Basketball in small town South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The high school state girls basketball tournaments have tipped off in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and Brookings, three of the largest cities in South Dakota.

But, there’s nothing quite like basketball in a small town.

It’s a quiet afternoon on Main Street in downtown Arlington, but it’s easy to see what’s on the mind of many people — basketball.

“It’s big. If you ever came to a game and saw the crowd there, you would know it’s big,” Arlington resident Faye Josephsen said.

This season is bigger than most. Arlington is 21-2 and the number one seed in the state “B” tournament.

“They’re determined and they’re so fast, I’ve never seen a girls team as fast as these girls are,” Josephsen said.

Faye Josephsen wasn’t born in Arlington, but has spent more than 70 years in the town, watching basketball.

“I was head cook at school for 34 years, and I followed those kids. I said they were like grandkids to me, every one of them, and I still follow the kids because these are kids of the ones I had in school,” Josephsen said.

When the conversation shifts to small town vs. big city basketball…

“There’s no comparison. A small town, this is our activity of the week is going to that basketball game,” Josephsen said.

“We don’t have the large percentage of kids playing, but what we do have do very well,” Arlington resident Lynnette Diaz said.

Lynnette Diaz has lived in Arlington for 13 years. Her great-granddaughter, Jaelyn Huntimer (#5), is a sophomore on the team.

“They’ve been practicing together since they were, oh my gosh, third grade, second and third grade, and they play well together,” Diaz said.

At Handi-Mart, you’ll find the local paper, and long-time resident Dale Royer, tracking the Cardinals’ progress.

“They’ve got energy, lots of energy, good shots and they play aggressive, they’ve really got get up and go,” Arlington resident Dale Royer said.

Royer has lived in Arlington for most of 75 years, and hopes the team finds success at the state tournament.

“It would mean a lot for the girls and the whole town,” Royer said.

“This group of girls that I get to work with, they were elementary students when I first came and so we’ve spent lots of time together,” Arlington head coach Tara King said.

Tara King has been the girls basketball coach at Arlington for ten years.

“Endless amount of hours, dreams, talking about making this dream become a reality and we finally did it,” King said.

King says the girls managed to break through this season by becoming a family.

“These girls grew up playing softball, playing basketball, they live close to each other, always just spending lots of time together and the relationships built throughout all the years,” King said.

Harley Johnson is the lone senior on the team, but is anything but alone. She lives within a block of seven teammates.

“For starters, I have two teammates in my backyard, I live with my sister, the twins and Izzy are about a block away from me, and Emma, she’s right around the corner as well, so we all are literally in the same environment, all of our parents hang out together, so we are really just one big family,” Arlington senior Harley Johnson said.

You’ll find the rest of Arlington cheering them on.

“They’re always there being loud and proud, our parents are huge, they’re the biggest support we have, and people show up for our games so it’s an awesome environment to be a part of,” Johnson said.

The girls basketball team hasn’t qualified for the state tournament since 2011, and has never finished higher than seventh, so bringing a state championship home to Arlington would mean everything.

“Holy cow, I don’t, that is the biggest dream since day one,” Johnson said. “We’re grinding non-stop and so to go out with a state championship would mean the whole world,” Johnson added.

“We’ve been talking about something like this for a long time, and so having the opportunity to go compete in the state tournament together is going to be memorable, but a state championship would definitely be the cherry on top,” King said.

“Just to get this far is very exciting, we’re very proud of them,” Diaz said.

“Oh, I don’t think I could describe it, but it would mean the world,” Josephsen said.

The state “B” tournament continues through Saturday at Summit Arena at the Monument in Rapid City.

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