BROOKINGS – Win and in.

That’s the scenario for the Bobcat girls’ and boys’ basketball teams heading into their respective SoDak 16 matchups on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

The opponent for both teams is the same: Sioux Falls Washington.

The Bobcats are the No. 16 seed in both games; the Warriors are seeded first in the Class AA girls’ and boys’ rankings.

After finishing at opposite ends of the standings from their SoDak 16 opponents, every postseason qualified team is 0-0, needing just one win to get to the AA state tournament.

That’s the mentality both Mitch McLagan and Travis Engebretson have for their respective girls’ and boys’ teams.

GIRLS

• No. 16 Brookings (2-17) at No. 1 Sioux Falls Washington (16-2)

It was almost three months ago, Dec. 11, when Brookings and Sioux Falls Washington paired up for their only regular-season meeting.

Nearly everything went the way of the Warriors in a 73-22 defeat of Brookings, in which the ‘Cats scored just three points in the first half and for the game committed 28 turnovers and shot just 18% from the field.

BHS head coach Mitch McLagan knows that the events of the previous game can’t happen again Friday night.

“For us to go into the game Friday night thinking we can just do the same thing we did before, it’s just not going to work,” he said. “As coaches, we’ve had to get creative, and our players have done a really good job with our gameplan, and it’s going to come down to execution,” McLagan said.

McLagan said to keep pace with the Warriors, Brookings has to make shots. To have opportunities to make those shots, they must take care of the basketball.

“The big thing this time, is we’ve got to hit shots. And last time we had a hard time getting the ball across half court. It’s going to come down to taking care of the basketball and making sure we get opportunities on our end,” he said.

Brookings will again have to contend with 6-foot-2 junior guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, and 6-foot-5 senior post Syndi Schetnan, the latter who is a volleyball and basketball commit to Louisville.

Both players are a concern for McLagan and his coaching staff.

“The big thing for us is to keep them out of the paint. We’re going to live with the shots from the outside, but if they hit shots from the outside it could be trouble,” McLagan said.

The Bobcats and Warriors take the court at 6 p.m. Friday.

BOYS

• No. 16 Brookings (3-16) at No. 1 Sioux Falls Washington (15-2)

The Warriors doubled up the Bobcats 78-39 in their December meeting. The game was played the afternoon after Brookings hosted Aberdeen Central the previous night, allowing little time to adjust so early in the season, which for head coach Travis Engebretson led to the early season struggles.

“We played Aberdeen Central the night before – second game of the season – and they just came out and pressured us all over the floor, and we did not handle it well,” he said. “The big thing is, we have to take care of the basketball in the half-court offense. We have to focus on being patient and making sure we get a good shot every time down.”

Briar Cliff commit Nick Schefers shot 9-of-16 from the field, scoring 23 of the Bobcats’ 39 points in the first meeting.

Brookings has to slow down the pace of the game, according to Engebretson.

“On the defensive end, they’ve got a couple of guards that are really going to look to push the basketball, so we just really have to focus on getting back, stopping the basketball and protecting the paint,” he added.

Washington posted four players in double figures while shooting 58% from the field: Tajh Two Bulls, 16; Eli Williams, 13; Akok Aguer, 12; and Mikele Kambalo, 11.

Schefers is the only Bobcat scoring in double digits this season, averaging 15.6 points per game, including an 86% clip at the free-throw line, while also ripping down just over five rebounds per contest.

Henry Hammrich enters the postseason averaging 9.6 points per game. As a team, the Bobcats average just 41.7 points per game this season.

Brookings and Washington square off at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

Notes: Due to Covid-19 protocols, Washington High School limits varsity basketball attendance to two vouchers per rostered participant, which must be presented in order to purchase a ticket.

All Bobcat high school students are allowed to attend the game but must present their current school year Brookings-issued student ID prior to being able to purchase a ticket. Masks are required.

Both games will be available to watch online: https://sfsdathletics.k12.sd.us/live-stream