HURON — While they won’t have the most impressive record entering the Class B State Girls’ Basketball Tournament, the James Valley Christian Lady Vikings are right where they want to be.

The top-eight Class B teams in the state are set for the season-ending event, which begins Thursday and runs through Saturday in Summit Arena at the Monument in Rapid City.

“Our goal the whole season was to just fly under the radar, take one game at a time, and be playing our best basketball the end of February,” JVC coach Krista Robinson said. “We accomplished that and now we set some new goals.”

The Lady Vikings put together a 16-6 record this season and enter the tournament as the No. 8 seed.

“Coming in as 8th seed we have the luxury of anything we do well is a bonus,” Robinson said. “We want to continue playing our best basketball, put ourselves in the best position to be successful and see where that takes us.”

James Valley Christian will open the tournament against top-seeded Arlington, which is 21-2, at noon MT on Thursday.

While it might seem as a steep hill to climb, the Lady Vikings nearly came up with a victory against their fellow Region 2B competitor late in the regular season.

“This is a big stage to be playing on so there will be some nerves, so I don’t mind the familiarity of playing Arlington first,” Robinson said of facing the Cardinals, who escaped with a 49-47 in the previous meeting between the two teams. “It was a two point game the first time and we had our chances. I think we have learned from the game and are ready to battle again.”

Sophomore Jaelyn Huntimer had 17 points to lead Arlington to the win in the regular season matchup with the Lady Vikings.

“We need to do a better job at the defensive end containing Huntimer. We didn’t get her out of comfort zone too much,” Robinson said. “Offensively, we need to make sure we stay strong and everyone is looking to score. They are a tenacious team and we need to give that right back to them.”

JVC, which has just one senior in the starting lineup, will look to take much of the same approach to the state tournament as it has had all season.

“Our one-game-at-a-time mentality has definitely allowed us to be disciplined and play level headed,” Robinson said. “This group of girls just keeps working hard throughout the game and they don’t let themselves get rattled.

“We’ve had some tough games against some tough opponents and they just keeping battling until the end,” she said.

A strong effort on the defensive end of the court has paid dividends this season for JVC.

“Our defense is definitely something we take pride in and these girls work  hard to make other teams uncomfortable,” Robinson said. “We have also focused on controlling the rebounds so teams don’t get second-chance opportunities and a chance to gain momentum.”

Juniors Kaylie Robinson and Alexa Goertz, along with senior Rhayonne Hood, have provided the leadership this season for the Lady Vikings.

Robinson, a 5-9 guard, has led JVC this season with an average of 16.3 points per game, while Goertz, a 5-9 guard, is not far behind with an average of 15.9 points.

“Both of them this season have improved their weaknesses and have remain pretty steady offensively for us,” Robinson said of the leading duo. “With their size, they cause mismatch problems for other teams as they can both post up. “We’ve taken advantage of that a lot this season.”

Robinson has also led the team with 200 rebounds, 71 steals and 73 assists this season.

“Kaylie has done a great job running our offense and controlling the boards, while Lex is a great defender,” Robinson said.

Hood is able to make her presence felt at both ends of the floor.

She is second on the team with 36 steals and ranks second with 71 assists.

Rounding out the starting lineup for JVC are freshmen Addison Bartholow and Addyson Knight. Bartholow is a 5-10 forward, while Knight is a 5-9 guard.

“Rhayonna Hood and Addison Bartholow have really came on this season to give us additional offense we have needed,” Robinson said. “Rhay also has been great on the defensive end for us.

“During postseason play, Addyson Knight and Daril Frandsen have had some big points for us so it’s nice to see it all coming together,” she said.

It will be the fourth state tournament appearance for the Lady Vikings. The most recent came in 2010, while they were consolation champions in 1991 and made their state tournament debut in 1975.

“During our summer workouts we told them what happens in March is determined now and they bought into that,” Robinson said of her team being able to reach the state tournament. “Every workout and in-season practice they came ready to get better.  We are so excited for them to be rewarded for their hardwork!

“The support we have felt from not only JVC, but the community is truly appreciated,” she said. “The girls are experiencing this for the first time and they can’t believe the amount of people that have congratulated them.”

A new Class B state champion will be crowned this season, as Viborg-Hurley, which had won back-to-back state titles, didn’t qualify for this year’s event.

Fourth-seeded Ethan, which is 20-2, and fifth-seeded Wall, which is 19-4, are the only two returning teams from last year’s state tournament. They will meet in the second game of the opening round at 1:45 p.m. MT on Thursday.

Making up the night session on Thursday will be second-seeded Harding County, which is the only undefeated team at 22-0, against No. 7 Lyman (20-2) at 6 p.m. MT, and third-seeded Centerville (21-2) against No. 6 Warner (21-2) at 7:45 p.m. MT.

“This tournament is going to be a fun one this year.  I think the field is wide open and you are going to see some great basketball games, which is what State Bs is all about,” Robinson said. “There are teams that are quick, there are teams that have size and some have both, but it’s guaranteed you are going to have be playing great basketball to move through the field!”

The Class B State Girls’ Basketball Tournament will be televised on SDPB1.