HURON — For the first time since 2019, the Huron Tigers boys’ basketball team will take the floor at the Class “AA” State tournament.

Huron last qualified for the “AA” in 2020, and would have been a favorite to win that year, had the COVID pandemic not forced the cancellation of play.

This year’s team has shown flashes of greatness, tempered with a competitive fire. The Tigers, 13-8, enter the “AA” as the No. 6 seed, and will take on the third-seeded Brandon Valley Lynx in the final game of the opening round on March 13, with tip off set for 7:45 p.m. at the Denny Sanford Premiere Center in Sioux Falls.

Along the way, Huron has strung together winning streaks of three and four games, while competing at a level that has seen then lose no more than two games in a row all season.

For the year, they have averaged 55.4 points per game and have given up an average of 53.6. They are 11-0 against teams that are .500 or worse – the games you are expected to win – and are 2-8 against teams above that mark.

Huron’s starting lineup is the same as it has been for most of the year. Seniors Gavin Moeding and CJ Gainey, along with junior Colt McNeil will start, along with sophomore Blake Ellwein and freshman Anderson Porisch. Ellwein, Porisch and Gainey have been the scoring leaders this season, although every member of the Tigers has the ability to score, particularly from behind the arc. Ellwein and Porisch led the rebounding, while Moeding and McNeil are facilitators and the first line of Tiger defense.

Off the Huron bench, seniors Holden Hegg, Kolton Ogle and Carsen Evans will figure into the mix, as will junior Trace Wenz.

We sat down with HHS coach Tim Buddenhagen, as he prepares for his 17th state tournament as a head coach, but one of the first with a cast that has no state tournament experience.

In the five years since the Tigers were here, there have been some down years – what does it say of the program to have a team back in the tournament?

TB – I think it means that we have good players and they have put in a lot of time and worked hard to get here.

What do you know about this team that you didn’t when the season started?

TB – Just how gritty; how tough these guys are. I wasn’t sure going in. They play with guts, play good defense and can make reads and adjust as we go. They are good at letting us know what they feel will work, or what won’t.

What do you take from the Brandon Valley game of just a few weeks ago?

We look at the last four games that they’ve played, they get a lot of points in the paint, post up or cutter. Their big (6-foot, 8-inch senior Josh Olthoff) is a good scorer but may be a better distributor of the ball. We need to limit that as much as possible.

How do you control the paint play of Brandon Valley?

Better defense in the post on their big and at the same time, we need to make it harder for their guards to get the ball inside. We can’t let him just come down and set up – we have to meet him and body him.

What three things does the team need to do to be successful on Thursday?

First, we have to take away the inside. If they can establish an inside game, then start dumping it outside, it will be tough.

Second – we have to score. We have to shoot better than the 9-for-33 we shot from three last time. And we have to communicate better on defense, to control their cutters.

When we faced them last time, we were coming off a big win over O’Gorman with a day in between. It was their senior night and a guy who doesn’t normally play and for whom we didn’t prepare hit a couple of first quarter threes. Plus Brandon is tough to prepare for. It is tough to replicate that size and their cutters.

Buddenhagen said that his team needs to keep Brandon Valley in the 50s and have a better night shooting the ball, which the Tigers have seen more of recently.

“Being at the state tournament will be exciting for our guys,” he said. “Nobody on the team has been there so it’s all a new experience for these kids.”

Other games in the opening round on Thursday find top-seeded Mitchell (20-1) opening the tournament against No. 8 Sioux Falls Jefferson at noon, followed the 4/5 matchup of Sioux Falls Roosevelt and Sioux Falls Washington. The night session features No. 2 Harrisburg taking on No. 7 Watertown prior to the Huron/Brandon Valley contest.

All games are free to stream on SDPB.org.

The Class AA State Tournament will also be televised on SDPB3 (Midco channel 598).