Class A SODAK 16 Standouts – Guards

The SODAK 16 provides an opportunity for the top 16 teams in Class A in the State of South Dakota to compete for a chance to punch their ticket to the state tournament.  Opportunities for top prospects to be on display are present and athletes have the chance to rise up to help propel their team to every program’s ultimate goal.  A number of guards rose up in this year’s round of 16 postseason teams.  Here are the top five performances on the night. Hamlin guard [player_tooltip player_id="375704" first="Addison" last="Neuendorf"] makes this list as an 8th grade guard that went off!  Put this young kid on next year’s watchlist as she shined on the big stage to help her Chargers punch their ticket to the state tournament.  She poured in 20 points including 9 from downtown! This kid has big time skills at a young age and is explosive.  Her quickness aids in her effectiveness on both ends even at just 5’3".  This guard is going to make noise for a few years so keep an eye on her! Red Cloud’s senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="150272" first="Stevi" last="Fallis"] joined the state tournament bracket with the rest of her Lady Crusaders after their victory over Florence-Henry.  Fallis put on a show scoring the basketball and ended the game with 27 points. At 5’5" this young lady knows how to get to her spots to score.  She has a great mix of perimeter moves and speed giving her a diverse offensive scoring attack.  This guard has one of the best crossovers in the game and knows how to drop her shoulder and get to the rack. Junior Florence-Henry guard [player_tooltip player_id="100480" first="Trinity" last="Watson"] helped keep her team’s state tournament bid alive before falling to Fallis and the Red Cloud Crusaders.  Trinity is a complete player who brings effort and energy on both ends of the floor.  She has a knack for getting to the rim and is a true slasher, getting to the paint often and understanding how to finish.  She is an aggressive scorer and has a great scoring mindset.  Whatever her team needs, she brings as she will do the little things game in and game out. Her game is underrated if you don’t factor in her rebounding ability and knack for creating turnovers for her opponent. She finished the game with a very complete stat line of 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals. If you don’t know it by now Mount Vernon/Plankinton’s sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id="181885" first="Emilee" last="Fox"] is the epitome of a competitive basketball player.  She has arguably the most complete perimeter skill-set in the state, as a SOPHOMORE.  The kid is a scoring machine and is willing to do what it takes to drive her team towards victory every single night.  Fox kept her team in the game against Dakota Valley, although they would eventually fall short of a bid to the state tournament.  She finished the night though with yet another near triple-double with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists.  South Dakota State knew what they were doing when they snagged this guard early. The battle of the triple-doubles would see Dakota Valley senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="99768" first="Rylee" last="Rosenquist"] come through the victor as her Panthers make their way to the 2021-22 Class A State Tournament.  She finished the game with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists, enough to be my choice for the performance of the round of SODAK 16.  This athlete impresses with pure aggression and intensity for 32 minutes a night.  A complete game with perimeter shooting, scoring at the rim, stellar court vision, continuous position on the boards, and defensive energy sums up the well-rounded play of Rosenquist.  Her teammate, senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="99782" first="Grace" last="Bass"] deserves a mention for her own solid night.  She added 19 points, including 9 from three-point land, helping her team secure a path to the state tourney. Class A guards in South Dakota scream college potential with many kids already committed and a lot more to go.  Keep an eye on Class A basketball and you will be impressed at how many of these kids are pegged to play at the next level.