by Benjamin Chase
of the Plainsman
RAPID CITY – A dominating second quarter gave the Huron Tigers the lead, and they simply piled on the rest of the way, coming away with a 59-47 victory over the previously undefeated Sioux Falls Lincoln Patriots in the Class AA State Boys’ Basketball championship game Saturday in Rapid City.
Lincoln defeated Huron, 82-57, on January 16. They started out with the strong defense and shooting that led to that victory, as Samuel DeGroot got a basket underneath. He then hit a three from the top of the key after Lincoln got a steal in their press.
Huron had a pair of empty possessions before Blake Ellwein was fouled on a putback attempt. He sank both free throws, and as the teams went to the media timeout, Lincoln was up 5-2.
Blake nailed a wing three-pointer to tie the score, but Lincoln was able to find Brody Schafer for three after a Huron turnover. After a long scoring drought for both teams, Lincoln got an offensive rebound and then found DeGroot in the corner for three.
Myles Ellwein was fouled on a three-point attempt and made all three shots to end the first quarter with the Patriots up 11-8.
Schafer got one of two free throws after being fouled on a drive to the hoop to open the second quarter. On an inbounds play, Mason Jurgens found Davis Chase on the baseline for a dunk.
DeGroot got fouled on a post move and sank both free throws, but on the ensuing possession, Chase Shuchhardt spotted up for a three from the corner. Blake Ellwein then got a putback for a 15-14 Huron lead, their first lead of the game with 4:30 left in the first half.
Myles Ellwein connected for a corner three, but Lincoln found Landon Munk on a backdoor cut to stay within 18-16.
Blake Ellwein then used a jab step to free himself for a corner three, and Myles hit a floater in the lane in transition to push the Huron lead to 23-16 heading into halftime.
The Huron defense was a tremendous key in the game, and a 16-point first half for Lincoln set the tone through toughness, according to Huron coach Tim Buddenhagen.
“I thought we were the toughest team in the tournament,” Buddenhagen glowed. “Our guys had to believe, and then they executed everything we asked them to do.”
Sam Ericsson opened the second half with a corner three for Lincoln, but Blake Ellwein pulled up for a jumper on the ensuing possession.
Schafer drove through the Huron defense and threw up a wild shot that found the bottom of the net, then Huron passed out to Myles Ellwein for a wing three to make it 28-21 Huron.
A scramble on the floor ended up with the ball in Brody Nour’s hands, and he put in the short basket. On the next possession, Carter Porisch made a post move and got the basket and foul shot.
Schafer drove in and found Nour for a short basket to get Lincoln within 31-25 at the third quarter media break.
James Shoultz Jr. worked a give-and-go with Anderson Porisch for a layup, and after two missed free throws by Schafer, Owen Duffy sank a pair for Lincoln.
Schuchhardt stepped into a wing three and put it through, then after Duffy went 1-of-2 at the line, Schuchhardt was fouled on a three-point attempt and hit two of three to give Huron a 38-28 lead as the teams headed to the final period.
DeGroot shook loose on an inbounds play and got a bucket and a free throw to open the fourth. Carter Porisch responded with a post move in the lane for two.
Schafer went 1-of-2 from the line, and Huron found Myles Ellwein for a corner three and a 43-32 lead with 5:30 left.
Threes like Myles’ kept the momentum on the Huron side throughout the second half, and Coach Buddenhagen identified that as a key to the victory.
“Our guys did a nice job of getting the ball off the rim,” he said. “On our offensive side, we got a couple dunks and a few timely threes to keep momentum.”
DeGroot hit a turnaround in the lane to bring the game to the media timeout with the Tigers up 43-34.
Blake Ellwein hit a pair of free throws out of the break, and then he drove down the right side of the lane for a layup. DeGroot nailed a three off a give-and-go from an inbounds play to make it 47-37 with 3:46 remaining.
Ellwein found Chase on the baseline, and Davis slammed down the dunk to take a 49-37 lead. Chase then got a putback basket after a Huron steal.
Anderson Porisch hit one of two free throws, Schafer drove in for a basket, and then Myles Ellwein hit one of two charity shots to keep the lead at 14, 53-39.
Nour hit one of two free throws, but then Anderson Porisch got a layup on the press break.
Blake Ellwein hit a pair of free throws, and Schafer answered with a three.
Schafer hit two free throws for Lincoln, but Carter Porisch answered with a pair of free throws. DeGroot got a layup as the game closed out, but Huron came away with a 59-47 victory for a championship.
Buddenhagen was quick to give credit to his assistant coaches after the game.
“I can’t say enough about our assistant coaches,” Buddenhagen raved. “Those guys put in a lot of time to come up with an excellent offensive game plan.”
The Tigers win their first title since 2004 and finish the year with a 20-4 record. Blake Ellwein led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Myles Ellwein added 15 points.
Davis Chase hauled in 10 rebounds and had three blocks. Chase Shuchhardt came off the bench with eight points, including two significant three-point baskets in the game, as the Huron bench outscored Lincoln 17-2.
Lincoln finishes the year at 23-1. DeGroot had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead the Patriots. Schafer added 14 points and six steals.
Blake Ellwein earned his third all-tournament team selection and Myles Ellwein was also selected for the team.
The Tigers finished the season on a ten-game winning streak. The large crowd from Huron attending the tournament was noticed by Buddenhagen and his team.
“We can’t do this without our community,” he said, with his voice cracking. “This community has bought in and supported our team at every stop along the way.”
Huron 8 23 38 59
Lincoln 11 16 28 47
Huron (20-4): Myles Ellwein 4 4-5 15, Blake Ellwein 5 6-6 18, Anderson Porisch 1 1-2 3, Davis Chase 3 0-0 6, James Shoultz Jr 1 0-0 2, Chase Schuchhardt 2 2-3 8, Carter Porisch 2 3-3 7. Totals: 18 16-19 59.
Sioux Falls Lincoln (23-1): Brody Schafer 4 4-8 14, Owen Duffy 0 3-4 3, Sam Ericsson 1 0-0 3, Samuel DeGroot 7 3-3 20, Brody Nour 2 1-1 5, Landon Munk 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 11-16 47.
FG: H – 18/41, 43.9%; SFL – 15/55, 27.3%. 3-pt FG: H – 7/12 (MEllwein 3, BEllwein 2, Schuchhardt 2); SFL – 6/33 (DeGroot 3, Schafer 2, Ericsson). Rebounds: H 36 (BEllwein, Chase 10), SFL 25 (DeGroot 8). Assists: H 8 (Jurgens 3), SFL 6 (Schafer, Nour 3). Blocks: H 5 (Chase 3), SFL 2 (DeGroot 2). Steals: H 3, SFL 13 (Schafer 6). Turnovers: H 21, SFL 12. Fouls: H 20, SFL 18 (Duffy out).
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