RAPID CITY, S.D. — Hamlin and Clark/Willow Lake return to the Class A boys basketball state tournament this week, both aiming to surpass their 2024 finishes.
Hamlin, last year’s runner-up, enters the tournament as the No. 4 seed with a 20-3 record. The Chargers’ only losses this season came against tournament qualifiers Clark/Willow Lake, West Central, and Groton Area.
Senior Jackson Wadsworth anchors the Hamlin offense, averaging 21 points per game and leading the team with 57 3-pointers. Junior Boden Stevenson adds 17 points per game and a team-high 111 rebounds this season. Rounding out the scoring are junior Jack Stormo, averaging nearly eight points, and senior Aiden Abraham with seven.
The Chargers open tournament play Thursday at 1:45 p.m. against Groton Area. Hamlin will look to avenge a 55-50 loss to the Tigers from Dec. 12.
Clark/Willow Lake enters as the No. 3 seed with a 20-2 record, hoping to improve on last year’s eighth-place finish. The team features a balanced “big five” attack. Senior Emmerson Larson, junior Chris Bevers, junior Bo Begeman, and sophomore Sully Felberg each average nearly 25 points per contest, while junior Jakob Steen adds nine points per game. Clark/Willow Lake has been an defensive powerhouse, holding opponents to an average of 38 points. On the boards, Felberg leads the team with 160 rebounds, followed by Begeman with 145 and Bevers with 127.
The Cyclones’ only losses were to tournament opponents West Central and Sioux Falls Christian. Having already secured wins over Hamlin and Groton Area this season, the Cyclones open their run at 7:45 p.m. Thursday against Stanley County.
SDPB will provide coverage of the tournament on SDPB-TV3, SDPB.org/Basketball, and YouTube. Radio coverage is available on Power 106.3.
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