmela. They are joined by juniors Evan Weeman, Myles Howard and Garrett Clendening.
4 p.m.
Faulkton Area vs. Rapid City Christian
Rapid City Christian is off to a 2-0 start, while Faulkton Area is currently 1-2.
“We have no seniors in the program this year, but we have had good depth so far with 10-11 guys seeing playing time,” Rapid City Christian coach Kyle Courtney said.
Starting for the Comets will be juniors Levi Vanden Bos, David Schmagel and Zane Schlabach, along with sophomores Jack Roisum and Ethan Wipf. Key reserves are junior Caleb Barber, sophomores Noah Roisum, David Greni, Payton Causey and Terrance Asbridge, along with freshman Sam Schlabach.
“I know they are a well-coached team and believe they are returning quite a few key players from last season,” Courtney said of Faulkton Area. “It will be a very challenging game for us and we will have to play our best if we hope to come away with a victory.”
Leading Faulkton Area will be seniors Nathan Vetch, James Bowar and Austin Brown. They will be joined by juniors Tyler Ogle and Jaden Meluis, along with sophomores Noah Cunningham, John Bowar, Derek Heitmann, Andrew Sorensen, Turner Bowar and Riley Bush.
5:30 p.m.
James Valley Christian vs. Gayville-Volin
James Valley Christian is seeking its second win of the season, while Gayville-Volin currently has a 2-1 record.
Ryan Wager, Michael Waldner and Brandon Burket are the seniors on the roster for JVC, while Josh Wieting, Brandon Held, Colton Schweigert, Darrian Hood, Carter Wells and Derek Thompson are juniors.
Gayville-Volin is led by seniors Cade Rickford, Colbey Rickford, Cameron Jueden and Taven McKee. Juniors on the roster for the Raiders, include Jacob Hirsch, Tristan Gustad, Skyler Olson, Chase Huether and Tristan Joachimsen.
7 p.m.
Miller vs. Sanborn Central-Woonsocket
Sanborn Central-Woonscoket, which has a starting lineup featuring four seniors and a sophomore, is off to a 3-0 start. Meanwhile, Miller has earned three wins in four outings this season.
“Miller will be a good matchup and a great test for our ball club,” Sanborn Central-Woonsocket coach Rod Weber said. “They are a team with a lot of returning seniors and so are we, but most of our seniors and reserves don’t have any varsity experience.”
Holding spots in the starting lineup for the Blackhawks are seniors Trent Kingsbury, Trey Weber, Jared Goldammer and Devon Weber, along with sophomore Noah Dickson. Coming off the bench are junior Spens Schlicht and sophomore Tater Moody.
“We’re very excited for the opportunity to play in the premiere 7 p.m. game for the Huron Holiday Classic,” Weber said. “Besides a great learning experience for our ball club, it will be an amazing atmosphere for our players and fans.”
Miller’s roster includes a total of eight seniors, with four being starters — Steven Fernholz, Devin Letsche, Henry Mullaney and Caleb DeBoer. Junior Karst Hunter is the lone non-senior in the starting lineup for the Rustlers.
Filling reserve roles are senior Hunter Russell, senior Jarek Kindle, senior Xavier Sporrer, junior Eli Jones and sophomore Tyler Schumacher.
“Sanborn Central-Woonsocke is off to a good start this year. They have had a very good team over the past several years,” Miller coach Steve Schumacher said. “They are well coached and we know we will have to play well to compete with them.”

Photos by Mike Carroll of the Plainsman

James Valley Christian’s Colton Schweigert drives the baseline against an Aberdeen Christian defender during their game Dec. 9 at the JVC gym. Sanborn Central-Woonsocket’s Megan Poyer drives to the basket during a game against Mt. Vernon/Plankinton on Dec. 19 in Forestburg. Sanborn Central-Woonsocket’s Trey Weber holds the ball on the perimeter during a game against Mt. Vernon/Plankinton on Dec. 19 in Forestburg. James Valley Christian’s Alanna Hood saves the ball as she is pressured by a pair of Highmore-Harrold defenders during their game Dec. 12 at the JVC gym.