In 2018, Rapid City’s St. Thomas More High School girls basketball team made history when they won their fifth straight state Class A championship. The Cavaliers joined the list as the third program in South Dakota high school history to win five consecutive titles. Armour did it first, from 1983 to 1987. Sioux Falls Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, under the leadership of Fred Tibbets, followed with five wins from 1997 to 2001.
Cavaliers coach Brandon Kandolin communicates with a player.
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Learn. Dream. Grow.
Cavalier coach Brandon Kandolin has been with the program for 20 years. SDPB’s Nate Wek talked with Kandolin about the year-round effort that goes into each title, and with Alex Kandolin, a Lady Cav senior who is also the coach’s daughter. Nate Wek: “Coach, five straight championships. What has the ride been like these past five years?” Brandon Kandolin: “When I think about it, it’s been a really fast ride! I’m very proud of every girl that’s come through that’s put in the time, the work and has made it was it was.” NW: “Can you elaborate on attitude
and mentality your team and your coaches have?” BK: “One is just the consistency. A program has got to have that consistency of a coach that has experience. Next thing, I’ve got a great coaching staff. My assistant has been with me for the last 11 years. We’re on the same page, we know what we want. We have our differences, but that’s what makes it work. And as long as we can prepare defensively, we’re going to put ourselves in a position to win. That’s been a big staple of what we’ve done.” NW: “Coach, your records, your overall win-loss, some of these years – they’re not perfect seasons. When you have a team that has high expectations and they take a defeat early in the season, how do you talk to the girls about overcoming adversity?” BK: “Adversity is such a character builder, whether its in sports or anything else. You have to learn from every experience. A loss early in the season can ground you, make you level-
