Preseason Previews: Class AA - Teams in the Northeast

Class AA girls basketball fans get ready for a fun season! This class is packed with Division I talent in terms of players and teams with great depth and experienced coaching. Last season saw the Sioux Falls O'Gorman Lady Knights take home the state championship after a Quarter-Finals win 55-35 over Sioux Falls Lincoln, a Semi-Finals win 50-37 over Brandon Valley and a championship game win over Rapid City Stevens 49-42. Will the Lady Knights repeat or will we see a new champion in 2023? The talent in this group of teams is deep and this article will dive in to cover the teams east of the Missouri and North of Interstate 90 in South Dakota's Class AA while spotlighting some of the top prospects of the field.     Aberdeen Central Golden Eagles   Head Coach - Mikayla Arechigo   Assistant Coaches - Tevan Newman, Alayna Johnson, Myah Malchow, Madison Norris   2021-22 Record - 3-17, Postseason Finish - 9th in ESD Conference   Returning Contributors -   [player_tooltip player_id='99791' first='Taryn' last='Hettich'] - Class of 2023 - Guard - 4.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2 APG, 2.5 SPG   Taryn will look to remain a fantastic vocal leader for the Golden Eagle squad who brings great energy and enthusiasm to her team. She had her junior season cut short due to injury so look for her to have a bounce-back year! She's a great defender and looks to continue to be a force on that end.   Anna Malchow - Class of 2023 - Guard - 4.0 PPG, 2.0 APG, 30% 3PTFG   Anna is another leader on the Aberdeen squad and plays with great conditioning, getting a lot of minutes on this squad. She has a nice 3-point shot and looks to be a player poised to increase her scoring totals and take a nice step forward this year.   [player_tooltip player_id='375879' first='Taryn' last='Hermansen'] - Class of 2026 - Forward - 6.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 49% FG   Taryn started multiple games last year as an 8th grade player and looks to be a top contributor for her team this season.   More Contributors   Sydney Evans - Class of 2023 - Guard   Sydney is a scrappy defender who plays with great aggression on the defensive side   Madi Weig Sr. - Class of 2023 - Guard   Madi has great length on the defensive end and understands how to use it, and she has a developing offensive game.   Top Breakout Candidate   [player_tooltip player_id='375879' first='Taryn' last='Hermansen'] - Taryn looks poised to breakout for the Golden Eagles. She is a nice-sized post player who moves well and continues to play more and more minutes. Look for big things out of this young post-player this season.   A squad that continues to gain experience and develop a winning culture under second-year head coach Mikayla Arechigo, look for the Golden Eagles to be competitive in games this year and have leaders step forward to elevate their team.     Brookings Bobcats   Head Coach - Mitch McLagan Career Coaching Record - 58-115   Assistant Coaches - Ross Peterson, Mandi Smidt, Zach Thomas   2021-22 Record - 7-12, Postseason Finish - SODAK 16   Returning Contributors -   [player_tooltip player_id='375940' first='Logan' last='Smidt'] - Class of 2025 - Guard - PPG - 8.6, RPG - 3.6, 3P% - 33%   Logan is primed for a big year on the Bobcat squad. She is electric on both ends, super athleticism provides her ability to get to the rim to score and create turnovers on defense. She had a fantastic summer playing under legendary coach Lynn Frederick (former Brookings girls and boys basketball coach) this summer for the Sanford Pentagon and will be one of the most exciting players to watch in the state. Look for Logan to lead a young Brookings team this season and be a focal point of their offense.   [player_tooltip player_id='427103' first='Gracey' last='Sheridan'] - Class of 2023 - Guard - PPG - 2.3   Gracey will look to up her scoring totals and be a player that can handle the ball for her squad. She will need to be a big piece of what they do and provide leadership on a young squad.   [player_tooltip player_id='389381' first='Sophia' last='Hammrich'] - Class of 2023 - Forward - PPG - 2.6, RPG - 2.6   Another senior leader, Sophia will look to provide physicality on both ends for this squad. She is a player who looks to take on a bigger role this season in Brookings.   Top Breakout Candidate   Tess Burns - Class of 2025 - Forward   Amari Ward - Class of 2026 - Guard   Amari had a nice summer on her Pentagon travel basketball squad. She plays with high energy and likes to play fast. Look for her to contribute this season and take on a role as a disruptive defender and continue to develop her scoring game on the other end. She gets my nod as the player who could make the highest climb on this squad this season.   Kymber Buys - Class of 2025 - Guard   Look for Brookings to take a nice step forward this year led by the super-talented [player_tooltip player_id='375940' first='Logan' last='Smidt']. They will play with great tempo and look to turn people over defensively. There is a ton of athleticism on this squad and Coach McLagan will look to find ways to utilize this throughout the year. There are a lot of young prospects that look as though they will take a huge step forward for the Bobcats and I will be looking for who steps up around Smidt to round out the core of this team.   Huron Tigers   Head Coach - Kody Kopfmann   Assistant Coaches - Schuyler Holtrop, Jeremy Noyes, Tyann Ulmer   2021-22 Record - 12-9, Postseason Finish - SODAK 16   Returning Contributors -   [player_tooltip player_id='425254' first='Isabelle' last='Ellwein'] - Class of 2023 - PPG - 9.9, RPG - 3.5, APG - 1.2   Isabelle is an efficient scorer and averaged nearly 10 PPG last year on a good team. Look for her to take another step this year and be one of the leaders on this team.   [player_tooltip player_id='242115' first='Heavan' last='Gainey'] - Class of 2023 - PPG - 6.9, RPG - 5.6, APG - 1.7   [player_tooltip player_id='188216' first='Hamtyn' last='Heinz'] - Class of 2024 - PPG - 13.4, RPG - 8.0, APG - 1.7   Hamtyn is an experienced basketball player who averaged near double-double numbers last year. She is one of the better scorers in the state from a variety of areas and a physical rebounder. Hamtyn is a game-changer and a must-see player this season! She looks poised for a great junior season and has my attention as one of the top players in her class.   Bryn Huber - Class of 2023 - PPG - 2.5, RPG - 1.2, APG - 0.6   Karsyn Kopfmann - Class of 2023   Kristen Janes - Class of 2023     Top Breakout Candidate   Bryn Huber   Karsyn Kopfmann   Kristen Janes   Plenty of breakout candidates on an experienced Huron team that returns 3 starters along with 3 seniors poised to take on bigger roles creates a fun team to keep your eye on in Class AA. This team appears to have great depth coming into the year and should be a contender in their conference and all of Class AA.   Mitchell Kernels   Head Coach - Dave Brooks   Assistant Coaches - Esther Witte, McKenzie Mertens   2021-22 Record - 9-12, Postseason Finish - SODAK 16   Returning Contributors -   [player_tooltip player_id='241312' first='Sawyer' last='Stoebner'] - Class of 2024 - PPG - 15.9, RPG - 9.3, APG - 3.4, SPG - 3.2   Sawyer is a walking double-double. She's a solid scorer with great skills in getting to the rim and finishing. She has a nice jump shot and a variety of moves to create space to score. A fantastic rebounder and a tough defender she sets the tone for the Kernels on defense. Look for big things out of the junior guard this season!   Laurne Van Overschelde - Class of 2025   Van Overshelde is a solid guard who can handle it and shoot it. She appears to be a major part of what this team will do in the 2022-23 season. Keep your eye on her as a stock riser and a kid who fills a big role for her team!   [player_tooltip player_id='100495' first='Taylor' last='Giblin'] - Class of 2023     Top Breakout Candidate   [player_tooltip player_id='100495' first='Taylor' last='Giblin']   Veteran assistant coach Dave Brooks takes over the Kernel squad this season and they look like a fun one to watch! This team will have already existing chemistry with the head job being taken from within and returns a lot of talent this season led by the very-talented [player_tooltip player_id='241312' first='Sawyer' last='Stoebner']. Falling to Sioux Falls Lincoln by a narrow margin of 5 points last season in the SODAK 16 undoubtedly left this team hungry for more this year.   Watertown Arrows   Head Coach - Chad Rohde Career Coaching Record - 46-43   Assistant Coaches - McKenzie Huber, Tia Hemiller, Stacey Hendricks   2021-22 Record - 9-12, SODAK 16   Returning Contributors -   [player_tooltip player_id='246271' first='Jaida' last='Young'] - Class of - Guard - PPG- 11.8, RPG- 5.9, APG- 1.5   Jaida is arguably the most intense perimeter defender I have scouted. She is up in the face of opponent's guard every single defensive position in a man-to-man setting. She plays with fantastic intensity, has a ton of grit, and has the ability to change games on both ends for her team. Her offensive game is solid with a nice outside shot, a great first step to the basket, and solid overall handles to beat her girl to the rim. Jaida will lead this Arrow squad in most categories and is a very solid all-around athlete who projects to play at the next level.   [player_tooltip player_id='246273' first='Maddy' last='Rohde'] - Class of 2023 - - PPG- 7.0, RPG- 3.2, APG- 2.5   Maddy is another Arrow with a ton of energy. She plays high-intensity defense and is a talented defender on the perimeter. A capable set-shooter from the perimeter look for her to knock down perimeter shots all year long. A true 3 and D type of athlete Maddy will be fun to watch and she will undoubtedly take on a big role alongside [player_tooltip player_id='246271' first='Jaida' last='Young'] and help lead this Watertown squad.   [player_tooltip player_id='188448' first='Kendall' last='Paulson'] - Class of 2023 - - PPG- 6.3, RPG- 2.9, APG- 1.0   Miranda Falconer- Class of 2024 - - PPG- 2.9, RPG- 1.1, APG- 1.3   Jade Lund- Class of 2024 - PPG- 4.2, RPG- 2.1     Top Breakout Candidate   Emery Thury - Class of 2025   Emery looks to take on a much more sizeable role this year as a sophomore. Look for her to step up and be a contributor on both ends.   Grace Corey - Class of 2025   Another solid young prospect Grace looks like a potential stock riser we will keep our eye on!

Class AA girls basketball fans get ready for a fun season! This class is packed with Division I talent in terms of players and teams with great depth and experienced coaching. Last season saw the Sioux Falls O'Gorman Lady Knights take home the state championship after a Quarter-Finals win 55-35 over Sioux Falls Lincoln, a Semi-Finals win 50-37 over Brandon Valley and a championship game win over Rapid City Stevens 49-42. Will the Lady Knights repeat or will we see a new champion in 2023? The talent in this group of teams is deep and this article will dive in to cover the teams east of the Missouri and North of Interstate 90 in South Dakota's Class AA while spotlighting some of the top prospects of the field.