Mitchell lifer Ryker Kreutzfeldt delivers state title for Kernel boys
MITCHELL — At age 25, Ryker Kreutzfeldt was selected to lead the Mitchell High School boys basketball program. At 28, he’s the state champion head coach of his alma mater.
Such a reality was hardly on Kreutzfeldt’s radar a few short years ago. Days removed from the Kernels’ title triumph, it’s almost equally difficult for him to comprehend.
“It still doesn’t feel real. I think we all have a deep appreciation and understanding of what the kids just did, but it might not kick in until we hang that banner up and ‘2024’ is up there,” Kreutzfeldt said. “But I’ve watched the game back four or five times since, and we’ve won it every single time, so it’s been fun.”
In three seasons as head coach, Kreutzfeldt has amassed a record of 57-15, a win percentage just shy of 80%.
“I
LAN N IERKS Mitchell Republic
Mitchell High School boys basketball head coach Ryker Kreutzfeldt sits with the Kernels’ 2024 Class AA state championship trophy and game ball on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at the Corn Palace. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
At Sunday’s welcome home celebration, MHS Activities
Director Cory Aadland called Kreutzfeldt “the best coach in Class AA.” Assistant coach Pat Moller, who has more than 20 years of coaching experience in Mitchell, went a step further a lauded Kreutzfeldt as “the best coach (Moller) has ever seen.”
But Kreutzfeldt’s path to becoming a champion head coach was far from straightforward.
A UNIQUE JOURNEY
Though he played subvarsity basketball at MHS, Kreutzfeldt opted not to play as a senior. After graduating in 2014, Kreutzfeldt stayed close to home at Dakota Wesleyan University, where he competed on the men’s golf team.
Even in high school, Kreutzfeldt thought he might like to coach, but he also wanted to me in the medical field. It wasn’t long into his time studying nursing at DWU that a family member helped provide some clarity to his career plans.
“One day at lunch, my grandma told me, ‘You’d be a pretty terrible nurse, but I
think you’d be a good teacher,’”
Kreutzfeldt recalled. “The next day I went in and changed my major.”
In search of a first opportunity, Kreutzfeldt applied to be an assistant coach at Kimball/White Lake and then for the eighth-grade coaching opening at Mitchell Middle School. It was then that Aadland pointed Kreutzfeldt toward Todd Neuendorf.
Neuendorf, a veteran basketball coach then in his first season in Mitchell, brought Kreutzfeldt on as a volunteer student assistant just before the 2017-18 season.
Over the next three years, Kreutzfeldt climbed the ranks to freshman and sophomore coaching positions. Along the way, he picked up coaching duties with MHS boys golf and even helped coach seventhgrade football for a season.
“I knew very quickly that was not my path to coaching,” Kreutzfeldt said with a laugh.
When Neuendorf departed in 2021, Kreutzfeldt was tabbed as his mentor’s replacement. Three years in, Kreutzfeldt has guided Mitchell to
three Eastern South Dakota Conference championships and three state tournaments, including runner-up and titlewinning finishes.
“With inexperienced hires, there’s no way to know how they’ll handle certain things because they haven’t. He’s completely destroyed any of those types of concerns,” Aadland said. “I expected this growth, but not in a three-year period. No way.”
A DREAM JOB
Kreutzfeldt didn’t grow up attending MHS basketball games. Many of his memories surrounding the program came once he got to high school, as Gary Munsen was in his final seasons roaming the Corn Palace sidelines.
“Kernel basketball, once you get involved in it, then you want all of it; it really consumes you,” Kreutzfeldt said. “You see that in the people who have been coming to games all these years. There’s so much history and tradition with it that once I got a taste, I didn’t want anything else.”
Mitchell head coach Ryker Kreutzfeldt waves the net in the air after winning the Class AA boys state championship game against the Brandon Valley Lynx on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls.
Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
“I don’t envision my life without coaching basketball for the Kernels. Until they tell me I can’t, I want to do it.”
KREUTZFELDT
From Page 3
Though Kreutzfeldt’s path took him away from the program for a time, his return has helped restore the luster to a tradition-rich program.
“When we started this, it was intentional to go back to traditional basketball and what Mitchell basketball needs to look like. This is a big deal, and we lost that for a while; Mitchell basketball was not what we wanted it to be,” Aadland said. “To get it back there to where it is a big deal, it starts with (Kreutzfeldt). He’s kind of an old soul, an oldschool coach in a newschool era.”
During his coaching
journey, Kreutzfeldt said he’s reflected on the subvarsity basketball coaches he learned from as a player — Craig Mock, Chris Weier and Clint Kiewel. He said they helped teach him the importance of relationships, which Kreutzfeldt has emphasized since becoming a coach.
“I wasn’t a kid who could accept his role or be happy just being a part of the team. I did everything differently than the way I teach it now,” Kreutzfeldt said. “We’ve had kids the past three years who have been in those positions and handled it way better than I ever did. I hope the reason they did that is because they knew I cared; I loved them, and
they trusted me.”
Ryker Kreutzfeldt
Finding ways to connect with students and deliver messages effectively doesn’t just apply on the basketball court, either. Kreutzfeldt feels that approach serves him while coaching golf and in the classroom, where he teaches algebra and geometry, too.
“If I’ll give myself credit for one thing, it’s that I think I’m good at establishing relationships with the kids,” Kreutzfeldt said of the coaching component. “I don’t really view it as coach and player, which I know a lot of people would disagree with or think is wrong. I just view it as a group of guys who are trying to get this thing figured out, win as
many games as we can and grow kids up along the way.”
With Kreutzfeldt’s philosophy as the guiding principle in a new era of Kernel basketball, a new championship banner is set to be added to the Corn Palace collection.
For the Mitchell product, the thought of his name hanging along the north wall above the basketball court is another element Kreutzfeldt hasn’t yet come to terms with.
“I’ve had a bit of imposter syndrome with the crews we’ve had because I walked into a talented group,” Kreutzfeldt said. “I’ll be crying that night we hang the banner, I know that for sure because it’ll mean a lot to me. But it shouldn’t be lost that the
kids are the ones who do it.”
‘IT NEVER STOPS’
Less than an hour after Mitchell cut down the Premier Center nets in celebration of its first state championship in 19 years, Kreutzfeldt had already made a comment to Aadland about gym availability for this summer’s series of Kernel basketball camps.
By Monday, he was already writing down other summer plans and thinking about varsity team camps.
Kreutzfeldt eats, sleeps and breathes Kernel basketball. At this point, he knows no other way.
“I thought for sure this would be the year I got done and felt like taking some time off,”
Kreutzfeldt said. “We’re going to enjoy all of (the championship fanfare), but I guess that’s just how my brain works is to already be thinking about how we do it all over again.”
While some question the longterm sustainability, Kreutzfeldt has no designs of slowing down any time soon.
“There are going to be people who get sick of me and how it never stops. I’ve had people tell me to slow down because I’m going to get burnt out. I don’t think that’s an option for me,” Kreutzfeldt said. “I don’t envision my life without coaching basketball for the Kernels. Until they tell me I can’t, I want to do it.”
Kernels’ Big ree took championshiplevel jump in scoring, leadership
Smith, Soukup and Talley accounted for three-fourths
MARC S TRA LER
Mitchell Republic
MITCHELL — The trio of Colton Smith, Gavin Soukup and Markus Talley returned to the Kernel basketball roster in the summer of 2023.
Smith, a rising sophomore at the time, Soukup, a senior to be, and Talley, about to be a junior, were each coming off decent seasons in which they had defined roles on an MHS team that had seven seniors and had led the Kernels to a championship game.
Between them, they accounted for 23.7 points per game.
And then that trio became a Big Three for the Kernels, powering the black and gold to a Class AA state championship. Over the course of 24 games and a 23-1 record, the trio of Smith, Soukup and Talley accounted for 75% of scoring for the season and doubled their output of points per game, up to 46.6 points each night.
“We all had to step forward,” Smith said. “We knew the team was going to be counting on us and it was going to be on our
shoulders as leaders of the team.”
Smith, the 6-foot-5 guard/forward, went from
9.7 points per game in 2022-23 to 16.8 points on average this season. Talley went from 8.1 points last
season to 17.3 points per game this campaign, and Soukup also doubled his scoring output, going from
5.9 points per game up to 12.6 points per game.
BIG THREE: Page
Mitchell’s Markus Talley (4) drives past Brandon Valley’s Landon Dulaney during the Class AA boys basketball state championship game on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
The three players were also the most heavily used for the Kernels, all averaging more than 30 minutes a night out of a possible 32 in regulation games.
“All three of them had to come back as different players for us and take on different roles and the leadership part of it. They are three of our leaders, and Soukup probably is the most vocal,” Mitchell coach Ryker Kreutzfeldt said. “There was no other team in the state that was putting three better guys out there.”
“We all know we can make plays,” Talley said. “If one of us is having a good night, it gets the whole team going. Gavin and Colton, they’re both smart players that help our team win.”
Each had their big scoring night in the final weeks of the season. Smith had the top scoring performance of the season with 28 points on Feb. 17 at Sioux Falls Roosevelt. Talley scored 27 points in the SoDak 16 victory over Yankton, one of three 20-point efforts the junior guard had in the four-game postseason. Soukup had 23 points in the regularseason finale at O’Gorman and 22 points in the state semifinal win over Sioux Falls Washington on March 15.
Of course, offense is only half the game. Talley did a strong job of defending top-tier players on the perimeter, including in the state tournament. The same can be said for Soukup, who was a tough assignment on both ends of the court with his 6-foot-3 frame. Smith showed his a high-motor player by leading the team with nearly nine rebounds and 1.4 blocks per contest.
“They do so many various things, and they’re not just offensive players, they’re all very good and willing defensive players,” Kreutzfeldt said.
Talley had the ball in his hands much more in this championship season but still drove his shooting percentage up to nearly 48% overall while tripling his assist output to four assists per game.
Talley also showed he’s a complete player, operating at an assist-toturnover ratio of 2.67-to-1 and ranked second on the team in rebounding at nearly 6 per game.
Soukup doubled his scoring average to 12.6 points per game, increased his free throw percentage by 21 points to lead the team in free-throw shooting at 76% and shot nearly 45% overall.
“We put the work in,” Soukup said. “We knew this could be a big season but we didn’t really know until we got on the court and had the chance to really see what this team could be. And we just kept working at it.”
Soukup departs as a senior but his season and the efforts of other Kernels provide the blueprint for future offseasons and a path for the program to keep this level of state success going forward.
“Previous groups, they’ve given the blueprint of what you have to do,” Kreutzfeldt said. “We talked with some of our younger guys who will be back next year, ‘Did you see what Gavin Soukup did this year and did you see what kind of jump he made?’ It wasn’t by chance. He worked hard at it. We talk to younger guys and say, ‘Sit down and watch Markus Talley play. Watch Colton Smith.’ They’ve given the blueprint that if you put in the work and the time, the results will come.”
Mitchell’s Colton Smith (5) celebrates drawing a foul against Sioux Falls Je erson during a Class AA boys basketball state quarter nal game on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
Mitchell’s Gavin Soukup (12) attacks the lane between three Sioux Falls Washington defenders during a Class AA boys basketball state semi nal game on Friday, March 15, 2024, at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
The 2023-24 Mitchell High School boys basketball team celebrates during a team photo following their Class AA state championship victory on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
Kernels stood tall in parityfilled Class AA picture
MITCHELL
— During a season where Class AA boys basketball was as volatile as any in recent memory, there was one constant.
The winning ways of the Mitchell Kernels.
Mitchell established itself as the No. 1 team during the back half of the regular-season schedule. Then the Kernels turned around and affirmed their place at the top with four postseason victories en route to an elusive state championship, the program’s first since 2005 and 17th alltime.
“It still hasn’t set in yet,”
said senior Gavin Soukup of the Kernels’ title run. “It still feels like a dream, but a dream come true, for sure.”
After compiling a 19-1 regular season record, the Kernels dispatched rival Yankton in the SoDak 16 on the way to the state tournament. Once there, Mitchell took down Sioux Falls Jefferson, Sioux Falls
Washington and Brandon Valley over three days at the Premier Center.
All along, the Kernels were seemingly immune to the parity that consumed the rest of Class AA.
Among Mitchell’s peers in the championship chase, Harrisburg — the No. 2-seeded team in the bracket which had been ranked no
lower than No. 3 at any point during the season — had a slip-up at Aberdeen Central, which did not qualify for the state tournament, at the beginning of February. The Tigers received a three-quarter scare from Watertown in the state quarterfinals and didn’t reach the title game after a loss to Brandon Valley in the semifinals.
KERNELS: Page 10
Meet the Kernels
GAVIN SOUKUP SENIOR
OAKLEY BENDER MANAGER
LUKE LEBRUN SOPHOMORE
MARSHALL WIDSTROM MANAGER
NIC MOLLER SENIOR
RYKER KREUTZFELDT HEAD COACH
JAXSON HARTMAN SOPHOMORE
SUTTON THOMPSON JUNIOR
MASON HERMAN JUNIOR
ABRAHAM GUNNARE SENIOR
CANON MOLLER MANAGER
TYLER CHRISTENSEN SOPHOMORE
Photos by L.O. Imijri Photography
State Champions!!
KENDAN SKINNER SOPHOMORE
PAT MOLLER ASSISTANT COACH
MARKUS TALLEY JUNIOR
TRAVIS SALMONSON ASSISTANT COACH
GAVIN HINKER JUNIOR
LINCOLN BOTTUM FRESHMAN
MATT HENRIKSEN ASSISTANT COACH
LANDEN SOULEK JUNIOR
PAT LARSON ASSISTANT COACH
COLTON SMITH SOPHOMORE
PARKER MANDEL JUNIOR
Elsewhere, Sioux Falls Roosevelt — another squad ranked in the top-five all season — had an early setback against a Sioux Falls Lincoln squad that ended up missing the state tournament. The Rough Riders entered the state tourney as the No. 4 seed with a 15-6 record but stumbled to an eighthplace finish with three straight losses.
In fact, each of the top five seeds at the Class AA state tournament had at least one loss to a non-qualifier on its record. That is, except for Mitchell.
Every team in Class AA lost at least four games this season, and 16 of the 19 finished with at least nine losses. Except for the Kernels.
“It felt like AA was really open this year, but we just took it one game at a time and didn’t pass anybody over,” Soukup said. “We went out and played one game at a time, and that’s where our focus was.”
Still, the margin for error was small at times, including
in the one-point win over Brandon Valley to capture an elusive state championship.
See also the first matchup with the Lynx, an overtime battle against Yankton and a close call at Sioux Falls Washington, among others.
There was also the lone blemish on Mitchell’s slate, an overtime loss to eventual thirdplace winner Harrisburg to tip off 2024.
But according to head coach Ryker Kreutzfeldt, it was a rare combination of confidence and camaraderie that pulled the Kernels through time and again.
“Our guys have belief in themselves, in their teammates and in the process,” said Kreutzfeldt, who claimed he might’ve been his own team’s biggest doubter to start the season. “In times of adversity, they have to find a way to pull through and stay together as a team; that’s how you win or lose a game. You see a lot of teams that aren’t able to do that, but these guys talk, figure it out, and by the time they have to go back on the floor, they’re ready to go again.”
So, in the end, was it really a surprise when the Kernels produced the go-ahead and eventual championship-winning bucket or made the title-sealing defensive stop in the waning moments on Saturday night?
After all, it’s what they had done nearly without fail up to that point throughout the campaign. Along with distinction as defending champions, Mitchell will carry a 17-game win streak into the 2024-25 season.
“It all comes back to these guys putting the team over themselves, and there’s good karma in that,” Kreutzfeldt said. “They knew this was a group that could do this, and they did it.
“We’ve said, ‘Oh, Kernel basketball is back,’ over the past couple of years, but it felt like there was kind of an asterisk with that because we still hadn’t kicked down that last door,” he added. “It’s surreal, and I don’t know when it’ll hit our guys, but it’s going to kick in, and these guys are going to realize they just made history in a year when they weren’t expected to do it.”
Great Job!!
Boys Basketball State Champs
Mitchell’s Landen Soulek (3) drives along the baseline between two Brandon Valley defenders during the Class AA boys basketball state championship game on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
e Kernels’ road to a title
Mitchell’s season in review with 23 wins and the first state championship in 19 years
MITCHELL REP LIC
The latest historic season in Mitchell High School boys basketball lore finished with a flourish, with a Class AA championship, the state’s longest current win streak and only one loss on the season. Below is a game-by-game look at how the Kernels made it happen in 2023-24:
Mitchell 60, Huron 48
HURON — Cracking open a new season, Mitchell used a 15-0 run in the third quarter to assert control against the rival Tigers on Dec. 8 at the Huron Arena. Colton Smith had 18 points, with 17 from Markus Talley and 16 from Gavin Soukup.
Mitchell 69, Watertown 42
MITCHELL — In the Kernels’ home opener on Dec. 12, Mitchell led for all but the opening 10 seconds of the game, locking down the Arrows to the tune of 38% shooting and forcing 18 turnovers. Colton Smith scored 24 points, Markus Talley scored 19 and Gavin Hinker scored 10 on a 57% shooting night for the Kernels.
Mitchell 52, Rapid City Stevens 41
MITCHELL — The Kernels put together a 20-3 margin in the second quarter and had a 22-point scoring effort from Markus Talley to improve to 3-0 on Dec. 15, while Sutton Thompson added 12 points for MHS.
Mitchell 58, Rapid City Central 47
MITCHELL — Slowed by the Cobblers’ zone defense for most of the game and with Gavin Soukup sidelined with an ankle injury, Mitchell found its form in the fourth quarter to score 18 of the final 24 points to complete the Rapid City weekend sweep at home on Dec. 16. Colton Smith had 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Markus Talley had 16 points and 13 rebounds, with 11 points from Gavin Hinker.
Mitchell 54, Thunder Basin (Wyo.) 26
MITCHELL — Up to No. 2 in the Class AA rankings, the Kernels answered a 12-day layoff with its most lopsided victory in a Hoop City Classic contest on Dec. 29. MHS led 18-0 after one period and 38-8 at halftime, holding the Bolts to 20% shooting for the game. Markus Talley logged 23 points on 9-for-10 shooting, and Gavin Soukup returned to the lineup with 11 points.
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Mitchell’s Gavin Hinker (40) throws down a one-handed dunk during a Class AA boys basketball game between the Watertown Arrows and the Mitchell Kernels on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, at the Corn Palace. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
CONGRATULATIONS
Mitchell 45, DeLaSalle (Minn.) 41
MITCHELL — It was a wire-to-wire victory for the Kernels against an eventual Minnesota state tournament qualifier on Dec. 30, although the Islanders pulled to within two points late after MHS led by as many as 14 points at the Hoop City Classic. Colton Smith’s key free throws with 11 seconds left — capping a 15-point, 17-rebound double-double — allowed the Kernels to stretch the lead to four and solid defense kept DeLaSalle to only 26% shooting.
Harrisburg 62, Mitchell 53 (OT)
MITCHELL — A matchup of No. 1 and No. 2 in Class AA opened the New Year, and the Tigers escaped with a late flip of the game, putting together a 19-4 run late in regulation and into overtime to deal the Kernels their first loss on Jan. 2. Braeden VanBockern scored 32 for the Tigers in the win, while Colton Smith had a team-high 19 points.
Mitchell 49, Yankton 45 (OT)
MITCHELL — Mitchell was tested on its home floor in a rematch of the 2023 Class AA state title game, rallying from seven points down in the third quarter to get back into the win column on Jan. 5. Landen Soulek had a key 3-pointer to tie the game prior to overtime and hit the go-ahead triple in the extra session to put the Kernels up for good. Markus Talley led the team with 16 points.
Mitchell 67, Huron 56
MITCHELL — The Kernels earned their eighth consecutive win in the rivalry series
on Jan. 9, improving MHS to 8-1, stretching a four-point halftime lead in the second half. Colton Smith had 20 points, with 15 each from Gavin Soukup and Markus Talley, and Mitchell benefitted from forcing 18 turnovers and limiting themselves to only six giveaways.
Mitchell 57, Sioux Falls Lincoln 51 MITCHELL — Another home game, another fourth-quarter charge to earn a victory. Gavin Soukup had a pair of key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to allow the Kernels to pull away and improve to 9-1 on Jan. 18. Colton Smith had 18 points and Soukup finished with 16 points, while coach Ryker Kreutzfeldt commended the team for closing out the game with winning plays.
Mitchell 68, Brookings 55
BROOKINGS — Playing with the No. 1 ranking in Class AA for the first time in 12 seasons, Mitchell was challenged by Brookings’ 3-point shooting but the Kernels emerged in the second half on Jan. 25. Colton Smith capped his day with 26 points in the road victory.
Mitchell 71, Sioux Falls Jefferson 58 SIOUX FALLS — Another wire-to-wire win, Mitchell pulled away in the second half and led by as many as 22 points, as the Kernels ran their win streak to five games on Jan. 30. Colton Smith posted 20 points as one of three Kernels in double figures, joined by Gavin Soukup (19) and Gavin Hinker (12).
Mitchell’s Gavin Soukup (12) drives past Sioux Falls Lincoln’s Tate Schafer during a Class AA boys basketball game on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, at the Corn Palace. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
Mitchell 71, Sturgis 42
STURGIS — Behind a 23-0 run to close the first quarter, the Kernels notched their largest margin of victory on the season in a Feb. 2 road rout. All told, 11 Kernels made their way onto the scoresheet, paced by Markus Talley’s 18 points. Colton Smith added 15 points and Gavin Hinker had 10 points.
Mitchell 59, Spearfish 45
SPEARFISH — Turning around for the second leg of the West River trip on Feb. 3, Mitchell never trailed, using a 24-9 third quarter to put away the Spartans. Gavin Soukup scored 21 points, Markus Talley tacked on 13 points and Gavin Hinker dropped in 12 for the Kernels.
Mitchell 68, Aberdeen Central 56
MITCHELL — Playing at home for the first time in nearly three weeks on Feb. 6, Mitchell got out to a sluggish start. But in just eight minutes of game time, the Kernels turned a seven-point deficit into a 19-point lead and held off the Golden Eagles from there. Markus Talley tossed in 21 points, while Colton Smith posted a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double and Gavin Soukup added 15 points.
Mitchell 60, Sioux Falls Washington 55
SIOUX FALLS — In a top-five ranked matchup on Feb. 13, Mitchell watched a 10-point secondhalf lead disappear before closing the game on a 7-0 run. Ryker Kreutzfeldt described the contest as “one of the weirdest games I can remember,” as the Kernels won at Washington High School for the first time since 1997. Markus Talley and Colton Smith led the way, scoring 22 and 20 points, respectively.
Mitchell 74, Pierre 50
PIERRE — Extending its win streak to 10 games, Mitchell used first-half runs of 9-0 and 15-5 to cruise past Pierre on Feb. 16. Colton Smith posted another double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Markus Talley scored 20 points and Gavin Soukup had 11 points.
Mitchell 75, Sioux Falls Roosevelt 53
SIOUX FALLS — Colton Smith’s season-high 28 points powered the Kernels to their seasonbest point total in a runaway win on Feb. 17, the program’s first at Roosevelt High School in 20 years. Markus Talley added 19 points, and Parker Mandel chipped in 10 points.
Mitchell 59, Brandon Valley 54
MITCHELL — Dueling double-digit win streaks were on the line, as Mitchell overcame a 12-point first-half deficit to hold off the Lynx on Feb. 20. With the win, the Kernels clinched a share of the Eastern South Dakota Conference title for the third-straight season, finishing with a 7-1 mark in conference play. Gavin Soukup, Markus Talley and Colton Smith all provided 15 points for the Kernels, while Mandel tossed in 10 points off the bench.
Mitchell 60, O’Gorman 50
SIOUX FALLS — Senior Gavin Soukup scored a career-high 23 points in Mitchell’s regular-season finale to help the Kernels fend off O’Gorman. Colton Smith added 19 points and Markus Talley had 10 points, as Mitchell secured the No. 1 seed in the Class AA postseason picture with a 19-1 record, which included a 9-0 mark in road games.
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Mitchell’s Landen Soulek pulls down a rebound against Yankton during a Class AA boys basketball SoDak 16 game on March 2, 2024, at the Corn Palace. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
Class AA SoDak 16
Mitchell 60, Yankton 46
MITCHELL — Another re-run of the 2023 title game, Mitchell roared out to a 20-point halftime lead and held off a second-half rally from the Bucks on March 2 to punch its ticket back to the state tournament. A 25-point outing from Markus Talley carried the day for the Kernels.
Class AA quarterfinal
Mitchell 69, Sioux Falls Jefferson 61
SIOUX FALLS — A second-half advantage of 15 points dwindled to just two in the fourth quarter, but a late run helped seal a semifinal berth for the Kernels in a quarterfinal rematch with Jefferson on March 14. In running their win streak to 15 games, four Kernels reached double figures in scoring, led by Markus Talley with 22 points. Colton Smith added a double-double at 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Gavin Soukup and Gavin Hinker had 14 points and 12 points, respectively.
Class AA semifinal
Mitchell 72, Sioux Falls Washington 51
SIOUX FALLS — Behind Gavin Soukup’s 22 points and eight assists, the Kernels routed Washington on March 15 to lock up a second-straight title game appearance. Mitchell pulled ahead by 20 points at halftime and never let the Warriors within 12 the rest of the way. Markus Talley tacked on 21 points of his own, and Colton Smith finished just shy of another double-double at nine points and 14 rebounds.
Class AA championship
Mitchell 46, Brandon Valley 45
SIOUX FALLS — Markus Talley found Gavin Hinker for a wide-open layup with 30 seconds to play, and the Kernels came up with a pair of defensive stops in the final seconds, as Mitchell turned back Brandon Valley again in the Class AA title game on March 16. Talley, Gavin Soukup and Colton Smith were named to the all-tournament team. The Kernels claimed their first state championship since 2005 and 17th overall, finishing with a 23-1 record and 17-game win streak.
Congratula
Mitchell’s Markus Talley (4) lofts a oater over the contest of Brandon Valley’s Landon Dulaney during the Class AA boys basketball state championship game on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
Mitchell boys basketball season box score
Scoring format: FGM-FGA FTM-FTA total points
Colton Smith 159-305 67-111 404 Gavin Hinker 64-94 17-43 145 Landen Soulek 28-94 5-14 76 Markus Talley 158-305 65-91 415 Gavin Soukup 102-227 48-63 289 Sutton Thompson 16-49 8-15 45 Parker Mandel 32-64 13-21 86 Nic Moller 1-1 0-0 2 Abe Gunnare 4-15 0-0 8 Mason Herman 1-2 0-0 2 Luke LeBrun 1-7 0-0 2 Lincoln Bottum 0-0 2-2 2 Jaxson Hartman 0-0 0-0 0 Tyler Christensen 0-0 0-0 0 Kendan Skinner 0-0 0-0 0. Shooting Totals 566-1189 (47.6 pct.) 225-360 (62.5 pct) 1476 pts / 61.5 ppg.
3-pointers: 119-391 (30.4 pct.) (Soukup 37-101, Talley 34-101, Smith 19-66, Soulek 15-63, Mandel 9-30, Thompson 5-26, LeBrun 0-4)
Rebounds-offensive: DWU 714-227 (29.8 per game/9.5 offensive per game): Smith 213-83, Talley 141-25, Soukup 92-20, Hinker 92-35, Mandel 62-26, Thompson 56-16, Soulek 42-14, Gunnare 9-7, Herman 3-1, LeBrun 2-0, Herman 2-0
Assists — 334 (13.9 per game): (Talley 95, Soukup 75, Smith 71, Soulek 31, Mandel 22, Hinker 19, Thompson 18, Herman 2, Skinner 1.)
Turnovers — 266 (11.1 per game): (Smith 92, Soukup 44, Talley 37, Mandel 26, Soulek 22, Hinker 21, Thompson 17, Moller 6, Bottum 1)
Blocks — 57 (2.4 per game): Smith 34, Hinker 6, Talley 6, Mandel 5, Soukup 4, Thompson 1, LeBrun 1.
Steals — 149 (6.2 per game): Smith 36, Talley 35, Soukup 27, Mandel 15, Soulek 14, Hinker 10, Thompson 9, Moller 1, Herman 1, LeBrun 1
Team stats of note: Home games: 11-1. Away games: 9-0. Neutral site games: 3-0. Conference record: 7-1.
Games played: Smith 24, Hinker 24, Soulek 24, Talley 24, Thompson 23, Soukup 23, Mandel 22, Moller 11, Gunnare 10, Herman 7, LeBrun 4, Hartman 3, Christensen 2, Bottum 2, Skinner 2
Mitchell’s Gavin Hinker battles for possession of a loose ball with Sioux Falls Washington’s Jhace Woods during a Class AA state semi nal boys basketball game on Friday, March 15, 2024, at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic