South Dakota Prep Media basketball polls for Dec. 23: SFC girls rise as new No. 1 in Class A

SIOUX FALLS — Heading into the holiday break, the South Dakota Prep Media basketball polls have their first new No. 1 of the season.

On the strength of a 4-0 start, Sioux Falls Christian took over the top spot in the Class A girls rankings from preseason No. 1 Vermillion this week.

The defending Class A champion Tanagers lost 48-45 to Class B No. 1 Centerville at the Vermillion Classic, making way for the Chargers to climb. In becoming the newest No. 1, SFC garnered eight of 15 first-place votes, while Vermillion maintained control of four top votes. No. 3 Hamlin got one top vote, and No. 5 Mahpiya Luta (formerly Red Cloud) got two.

SFC was ranked No. 2 and received first-place votes in each of the first two editions of the poll this season. A year ago, the Chargers reached a ranking as high as No. 3 and finished fourth at the Class A state tournament.

SFC now has the No. 1-ranked girls and boys programs in Class A. The last time that happened in any class was Feb. 13, 2023, with Sioux Falls Jefferson in Class AA.

Here are the Dec. 23 basketball polls and a breakdown of the rankings.

The South Dakota Prep Media basketball polls for the week of Dec. 23, 2024, are listed below, ranking the top-five teams in each class. First-place votes are indicated in parentheses and teams are ranked by total points received.

1. Mitchell (14), 3-0, 74; 2. Sioux Falls Lincoln (1), 3-0, 61; 3. Tea Area, 2-0, 22; 4. Sioux Falls Jefferson, 2-1, 21; 5. Brandon Valley, 2-1, 19.
Others receiving votes: Huron 14, O’Gorman 8, Harrisburg 3, Spearfish 2, Sturgis 1.

More early movement: Shuffling the Class AA boys deck continued this week, as only No. 1 Mitchell and No. 2 Sioux Falls Lincoln held their ground. Newcomer Tea Area jumped from unranked to No. 3 after a 2-0 start, while Sioux Falls Jefferson went 1-1 on the week but still moved up one spot to No. 4. Brandon Valley slid from No. 3 to No. 5. Five more teams are receiving votes outside the rankings, led by Huron and O’Gorman.

1. Sioux Falls Christian (12), 3-0, 72; 2. Hamlin (3), 1-0, 63; 3. Dakota Valley, 3-0, 38; 4. Rapid City Christian, 5-0, 32; T-5. Lennox, 2-1, 9; T-5. St. Thomas More, 5-0, 9.
Others receiving votes: Pine Ridge 1, West Central 1.

Taking control: Sioux Falls Christian strengthened its grip on the Class A boys top spot with a pair of dominant wins, including an 81-60 victory over Class AA O’Gorman. SFC and No. 2 Hamlin split the 15 first-place votes nine to six last week, with that margin widening to 12 to three this week. Overall, the rankings didn’t change, including Lakota Nation Invitational champion Rapid City Christian at No. 4 and a tie between Lennox and St. Thomas More at No. 5.

1. Castlewood (14), 2-0, 74; 2. Dell Rapids St. Mary (1), 3-0, 61; 3. Viborg-Hurley, 2-1, 36; 4. Gregory, 4-1, 18; T-5. Leola/Frederick Area, 4-0, 11; T-5. Howard, 3-1, 11; T-5. Freeman, 2-0, 11.
Others receiving votes: Wessington Springs 1, Dupree 1, Estelline/Hendricks 1.

Three is a crowd: Like Class A, Class B has its own tie at No. 5 in the rankings. This one, however, is a trio, including Leola/Frederick Area, Howard and Freeman. All three programs are making their first appearance in the rankings this season, replacing last week’s No. 3 Wessington Springs, which lost to Howard head-to-head. Preseason No. 3 Gregory is back in the poll at No. 4 following a one-week absence.

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Full Court Press: Holiday basketball classic matchups to watch

This week, we take a look at five top matchups from five different events that the holiday classic lineup has on tap.

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By  Landon Dierks

1. O’Gorman (15), 4-0, 75; 2. Sioux Falls Washington, 3-0, 59; 3. Brandon Valley, 2-1, 41; 4. Rapid City Stevens, 4-1, 29; 5. Spearfish, 2-1, 10.
Others receiving votes: Mitchell 7, Brookings 3, Aberdeen Central 1.

Kernels creep up: After not receiving any votes toward the Class AA girls poll in either of the first two weeks, Mitchell is the top team outside the rankings The Kernels went 3-0 last week, including a head-to-head win at No. 4 Rapid City Stevens. The top five remained intact, though Stevens and No. 5 Spearfish took losses.

1. Sioux Falls Christian (8), 4-0, 66; 2. Vermillion (4), 4-1, 47; 3. Hamlin (1), 3-0, 43; 4. Wagner, 4-0, 35; 5. Mahpiya Luta (2), 5-0, 30.
Others receiving votes: Mobridge-Pollock 2, Dakota Valley 1, Elk Point-Jefferson 1.

1. Centerville (15), 5-0, 75; 2. Sanborn Central/Woonsocket, 2-0, 51; 3. Parkston, 4-0, 45; 4. Lyman, 3-0, 27; 5. Andes Central/Dakota Christian, 4-0, 20.
Others receiving votes: Ethan 6, Castlewood 1.

Moving on up: Spurred by a head-to-head win by Andes Central/Dakota Christian at then-No. 2 Ethan last week, a series of programs climbed the Class B girls ladder in this week’s poll. Behind unanimous No. 1 Centerville, Sanborn Central/Woonsocket, Parkston and Lyman are all up one spot from last week. ACDC cracked the rankings at No. 5, while Ethan fell out.