BY MIKE CARROLL
OF THE PLAINSMAN
RAPID CITY — Clark/Willow Lake will be making its second consecutive trip to the Class A State Tournament, which begins Thursday at run through Saturday at the Monument. The Cyclones returned to the state tournament for the first time last season since winning the Class B championship in 2019. They finished eighth a year ago, but gained some valuable experience for this year’s event. “It is always a special time when you are able to make it to the state tournament,” Clark/Willow Lake coach Jerome Nesheim said. “It is something you don’t want to take for granted.”
This will be the seventh state tournament appearance for the Cyclones. Before joining forces, Clark made 16 trips to the state tournament, while Willow Lake had one appearance in the state tourney. Clark/Willow Lake put together a 20-2 record this season and will be the third seed for this year’s event. The lone setbacks for the Cyclones came against the top two teams in the tournament. “Our expectations are high to perform well,” Nesheim said of entering the tournament as the third seed. The Cyclones will open the tournament against sixth-seeded Stanley County, which is also 20-2, at 6:45 p.m. MT on Thursday. Sioux Falls Christian is the two-time defending Class A champion, and will enter this year’s tourney as the top seed with 20-1 record. The Chargers will face eighth-seeded St.Thomas More, which is 17-5 at 11 a.m. MT on Thursday to open the tournament. Second-seeded West Central is the only undefeated team in the tournament with a 22-0 mark. The Trojans will open the tournament against seventh-seeded Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, which is 20-3, at 5 p.m. MT on Thursday. In the other opening round game on Thursday, fourth-seeded Hamlin (20-3) will face fifth-seeded Groton Area (18-4) at 12:45 p.m. MT. “The Class A field is loaded with great talent and great teams,” Nesheim said. “Seeds 1-8 are good teams. You have to favor West Central and Sioux Falls Christian.”
Stanley County will be making just its third overall appearance in the state tournament and its first since 1997. “Stanley County has a really nice team with some very good guards and a couple of post players,” Nesheim said. “They play with a lot of energy and are going to be excited to be there because they have not been there since 1997. “Any team you face in a state tournament is going to be a battle, and it should be,” he said. A strong effort on the defensive end of the floor has helped Clark/Willow Lake find success offensively this season, according to Nesheim.
“Defensively, I think we are really good, and it really dictates our flow on the offensive side,” he said. “We have a group of boys that we are able to practice against that are really good. And they give us great competition throughout practice.”
Senior Emmerson Larson has served as the team leader this season for the Cyclones, according to Nesheim.
“Especially on the defensive side, his energy, athleticism and quickness are incredible,” he said. “Scoring-wise, we are led by Sully Felberg, Chris Bevers, Emmerson Larson, and Bo Begeman.”
Larson, who is one of five seniors on the roster this season for Clark/Willow Lake, averaged 11.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game this season. He also had a team-high 58 steals, five blocks, and 32 assists.
Felberg, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, led the Cyclones this season with averages of 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds. He’s recorded 22 blocks and has 19 steals.
Bevers, a junior guard, has also averaged in double figures this season for Clark/Willow Lake with 15 ppg. He has averaged 5.8 rebounds and has 56 steals.
Begeman, a 6-6 junior forward, has also been a force this season for the Cyclones. He has chipped in an average of 9.7 points per game, while grabbing 6.6 boards per game.
The other seniors on the roster this season for Clark/Willow Lake are Ky Vandersnick, Will Hovde, Levi Atkins and Masyn Knock.
The winners from the opening round will advance to the semifinals, which are slated for 5 and 6:45 p.m. MT on Friday, while the losers will play in the consolation semifinals at 11 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. MT on Friday.
The tournament will conclude Saturday with the seventh-place game at 11 a.m. MT, followed by the consolation title game at 12:45 p.m. MT; the third-place game at 5 p.m. MT; and the championship game at 6:45 p.m. MT.
The Class A State Tournament will be televised on SDPB3, which is channel 598 on Midcontinent Cable or it will be livestreamed on the South Dakota High School Activities Association website.
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