WATERTOWN, S.D. – A dominant second quarter propelled Watertown to the Class AA state tournament following a 57-43 victory over Mitchell in the SoDak 16 on Saturday night at the Watertown Civic Arena.
Mitchell jumped to an early lead, ending the first quarter up 13-9, but the Arrows seized control in the second. Watertown outscored the Kernels 17-6 to take a 26-19 lead into halftime and never looked back. The Arrows outpaced Mitchell 31-24 in the second half, leading by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Carter Buisker led the Arrows with 15 points, while Kaden Decker and Jackson McClemans each chipped in 12. McClemans added seven assists and four steals to his stat line. [Name] Mack recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, along with six assists.
Colton Smith led Mitchell and all scorers with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Owen Schelske added eight points for the Kernels.
Watertown enters the 2026 Boys Class AA Tournament as the No. 5 seed and will face No. 4 Harrisburg in the opening round. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. MDT on March 19 at The Monument Ice Arena in Rapid City. SDPB will provide live coverage on SDPB TV-1, its website, and YouTube.
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