Arrows Sweep Governors in Regular-Season Finale
WATERTOWN, S.D. — Watertown boys basketball finished the regular season Saturday with a 74-45 victory against the Pierre Governors.
The Arrows led from start to finish, pulling ahead by as many as 29 points in the third quarter. Carter Buisker led all scorers with 21 points and five assists. Jack Mack and Jackson McClemans each added 11 points. Mack recorded eight rebounds and six assists, while McClemans tallied seven assists and three steals. Dane Stark nearly recorded a double-double with 10 points and nine assists.
Two Governors reached double figures, led by Cooper Terwilliger with 18 points and Jerren Deal with 17.
The Watertown boys finish the regular season with a 15-5 record and will host a SoDak 16 game next week. Class AA brackets have not yet been released.
Back in Watertown, the Arrow girls ended their season on a high note with a 56-31 win over Pierre.
Kynsee Russell nearly notched a triple-double, finishing with 15 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, and nine steals. Lily Mack added 13 points, while Andi Olson and Ellie Thury contributed seven and five points, respectively.
Pierre was led by Molly Olson, who recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The Watertown girls end their season with a 4-16 record and will graduate four seniors: Malia Kranz, Ellie Thury, Leyla Meester, and Kynsee Russell.
Fourth-Quarter Surge Carries Harrisburg Past Watertown Boys
WATERTOWN, S.D. – A dominant fourth quarter propelled Harrisburg past Watertown 60-55 in boys high school basketball Thursday night.
Harrisburg led 26-24 at the half, but Watertown surged back to take a 46-40 lead after three quarters. The Tigers then smothered the Arrows in the final frame, holding them to nine points while scoring 20 to secure the five-point victory.
The Arrows were led by Carter Buisker, Jack Mack, and Jackson McClemens. Buisker tallied 18 points and five assists. Mack neared a triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists, while McClemens added 15 points, six assists, and four steals.
Harrisburg’s attack featured David Doe (17 points), Stellen Larson (15), and Crayton Jibben (13). Despite the loss, Watertown outshot Harrisburg from the field 42% to 36%.
The result was the same in the girls’ half of the doubleheader as Harrisburg defeated the Arrows 49-26.
Jordan Remmers led Watertown with 10 points. Ellie Thury scored five, while Emma Olson, Kali Ellis, and Lydia Stemwedel each added three. Two Tigers reached double figures, led by Claire McCallum, who recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Allison Flannagan also scored 10.
Both Watertown teams wrap up the regular season against Pierre on Saturday. The girls’ matchup is critical; the Arrows currently sit at No. 17, just outside the top 16. A win over 15th-seeded Pierre could propel them into the Class AA SoDak 16. Following Thursday’s loss, the Watertown boys dropped to the No. 5 seed in Class AA.
South Dakota Prep Media Basketball Polls – February 23, 2026
The South Dakota Prep Media Basketball Poll for the week of Feb. 23 is listed below, ranking the top-five teams in Class AA, top-10 teams in Class A and Class B, the team’s record, points received and ranking in the previous poll. First-place votes are listed in parentheses.
Boys
Class AA
1. Sioux Falls Lincoln (21) 19-0 105 1
2. Huron 14-4 76 4
3. Sioux Falls Roosevelt 14-4 60 2
4. Watertown 14-4 40 5
T-5. Harrisburg 14-5 12 RV
T-5. Tea Area 12-6 12 3
Receiving votes: Sioux FallsWashington 3, Brandon Valley 3, Spearfish 2, Sioux Falls Jefferson 1, Bishop O’Gorman 1.
Class A
1. West Central (20) 19-0 209 1
2. Sioux Falls Christian (1) 16-1 190 2
3. Clark/Willow Lake 18-2 168 3
4. Hamlin 16-3 141 4
5. Lennox 14-5 122 5
6. St. Thomas More 14-5 95 6
7. Groton Area 15-4 78 7
8. Vermillion 14-5 66 8
9. Stanley County 17-2 38 9
10. Mahpiya Luta 15-3 26 10
Receiving votes: Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 11, Sioux Valley 7, Pine Ridge 3, Dakota Valley 1.
Class B
1. Castlewood (8) 17-3 190 1
2. De Smet (4) 15-4 187 2
3. Freeman (8) 18-2 182 3
4. Viborg-Hurley (1) 17-3 139 4
5. Wessington Springs 15-4 121 5
6. Aberdeen Christian 17-2 109 6
7. Parkston 16-3 84 7
8. Wall 15-4 69 8
9. Sully Buttes 14-5 28 10
10. Deubrook Area 14-5 14 RV
Receiving votes: Lyman 13, Sanborn Central/Woonsocket 12, Estelline-Hendricks 4, Leola-Frederick Area 3.
Girls
Class AA
1. Brandon Valley (21) 18-0 105 1
2. Bishop O’Gorman 17-1 84 2
3. Sioux Falls Washington 14-3 63 3
4. Rapid City Stevens 14-4 32 4
5. Aberdeen Central 13-5 28 5
Receiving votes: Sioux FallsJefferson 2, Mitchell 1.
Class A (Final Poll)
1. Mahpiya Luta (21) 19-0 210 1
2. Hamlin 19-1 184 2
3. Lennox 17-3 162 3
4. Wagner 17-2 151 4
5. Sioux Falls Christian 16-4 131 5
6. Sioux Valley 18-2 103 6
7. Clark/Willow Lake 17-3 82 7
8. Aberdeen Roncalli 16-4 44 8
9. West Central 16-4 41 9
10. Rapid City Christian 16-4 21 RV
Receiving votes: St. Thomas More 15, Lakota Tech 9, Mobridge-Pollock 2.
Class B (Final Poll)
1. Lyman (8) 18-2 189 1
2. Bennett County (7) 17-3 186 5
3. Ethan (4) 18-2 175 4
4. Parkston 17-3 134 2
5. Chester 18-2 111 7
6. Centerville (2) 18-2 107 6
7. Colman-Egan 19-1 105 3
8. Harding County 19-1 56 8
9. Waubay/Summit 18-2 33 9
10. Freeman 15-5 18 NR
Receiving votes: Gayville-Volin 10, Corsica-Stickney 9, Sanborn Central/Woonsocket 9, Highmore-Harrold 7, Wall 6.
_________________________________
South Dakota Power 5 Poll (Week of Feb. 23)
Top five teams; 1st place votes are listed in parentheses. Teams receiving votes are the total number of votes, not 1st place votes. Team rankings based on the majority of the votes from voters
Boys’ Class AA
1. Sioux Falls Lincoln (13)
2. Huron
3. Watertown
4. Sioux Falls Roosevelt
5. Harrisburg
Receiving Votes: Tea Area 2, O’Gorman 1
Boys’ Class A
1. West Central (13)
2. Sioux Falls Christian
3. Clark/Willow Lake
4. Hamlin
5. Lennox
Receiving Votes: St. Thomas More 3, Groton Area 2, Maĥpíya Lúta 1
Boys’ Class B
1. Castlewood (6)
2. De Smet (3)
3. Freeman (4)
4. Viborg-Hurley
5. Aberdeen Christian
Receiving Votes: Wessington Springs 4, Parkston 2
Girls’ Class AA
1. Brandon Valley (13)
2. O’Gorman
3. Sioux Falls Washington
4. Rapid City Stevens
5. Aberdeen Central
Receiving Votes: Mitchell 1
Girls’ Class A (Final Poll)
1. Maĥpíya Lúta (13)
2. Hamlin
3. Lennox
4. Wagner
5. Sioux Falls Christian
Receiving Votes: Sioux Valley 3
Girls’ Class B (Final Poll)
1. Lyman (6)
2. Ethan (2)
3. Bennett County (5)
4. Parkston
5. Colman-Egan
Receiving Votes: Chester 4, Centerville 2
Watertown Boys and Girls Drop Road Contests in Huron
HURON, S.D. – A tough third quarter doomed No. 5 Watertown in a 61-56 loss to No. 4 Huron on Friday night at the Huron Arena.
The game was tied at 30 at halftime, but the Tigers held the Arrows to just eight points in the third quarter, which provided enough cushion for the victory.
Watertown was led by Carter Buisker, who had 20 points and six assists. Jackson McClemans added 19 points and six assists.
Blake Ellwein led Huron and all scorers with 25 points, eight assists, and four steals. Anderson Porisch added 13 points.
Watertown did not fare any better in the girls’ matchup, as Huron walked away with a 50-38 win.
Jordan Remmers led the Arrows with a 20-point night. Ellie Thury grabbed 10 rebounds to go with four points, while Kynsee Russell added six points.
Hylton Heinz tallied 22 points to lead Huron. Jayla Schley added eight points.
Watertown enters the final week of the regular season with two games: Harrisburg on Feb. 26 and Pierre on Feb. 28.
McClemans and Rehorst Power Watertown Boys Past Golden Eagles
WATERTOWN, S.D. – Jackson McClemans scored 20 points and Isaac Rehorst added 18 as No. 5 Watertown bested Aberdeen Central for the second time this season, 69-45, in high school boys basketball Tuesday night at the Watertown Civic Arena.
Watertown jumped out to a hot start, leading 22-11 after the first quarter. The Arrows held the Golden Eagles to just four points in the second quarter to take a 38-15 lead at the half. Watertown maintained that momentum in the second half, leading by as many as 30 points to secure the victory.
McClemans added seven assists and three steals to his scoring performance, while Rehorst tallied five assists. Jack Mack also reached double figures with 13 points and eight rebounds. Watertown outshot Aberdeen from the field, 46% to 31%.
In the girls’ matchup at Golden Eagles Arena in Aberdeen, Watertown overcame a slow start, but a fourth-quarter comeback attempt fell short in No. 5 Aberdeen Central’s 52-43 win over the Arrows.
Watertown was held to just three points in the first quarter and trailed Aberdeen 26-13 at the half. The Arrows matched Aberdeen point-for-point in the third quarter and outscored the Golden Eagles 13-9 in the fourth, but the rally wasn’t enough.
Jordan Remmers was the only Arrow in double figures with 13 points. Andi Olson added seven points, and Ellie Thury grabbed 10 rebounds to go with five points. Four Golden Eagles reached double figures, led by Lauren Burckhard with 15 points. Kenadi Withers added 14, Kamdyn Borge had 12, and Emma Dohrer finished with 11.
Both Watertown teams travel to Huron for a doubleheader on Feb. 20.
WTNSports.com 