Clark-Willow Lake opens play at Class “B” State Tournament

ABERDEEN — Clark-Willow Lake made its presence in the Class “B” ranks known during the 2017-2018 boys’ basketball season after making the move from Class “A.”
The Cyclones won their first seven games of the season and 10 of the first 11 to establish themselves as a team to be reckoned with. They would stumble a bit during the second half of the season, going 5-4, but three of those four setbacks came against Class “A” opponents, including one to top-seeded and unbeaten Sioux Falls Christian.
“We just weren’t playing very well and those setbacks actually made us re-evaluate what we needed to do to get to the next level,” Clark-Willow Lake coach Jerome Nesheim said. “We need to play with a sense of more urgency and with some grit.”
The Cyclones were able to use that renewed energy to ink three postseason wins, including a 54-37 victory against Sanborn Central-Woonsocket in the Round of 16 at Huron Arena to secure their spot in the Class “B” State Tournament field.
“It is a true blessing to qualify for a state tournament,” Nesheim said. “It is a dream for the kids to play in a state tournament.”
It will be the fourth state tournament appearance for Clark-Willow Lake, which competed in the Class “A” state tourney in 2012, 2013 and 2015.
With an 18-5 record, the Cyclones will be the No. 4 seed for this year’s tournament and will face the fifth-seeded Canistota Hawks in the opening round at 1:45 p.m. today at the Barnett Center in Aberdeen.

“They are a very athletic team, which is well coached,” Nesheim said of the Hawks, who put together a 20-3 record this season. “They have good guards that we will need to try to control and we’ll need to keep the big man off the boards.”
A good nucleus of returning players from last season lent itself to much of the success experienced by Clark-Willow Lake this season, according to Nesheim.
“We returned all five starters from last year’s team, which went 19-3,” he said. “We have great leadership and a ton of experience. We are a well-rounded team at all positions.”
Junior Jacob Prouty led the Cyclones in scoring this season with an average of 19.8 points per game. He dished out a team-high 19 assists.
Senior Bradyn Rusher and 6-foot, 6-inch junior Micah Burke also averaged in double figures this season for Clark-Willow Lake. Rusher netted 14.2 points per game, while Burke amassed 12.1 points per game.
Burke also was a team leader in rebounds with an average of 7.1 boards per game, which put him second behind senior Ntai Stevens, who had an average of 8.4 rebounds per game.
In the tournament’s other opening round games today, top-seeded Bridgewater-Emery (20-3) will face No. 8 Lower Brule (16-7), which is making its first state tournament appearance, at noon; second-seeded Sully Buttes (22-1) will face No. 7 Timber Lake (19-3) at 6 p.m.; and third-seeded White River (21-2) will face  No. 6 Langford Area (19-4) at 7:45 p.m.
“There are eight quality teams left,” Nesheim said. “With the implementation of the Round of 16 you do have a better overall field in the state tournament.
A victory today moves the Cyclones into a semi-final matchup against either Bridgewater-Emery, who is the defending Class “B” champion, or Lower Brule at 6 p.m. Friday. A loss sets up a meeting in the consolation semifinals against one of those two teams at noon on Friday.
The final round of the Class “B” state tournament will be held Saturday.

PHOTOS BY MIKE CARROLL/PLAINSMAN
Next, Clark-Willow Lake junior guard Jacob Prouty goes up for two of his 19 points March 8 versus Sanborn Central-Woonsocket in a Round of 16 game at Huron Arena.

Next, Bradyn Rusher of Clark-Willow Lake drives to the basket against the pressure applied by Spens Schlict of Sanborn Central-Woonsocket March 8 at Huron Arena. Rusher and the Cyclones open play this afternoon against Canistota at the Class “B” State Basketball Tournament in Aberdeen.