South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association releases Class AA, A and B honor squads

First-team selections Alec Squires of Sioux Valley, Easton Neuendorf of Hamlin, Lane Tietz of Groton Area and Bryon Laue of Castlewood lead a group of 17 area players who have been named to the 2023-24 South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association's All-State teams.

Squires, Neuendorf and Tietz each made the Class A first team and Laue the Class B first team.

Area second-team honorees include Dylon Rawdon of Watertown (Class AA), Tyson Stevenson of Hamlin (Class A) and George Jensen of De Smet, Lane Tvedt of Castlewood and Layne Cotton of Faulkton Area (Class B).

All-State Basketball Lists:State's best AA, A and B players honored by the S.D. Basketball Coaches Association

Third-teamers are Maxwell Engebretson of Sioux Valley and Carvin Fish of Tiospa Zina (Class A) and Joey Johnson of Aberdeen Christian, Kadyn Fast of De Smet and Brayden Sumption of Leola-Frederick Area (Class B).

Trey Maaland of Deuel (Class A) and Noah Kippley of Leola-Frederick Area and Ryder Falkenhagen of Potter County (Class B) each received honorable mention.

Here's more on each of the area All-State players:

Alec Squires, Sioux Valley

The 6-foot-10 senior and South Dakota State recruit helped lead the Cossacks to a 23-3 record and the consolation championship in the state Class A tournament.

Squires, who made the Class A All-State second team last year, shot 70 percent from the field and averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds per game. Squires played in two state Class A championship and two consolation championship games in his career and became the program's all-time leader in rebounds, blocked shots and field goal percentage. He also had more than 90 dunks.

"Alec was a game changer on the defensive end of the floor with his ability to protect the rim. On offense, he was crowded with double and triple teams but still averaged a double-double in points and rebounds," Sioux Valley head coach Bill Vincent said. "He has been a great role model for our youth."

Easton Neuendorf, Hamlin

The 5-11 junior point guard and son of head coach Todd Neuendorf played a major role in leading Hamlin to a 23-3 and the state Class A championship, the school's first state title in 41 years.

Neuendorf, a third-team All-State selection last year, averaged 15. 1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game and also made 64 steals.

"Easton is the guy who made us go on both ends of the floor," Todd Neuendorf said.

Lane Tietz, Groton Area

The 5-11 senior guard finished off his career by leading the Tigers back to the state A touranment for the second time in three years. He averaged 21.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and three assists per game for a team that went 20-6 and took seventh in the state tourney.

"This is a well-deserved honor for Lane. He has a tireless work ethic with a tremendous drive to be successful to go along with it, which is what makes him special," Groton Area head coach Brian Dolan said. "We, the Groton Community, couldn't be more proud, Combine this honor with the winning the Spirit of Su Award at state. I would say this ... Lane has had an outstanding senior year!"

Bryon Laue, Castlewood

The 6-foot-9 junior played a big role in Castlewood's 22-4 season that ended with a third-place finish in the state B tournament. He tallied 15.5 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.

"Bryon is a terrific force on both ends of the floor. He's very athletic for his size and a good shooter," Castlewood head coach Paul Raasch said. "He plays under control and brings a calm confidence each and every game that our guys rely on."

Dillon Rawdon, Watertown

The 6-0 senior guard produced 14.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game for an Arrow team that went 14-10 and qualified for the state AA tournament for the first time since 2015, finishing sixth.

"Dylon had an ability to score at all three levels (3-point, mid-range and around the basket) in addition to being able to break people down off the dribble," Watertown head coach Pat McClemans said. "He made each player on our team better because of his passing."

Tyson Stevenson, Hamlin

The 6-2 guard was the lone senior regular on the state champion Chargers. He averaged 15.1 points, three rebounds and 2.3 assists per game,

He saved his best for last, canning the game-tying 3-pointer late in regulation and taking over in overime in Hamlin's state championship win over Sioux Falls Christian.

"Tyson can score at all three levels of the floor," Coach Neuendorf said. "We leaned on him for his senior leadership throughout the season."

George Jensen, De Smet

The 6-6 senior forward did his part to help the Bulldogs make a strong run at a fourth-straight state Class B championship. The run ended with an overtime loss to Howard in the finals.

Jensen hit a game-winning 3 in the state-tourney opener and a game-tying 3 to force overtime in the championship. He capped his career by producing 12.5 points and seven rebounds per game.

"George is such a smooth player with great leaping ability to block shots and get rebounds. He really battled fiercely and stepped up his game to help us be at the top this season," De Smet head coach Jeff Gruenhagen said. "George was so coachable and for sure, one of the best all-around players in the state at all levels."

Lane Tvedt, Castlewood

The 6-0 senior guard repeated as a second-team Class B All-State selection by garnering 15.8 points, three rebounds and 4.4 assists per game for the Warriors.

""Lane is an explosive guard who had a great year. He knows how to score and also is a tremendous passer, " Raasch said. "He was our team leader on and off the court and worked hard to make us a successful team."

Layne Cotton, Faulkton Area

The 6-3 senior forward-guard had a number of big games for a Trojans' team that went 15-6. He set a school recod with 52 points in one game and became the school's all-time leading scorer with more than 1,400 career points.

He averaged 26 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

Maxwell Engebretson, Sioux Valley

The 6-3 senior guard led the perimeter attack for the Cossacks, notching 16 points, three rebounds and six assists per game. He drained 64 3-pointers and shot better than 80 percent from the free-throw line.

"Maxwell plays the game with energy and passion. He is one of the more improved players in the area, becoming very good at attacking the basket as the season went along and also spending more time at the foul line," Vincent said. "He had the ability to get extremly hot from the perimeter and score in bunches. He loves to be in the gym and is beloved by the youth of our community."

Carvin Fish, Tiospa Zina

The 6-8 senior forward led the Wambdi to a 14-8 season by tallying 22.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and three assits per game.

"Carvin is a skilled post player who can score down low and make the 3-point shot. He can handle the ball and hit the open man," Tiospa Zina head coach Cory Grimsrud said. "He was double-teamed a lot and still put up big numbers. His best qualities are being a good leader with strong character who is there every day putting in the work to improve and help the team."

Joey Johnson, Aberdeen Christian

The 6-4 senior center set school records for most points in a game (48) and most points in a season (491) and also hauled in 207 rebounds, just eight off the school's single-season record. He lead 15-7 Knights with 22.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

"Joey was the unquestioned leader and anchor for this year's team," Aberdeen Christian head coach Aaron Moeller said. "Not only did he lead our team in scoring and rebounding, but he was also th epeer leader that our young team needed."

Kadyn Fast, De Smet

The 6-1 senior guard contributed 10 points, four rebounds and four assists per game for the Buldogs.

"Kadyn has been a conistent performer for us the past three seasons and is a smart and very athletic player," Gruenhagen said. "A top-notch defender who controlled leading scorers for opposing teams and used his quick first step to get to the rim."

Brayden Sumption, Leola-Frederick Area

The 5-11 senior guard recorded 12.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game for a Titans' team that went 22-4 and placed seventh in their first State B tournament appearance since 2005.

"Brayden made our team go. His shooting became lethal for us in the second half of the season and throughout the state tournament," Leola-Frederick Area coach Brock Pashen said,. "He made shots for himself and opened shots for others. He was the quickest and most dynamic player on the floor throughout the season."

Trey Maaland, Deuel

The 6-1 senior guard notched 19.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and two steals per game for a Cardinals team that went 8-13. He finished his career as the fifth player in school history to score more than 1,000 points. He finished second in single-season scoring with 409 points and set new Deuel records with 38 points in one game, 60 3-pointers made in a season, 138 career deflections and 142 career steals.

"Trey finishes his career as one of the best players to wear a Cardinal uniform. He will be remembers for his work ethic and extra dedication to the game of basketball," Deuel head coach Jonathen Peterreins said.

Noah Kippley, Leola-Frederick Area

The 6-3 juunior guard formed a potent 1-2 punch with Sumption and finished with 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game for the Titans.

"Noah is the true definition of a scorer. He could light it up from 3 or pour it in from mid-range," Pashen said. "He was capable of guarding out on the perimeter and in the post. His game has evolved and improved each year as he has gotten older."

Ryder Falkenhagen, Potter County

The 5-11 senior guard led the Battlers to a 15-8 record and a berth in the SoDak 16. He averaged 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

"Ryder is one of those players that you remember when you think back about players you've coached who made a significant impact to program culture and helped you develop as a coach," Potter County head coach Bryce Hall said. "He handled the leadership role with tremendous strength, passiong and poise. Competitor, Battler!"

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com