Winning a state championship is tricky business, at any level.
Harrisburg, the one-loss favorite entering the final weekend of the season, learned that the hard way.
The Tigers, heavily favored throughout the season to take the crown, fell in the championship game to a Sioux Falls O'Gorman team that entered the postseason with a losing record but got hot at the best possible time.
Still, the Tigers enjoyed a season fueled by both experience and youth, and none of that is more evidenced than the selection of senior Samantha Slaughter and sophomore Jeniah Ugofsky to the Class AA girls' basketball First Team All-State team.
The two players headline the 2017 All-State teams, as selected by the South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association.
Slaughter, who will hang up the basketball jersey in favor of a volleyball career at Nebraska next year, averaged 11.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Tigers and was arguably the face of the Tiger squad.
"Sami has been an incredible leader for not only our program but for all of our extra-curriculars," said Harrisburg coach Nick Mayer. "She has led by example both on and off the floor and has left a lasting legacy at Harrisburg High School. As far as basketball goes, she was the epitome of what a senior leader should be. She is obviously a great player with a special skill set, but what I will remember most about Sami is the joy she got out of being around her teammates and her character both on and off the floor."
Ugofsky, meanwhile, averaged 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and if Slaughter was the face of the Tigers this season, Ugofsky is the face of the Tigers' future.
"Jen has an incredible motor and is highly skilled at her position," Mayer said. "She lead us in scoring and rebounding this season, but I think the most important aspect of Jen's game is her work ethic. She is always in the gym trying to improve her game."
Perhaps no team and no player embodied the difficulty of winning a state title better than Sioux Falls Lincoln's Anna Brecht, who was selected as the Class AA Player of the Year.
Brecht averaged 24.1 points – tops in Class AA and a single-season school record – and 6.1 rebounds per game and led the Patriots to a 13-7 regular-season record and the third seed in District 2AA, but did not qualify for the state tournament, falling in a Region 1AA play-in game to Sioux Falls Roosevelt.
"Anna definitely isn't a player that will be easily replaced, and not just because of what she brought to the table in terms of points and rebounds, but because she was a great leader, with a work ethic that was second to none," said Lincoln coach Matt Daly.
Brecht leaves the Patriot program with 1,662 career points, which broke a 30-year-old school scoring record, and is the school's all-time leading rebounder, as well. She will head to Wisconsin-Green Bay next fall.
"She is one of the best players in South Dakota state history," Daly said. "She doesn't get mentioned in the conversations with great AA players of the past like Macy Miller, because she only played in one state tournament. But in reality we were two possessions away from her playing in three state tournaments. One defensive stop against Roosevelt in the 2005-16 season, and if that last second shot that was in-and-out would have dropped in the regional game this year against Roosevelt, it would have been a different story."
Aberdeen Central's Paiton Burckhard made her presence known on the court in a variety of different ways, from scoring in the post to handling the ball on the perimeter. She finished the season with 19.5 points and 10 rebounds per game, the only player on the first team to average a double-double. The junior also surpassed the 1,000 career point benchmark during the regular season.
"Paiton played mainly as a post player as a freshman and sophomore," said Central coach Dawn Seiler. "As a junior, she has expanded her game and is developing into a complete player. Her ball handling, passing and shooting range have drastically improved, which makes her a difficult player to defend at her size and athleticism."
Danica Kocer represents the youthful potential of a Brandon Valley squad that finished the regular season with a 17-3 mark, but finished on the short end of close finishes at the state tournament. Kocer, a sophomore, averaged 13 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for the Lynx.
"Danica is a tough, fearless player," said Brandon Valley coach Mark Stadem. "She was never afraid to take and hit a big shot when we needed it. Danica played the second half of the season with a knee injury. There were nights where she was pretty sore, but would really gut it out. It surprised me how efficient she was at less than 100 percent. She never complained or used it as an excuse. She would do whatever it took to help win ball games. Her level of toughness epitomized the toughness we had as a team."
Sioux Falls Roosevelt senior Tahia Mitzel is the sixth and final member of the First Team squad. Mitzel averaged 12.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for the Rough Riders, who finished sixth at the state tournament.
"Tahia was our leader on both ends of the floor," said Roosevelt coach David Maxwell. "She set the tone with her level of intensity on the defensive end and calming demeanor on the offensive end. She's an outstanding defender and caused problems for opposing guards throughout her career. She has been the heartbeat of our team for the last two seasons and has been a huge part of why we had the success we did by being in control of the tempo of each game and making sure the pace of the game was to our advantage."
Class AA All-State
Girls' Basketball Team
as selected by the
S.D. Basketball Coaches Association
FIRST TEAM
*Anna Brecht, Sioux Falls Lincoln, senior (24.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.4 spg)
Paiton Burckhard, Aberdeen Central, junior (19.5 ppg, 10 rpg, 2 apg, 1 spg)
Danica Kocer, Brandon Valley, sophomore (13 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1 apg, 1.0 spg)
Tahia Mitzel, Sioux Falls Roosevlet, senior (12.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.5 spg)
Sami Slaughter, Harrisburg, senior (11.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.1 apg, 41 blocks)
Jeniah Ugofsky, Harrisburg, sophomore (13.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 27 steals)
SECOND TEAM
Sebastian Akoi, Sioux Falls O'Gorman, senior (10.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1 apg, 36 blocks)
Ashlee Beacom, Sioux Falls O'Gorman, senior (10.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.2 apg, 56 steals)
Abby Johnson, Rapid City Central, senior (13 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg, 33 steals)
Emily Mikkelsen, Pierre, sophomore (14.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.3 spg)
Sydney Rosinsky, Sioux Falls Lincoln, senior (11.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.1 apg)
Hanna VanderWerff, Rapid City Stevens, senior (12.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1 apg, 1.5 spg)
* Class AA Player of the Year
