SIOUX FALLS - Fourteen former players who had exceptional careers will be inducted into the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2022.
Standouts from seven different decades are represented. Graduation years of the inductees range from 1947 to 2004. The 12th annual induction banquet will be Aug. 27 at the Ramkota Hotel in Sioux Falls. Ticket information will be announced soon at www.sdbbhof.com.
Six members of the Class of 2022 helped their team win a state championship. One of those, Sherri Brende, was part of two state titles, leading Baltic to Class B girls championships in 1995 and 1996.
The Brookings girls of 1985 will be honored as a Team of Excellence. Jim Holwerda coached the Bobcats, who were ranked No. 3 nationally by USA Today. Brookings was Class AA champion and went 23-0.
The Class of 2022:
Lisa (Kannegieter) Bahe, Brookings (Willow Lake 1990): Bahe was Miss Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year in South Dakota as a senior at Willow Lake. She was an all-North Central Conference player at South Dakota State where she scored 1,130 career points.
Jeff Booher, Lincoln, Neb. (Brookings 1988): Brookings was 53-15 in Booher’s three seasons and won the Class AA state title in 1987. He was Naismith Player of the Year in South Dakota as a senior. Booher had 1,018 career points at SDSU and was chosen to the all-NCC team.
Sherri Brende, Iowa City, Iowa (Baltic 1997): Miss Basketball and USA Today Player of the Year in South Dakota as a senior, Brende led Baltic to Class B state titles in 1995 and 1996 while scoring 1,886 career points. At SDSU she was all-NCC three years and totaled 1,444 points.
Bernard Duffy (Fort Pierre 1947): The late Duffy led Fort Pierre to a three-year record of 64-7 and the first two district titles in school history. He was among the state’s earliest practitioners of the one-handed jump shot and was an outstanding player at Sioux Falls College.
Delbert Gillam (Argonne 1953): The late Gillam averaged 25.9 points per game as a senior at Argonne. He made South Dakota basketball history when he set the state scoring record of 72 points in a game against Canova that was played on Feb. 10, 1953.
Gordie Groos, Sisseton (Sisseton 1966): An outstanding two-sport athlete, Groos averaged 20 points and 17 rebounds per game as a senior at Sisseton. While at Northern State he was a four-year starter in basketball with 1,002 career points and an NAIA All-American in football.
Laurie (Bruns) Kruse, Lennox (Lennox 1987): At the time of her graduation Kruse held Lennox career records of 1,073 points and 633 rebounds. She scored 1,370 points at SDSU. Kruse led the NCC with 23.5 points per game in 1991 and was league MVP.
Matt Martin, Sioux Falls (Spearfish 2004): Martin was all-state three years and led Spearfish to the Class AA state title in 2002. He had 1,602 career points and was Gatorade Player of the Year in South Dakota in 2004. Martin was a four-year starter at the University of Montana.
Clyde Olsen, Plankinton (Plankinton 1956): Plankinton finished fourth in the Class B state tourney in 1956 as Olsen totaled 84 points, including a record 40 in the semifinals. He shot 90 percent on free throws that season and ended his career with 1,335 points.
Tom Rops, Luverne, Minn. (Lennox 1992): Rops and the Orioles won the Class A state title in 1991 and finished unbeaten at 24-0. Custer topped Lennox in the title game in 1992 despite 30 points from Rops. He was an all-NCC player at SDSU and totaled 1,147 points.
Milton Sorenson (Wakonda 1953): The late Sorenson joined the Wakonda varsity as an eighth-grader and went on to score 2,480 career points. After graduation he served in the U.S. Army and then returned to South Dakota to play collegiately at Southern State.
Wayne Thue, Hayti (Hayti 1960): Thue led Hayti to a No. 1 ranking in the Class B poll and a 28-2 record in 1960. The Redbirds were 47-6 in Thue’s final two seasons. At Dakota Wesleyan he was all-South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference three times and scored 1,404 points.
Dawn (Hull) Zahn, Sioux Falls (Sisseton 1992): A 1,267-point career scorer, Zahn led Sisseton to the Class A state title in 1990. She averaged 22 points per game as both a junior and senior. Zahn earned all-NCC honors at SDSU where she totaled 1,125 points.
Harley Zephier Jr., Dupree (Aberdeen Roncalli 1975): Zephier made his third appearance on an all-state team in 1975 when Roncalli won the Class A state title. He averaged double figures in each of his four seasons, including 28 points per game as a junior at Northwestern.
