Chargers pummel ’Cats in SoDak 16

For the second consecutive year, the Custer High School boys basketball team had its season ended one game shy of the state tournament, as the Wildcats were routed by Sioux Falls Christian 85-55 in the SoDak 16 March 9 in Plankinton.
It was a tough loss for the senior class that was nine players deep, many of whom had been playing together in Custer uniforms since they were in elementary. Making the state tournament was one of the team’s stated goals prior to the season.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever been with a group that long,” head coach Paul Kelley said. “To see them not accomplish their goals and dreams hit me hard, much like it did them.”
The Wildcats had few defensive answers for the Chargers, who had four players score in double figures, led by Xavier Van Beek, who poured in 25 points, including six three-pointers. The Chargers hit 11 triples in the game.
“It was a three-point barrage,”  Kelley said. “We knew they were good outside shooters, but we hadn’t seen that. We had a lot of blown assignments, but give them credit. They stepped up and hit them.”
The Wildcats took the only lead they would have in the game immediately after the opening tip.
From there the Chargers went to work inside, feeding the ball early and often to 6-9 junior post Nathan Koole, while also attacking the rim with speed from their guards.
Koole had 14 points in the game, with many coming from teammates lobbing the ball on seemingly fake shot attempts to his awaiting arms under the basket.
“He could just basically tap it in,” Kelley said.
Jace Kelley tried to keep the Wildcats in the game, burying a pair of three-pointers to cut Christian’s lead to 19-11 midway through second quarter. That was answered by a Van Beek three-pointer, and the Chargers went up 27-10 after one of 20 Custer turnovers led to a layup.
Gage Tennyson scored four consecutive of his 10 points to try to keep the Wildcats within shooting distance, but as the Wildcats continued to struggle with turnovers the Chargers continued to hit shots, and another Van Beek three-pointer put Sioux Falls Christian up 38-20. The Chargers took a 43-25 lead into the half.
The Wildcats turned the ball over on their first possession of the third quarter, and another Koole basket inside put the Chargers up 20 at 45-25. At the 4:11 mark of the quarter Daniel Sedlacek laid the ball in, was fouled and made the free throw to cut the Chargers’ lead to 50-31, but Christian promptly scored nine consecutive points to effectively put the game away and led 68-41 at the end of the third period.
The Chargers made a concerted effort to attempt to take Jace Kelley out of the game in the second half, face-guarding him throughout the half. Despite that, Kelley scored 21 second-half points and 31 total in his final game in a Wildcat uniform. He finished his career with over 1,360 points, placing him fifth all-time on the school’s scoring charts.
Unlike the Chargers, however, Custer didn’t have multiple players in double figures, as the rest of the Wildcats combined for 24 points, 10 of which came from Tennyson.
The Wildcats made only five of 22 three-point attempts in the game, and Coach Kelley said he felt the fact the team hadn’t played in 15 days prior to the game (after receiving a first round bye in region play, followed by a forfeit in the second round of region play) did have an effect on the team.
“I can’t think of another season where we have had to wait that long to play a game,” he said. “To go 15 days at this time of the season, that’s hard.”
Kelley said the magnitude of the moment may have taken a toll as well.
“We told the kids, ‘dont be star struck when you walk out there,’” he said. “The level of the game is something that did get to some of our players.”
The Wildcats finish the season at 13-9. And while Kelley lamented missed opportunities and not making the state tournament, he said his team was fortunate to even play a season in this COVID-19 time.
“There are kids across the country who didn’t get to play a single game,” he said. “Would we have liked to have won more games to give us a better seeding (in the SoDak 16, where they were the No. 14 seed)? Absolutely. But we got to have a season.”
Kelley spoke fondly of the nine departing seniors, marveling that there was such a large group of players in the same class at a high school the size of Custer.
“I can’t imagine a school the size of Custer would have nine seniors on the roster,” he said. “These kids love the game. They set high goals and expectations for themselves.”
As seasons end the attention often shifts to the next season, and in Custer’s case, it could be a season unlike one the school has had in quite some time.
On paper, it very much looks like a rebuilding year, as the majority of the varsity graduates. Tennyson and Sawyer Schramm will return for their senior seasons and are locks to start, as is eighth-grader Kyle Virtue as he enters his freshman season. All three are post players, however. The Wildcats will be rock solid down low; who gets them the ball could prove to be the problem. The guards who return will have minimal varsity experience.
“Everything will be built around them,” Kelley said of the three returning posts. “How are we going to get the ball across half court? Once we do that, we have people who can score, but it could be an issue. We do have some talent coming back, but we need some other kids to put in some extra time.”
Custer    8    17    16    14    —55
SFC    19    24    25    17    —85
Custer—Gunner Prior 1-7 0-0 2, Gavin Klein 0-1 0-0 0, Dustyn Fish 1-7 2-5 4, Daniel Sedlacek 2-4 1-1 5, Jace Kelley 10-28 6-9 31, Gage Tennyson 5-9 0-1 10, Kaleb Wragge 1-1 1-1 3, Sam Wise 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 20-58 10-17 55.
Sioux Falls Christian—Tate Snyder 2-4 1-2 7, Logan Schipper 0-2 0-1 1, Tyson Reitsma 0-2 0-0 0, Tyler Prins 8-10 1-2 17, Brooks Nelson 5-9 3-5 15, Derrek Vander Leest 0-2 0-0 0, Xavier Van Beek 8-14 3-4 25, Carson Engbers 1-2 0-0 3, Carter Van Donge 0-2 0-0 0, Isaiah Mulder 2-3 0-0 4, Nathan Koole 5-7 4-5 14, Mitchell Nelson 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 31-59 12-19 85.
Three-point goals: Custer 5 (Kelley 5), SFC 11 (Van Beek 6, Snyder 2, Nelson 2, Engbers). Rebounding: Custer 22, SFC 30. Assists: Custer 8, SFC 9. Turnovers: Custer 20, SFC 8. Total fouls: Custer 15, SFC 17.