Every year in the month of January, the 281 Conference Tournament builds energy and excitement in each round with the suspense of who is going to win to get to the championship games. This year was no exception. Each game, for both the SCW boys and girls, was played with the determination of staying in the winners’ bracket, and it wasn’t an easy task for either team. However, they made it, and their final games in the championship round were full of intensity and very entertaining for all spectators, just as the 281 Conference Tournament has always been.

The first round of the girls’ tournament was played on Friday, Jan. 12 in Wolsey. The Lady Blackhawks played the girls from Wolsey-Wessington and won 50-35.

Although the boys’ first round had to be rescheduled due to the artic weather the area has been experiencing, the Blackhawks heated up the court with their 64-39 win over Hitchcock-Tulare in their first-round game played in Wolsey on Monday, Jan. 15.

The second round of the tournament was played on Tuesday, Jan. 16, with the teams in the winners’ bracket playing in Wolsey and the other teams playing in Huron at James Valley Christian. The Lady Blackhawks found themselves up against a fierce foe in the Iroquois/Lake Preston Sharks, but SCW held on for a 44-40 win to advance to the championship game.

The SCW boys’ second round game was against a long-time rival, the Wolsey-Wessington Warbirds, and it was a back-and-forth battle from the beginning to the end, with the Blackhawks hanging on for a 43-36 win to secure at least second place in the tournament.

The final round of the tournament was played at the Huron Arena on Thursday, Jan. 18. Both the SCW boys’ and girls’ teams were up against the Wessington Springs Spartans to claim the 281 Championship, and both games were filled with excitement and entertaining competition. The girls played first and took the game to overtime with a last-minute basket from Kenna Ochsner to tie things up at 38 in regulation time. Unfortunately, there were only two points scored in the four overtime minutes, and they were scored by Wessington Springs to take the championship 38-40 and leaving the Lady Blackhawks with the runner-up spot for this year’s tournament.

Coach Baruth commented, “The girls played their hearts out in the championship game and fell just short in overtime. We had some good opportunities to get the win, but the ball just rimmed off several times. They did a great job getting the game to overtime as we were down 37-30 with 2:30 left in the game. Kennadie hit a long two-point basket (her big toe was on the three-point line) at the buzzer to send it to overtime. I am very proud of all the girls. One of the best 281 Tournament championship games in many years.” In regard to the whole tournament, he further stated, “Our girls played an excellent conference tournament. We had a lot of great and positive comments from many fans from other communities about our Blackhawk girls on how hard they play, how respectful they are and the great sportsmanship they always show.”

The final game of the tournament was for the boys’ championship between SCW and Wessington Springs. The scoring for the Blackhawks was shared evenly in a defensive battle between the two teams, as neither team scored in the second quarter of the game. The Blackhawks fought hard but couldn’t get things to gel late in the game, finishing with a 47-61 loss and also earning second-place honors.

Coach Deinert had this to say about the team and the tournament, “I have been really happy with how the boys have been playing. They have worked really hard this season and have had some tough losses. I thought they came into the 281 and played some really good basketball. We haven’t been in the championship game in a few years now, and that’s a really big accomplishment for the boys. We have a tough schedule ahead that I think we can and will compete in. As long as we keep playing hard and as a team, we will finish the season strong.”

After the intense 281 Tournament, the Lady Blackhawks played in the Irene Classic on Saturday, Jan. 20. Please see an additional story on that game on this page. Both the boys and the girls then headed to Alexandria for a doubleheader against the Hanson Beavers on Tuesday, Jan. 23. The girls will face the Wessington Springs Spartan ladies tonight (Thursday) for a rematch in Woonsocket with the junior high girls starting at 4:30 p.m. The boys will head to Irene for their classic on Saturday, Jan. 27, where they play Freeman at 6 p.m. Then both teams have another doubleheader on Tuesday, Jan. 30, this time in Ethan. Please catch all the highlights of all the games in next week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal.

…See individual stats and a page full of pictures from the games in this week’s issue of the Sanborn weekly Journal!