The Mitchell Boys Basketball team earned their first-Class AA Basketball Championship since 2005 on Saturday night in Sioux Falls. The team had a nearly undefeated season, winning their final game 46-45 against Brandon Valley.
“Ironically, there is a spot in the Corn Palace where there is a spot for just one banner, and last year we were just feeling that, and this year that row is getting filled, and it is gonna feel great.” Said Mitchell Senior guard Gavin Soukup.
Mitchell fell short of a title last season, losing to Yankton in the title game.
“Well, last year we thought it was the best thing ever being runners up and being in a state championship,” said Soukup. “But now we were prepared this time, and we knew we had to work our butts off and get to bed early and do the little things that were the biggest difference.”
The Kernels went with an aggressive playing style, which led to some personal fouls. Some of their players got into foul trouble.
“Yeah, we had to go away from the game plan a little bit. You know Mason Herman is a kid who doesn’t play varsity basketball, but he played in the State Championship,” explained Mitchell head coach Ryker Kreutzfeldt.. “We had to switch Soukup onto a post, and our guys are just smart. They played hard, and we didn’t commit any silly fouls, and we held on.”
It was a back-and-forth battle throughout the game. Come the fourth quarter, it felt like it could come down to the final possession. With 1.2 seconds left in the game, and the Kernels leading by one, the Lynx had a chance to win on a quick inbound pass, but the Kernels were ready.
“Honestly, I didn’t even realize what was happening. There was a little stoppage, and I looked up, and there were only 1.2 seconds on the clock I didn’t even know. Then we got Colton [Smith] switched to the inbound pass to make it a little tougher, and we knew the baseline that Josh Olthoff was coming around, and Gavin Hinker blew it up without fouling, and it was a big-time play by our guys.” Said Kreutzfeldt.
Olthoff put up a fadeaway shot at the horn, but it fell short. From there, the celebration began for Mitchell.
Soukup led all scorers with 16 points.
“Gavin Soukup is one of the best leaders I have ever seen. That kid took on a huge leadership role. I prefer that people say Gavin led this team because he does everything for us. Markus Talley, Colton Smith, and all our Seniors, we had a lot of good leaders this year, and I am proud of all of them.” Said Kreutzfeldt.
This win earned Mitchell their 16th state basketball championship, and their first in 19-years.
