Sioux Falls Christian boys basketball rolls through Vermillion en route to state semifinals

The top-seeded and undefeated Sioux Falls Christian Chargers took on the 8-seeded Vermillion on Thursday afternoon for a spot in the Class A boys basketball semifinals at Summit Arena in Rapid City.

The Chargers started fast, jumping out to an early double-digit lead, and never let go of it on their way to a 74-48 rout of the Tanagers.

“It’s kind of something we’ve been talking about," Chargers’ head coach Mike Schouten shared after the game. "We didn’t want to have a slow start. We wanted to come out and play well right from the get-go."

In the first quarter, it was Brant Wassenaar getting things started for Sioux Falls Christian, putting up seven points and grabbing three boards as they opened up an eleven-point lead on the Tanagers. The following frame was much of the same, with the Chargers pouring it in on the offensive end and limiting the Tanagers' attack to just 21 points by the end of the first half. Sioux Falls Christian ended the half on an 8-0 run, capped off by a 3-pointer from Britton Mulder as the final seconds expired, to put the Chargers up 46-21.

Coming out of the half, the Tanagers looked to have a little fire in them, sparked by guard Bryson Skogsberg, who made the only Tanagers’ 3-pointer of the game on his way to totaling seven points of his own in the third quarter. Vermillion’s boost in energy led to the Tanagers outscoring the Chargers 14-10 in the quarter but still finding themselves down 56-35 going into the fourth. What little momentum the Tanagers had gathered was quickly lost as the Chargers stepped back on the gas and closed out the game over the final frame.

Junior Griffen Goodbary led the way for the Chargers, totaling 20 points on the afternoon to go along with seven rebounds, four blocks and two steals. Schouten spoke on Goodbary’s impact on the court,

“He’s just a presence around the basket. And, he’s intelligent. He’s got a great basketball IQ," Schouten said.

Schouten’s Chargers advance to take on the Dakota Valley in the semifinals Friday at 7:00 PM CT back at the Summit Arena.