This year's West River boys basketball season saw standout players continue to excel on the court, capping off storied careers, while young star players reached major milestones and helped the team reach new heights .
Thorpes took sixth place at the Class A state tournament after taking the Lakota National Invitational trophy home to Pine Ridge. Rapid City Christian earned a historic regular season victory and continued to advance, finishing fourth over State University.
White River secured the top seed in the Class B tournament with an unblemished record and finished in fourth place by the end of the season. Gregory had not competed in the state tournament since 2015, but finished the season in sixth place.
Introducing the Rapid City Journal's 2024 Best of the West Boys Basketball Teams, featuring the student-athletes who took the court this season. This year's roster includes first and second teams, as well as honorable mentions.
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First army
Player of the Year: Nicholas Marshall, White River
Marshall made a remarkable comeback and left it all behind on the hardwood in his final high school basketball season.
The point guard broke his collarbone while playing quarterback in football in September. He was cleared to play on Monday, December 4th, the week of White River's first game on Friday, December 8th.
After working hard to come back from injury, he continued to progress throughout the season. His senior was a great leader who understood the importance of his role and led by example throughout the season.
Marshall, who has 1,454 career points, averaged 26 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.7 steals per game. He sank 59.4% of his shots from the field.
The senior received 2024 Class B Player of the Year, Midco Sports Class B Player of the Year, State B Tournament “Spirit of Sioux” and State B All-Tournament Team honors. He holds the school's single-game assist record with 18.
Marvin Richard III, Pine Ridge
Richard helped lead Thorpe to the Class B state tournament, averaging 23.3 points, 4.8 assists, 2.3 steals and 4.3 rebounds per game.
The sophomore had 68 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists in the state tournament and was named to the all-tournament team for his performance over the weekend.
He also played a strong role in winning the LNI title this season, earning Stephen Whithorn MVP and Tournament Playmaker honors for his performance in the contest.
Mitchell will leave Gregory High School with 10 school basketball records to his name. Some of the records he earned include career points (1,985), points per game (49), career rebounds (928), and career blocks (242).
Mitchell's growth and unselfishness on the court over his five seasons with the team played a huge role in Gregory's success and run to the state tournament this season.
The senior, who boasts a wide shooting range, averaged 14.8 points per game. He added 7.1 rebounds per game. Utilizing his 6-foot-7 height, Mitchell recorded blocked shots and dunks throughout the season.
The forward was named to the All-State team for the fourth straight season.
The junior guard was an integral part of the Rangers' season, often leading the team in scoring with an average of 20.3 points per game.
Buehler scored his 1,000th career point on Feb. 17 against St. Thomas More, but there's still a season left.
He also recorded 4.9 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.7 steals per game.
LaPras averaged 25 points per game and led the Cowboys in most contests throughout the season.
The senior earned 500 points this year, bringing his total to 1,398 points in his high school career. He also averaged four rebounds and two assists per game.
Laplace was named Great Plains All-Conference and South Central All-Conference.
second team
Benson Keefer, Rapid City Christian
Kiefer was one of the key players in leading the Comets to the Class A state tournament.
The junior guard was active at the free throw line, sinking 75.5% of his shots. He recorded 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists in each game.
He helped the team win the Black Hills Conference title and earned Black Hills All-Conference, Class A State All-Tournament selection and Class A Third Team All-State selection.
Jones County Cooper Feddersen
Feddersen starred for the Coyotes early this season, averaging 28.8 points and 15 rebounds per game while shooting 66 percent from the field before being sidelined for several weeks.
Feddersen returned three weeks later and continued his strong start, finishing the season with a 60% field goal percentage.
The senior center averaged a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds per game. He also recorded three assists, two steals, and two blocks per game.
The senior holds school records for career rebounds (865), season rebounds (284), single-game rebounds (23) and single-game points (43).
Leighton Terkildsen, Philip
Terkildsen helped the Scotties reach historic heights this season. Phillip won his first district championship since 1979 and his SoDak 16 qualifier.
Fifth-year starter and Lane Kuchenbecker played an important role for Philipp as the team's captain, excelling as both a teammate and a leader.
Terkildsen averaged 13 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2.7 steals per game, earning first-team all-conference honors for Western Great Plains.
The senior point guard finished his career as the school's all-time leader in career assists (541), steals (285) and rebounds (623). He also holds the record for most assists (142) in a season and per game (14) and steals (74) in a season and per game (10).
Veal reached his 1,000th career point on January 20th. He helped reach the milestone as a junior, scoring a season-high 35 points against Takini on Jan. 5.
While captain of the team, the junior averaged 19.7 points per game and grabbed 5.6 rebounds per game. 0.9 assists per game.
He also played a strong role defensively, recording 2.2 steals and 0.3 blocks per game.
Calf earned First Team All-LMC and LMC All-Tournament Team honors.
Virtue is another West River junior who had an outstanding season and reached the 1,000 point milestone.
He averaged 17.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. On the other side of the court, Virtue recorded 2.1 steals per game.
He was named LNI All-Tournament for the third time and All-Conference for the second time.
best of the rest
Ryan Heinert (Sturgis Brown), Jason Fisher (Douglas), Blair Hamm (Lemon), Monty Montilault (Mashpiya Roota), Tristan Dupris (Timber Lake), Simon Kiefer (Rapid City) Christian), Sean Hammerbeck (winner), Julius Frogg (Rapid City Christian), Jordan Uhleel (White River), Braylon Little (Maspiya Ruta), Jett Jensen (Belle Fourche), Lane. Kuchenbecker (Philip), Josh Kleinsasser (Hot Springs), Elijah Brewer (Dupree), Lee Neugebauer (St. Louis) Thomas More), Leighton Terkielsen (Philip), Caden Kinsley (Jones County) , Jacob Sonsala (Lemon), Noah Bearshield (Gregory), Cruz Klunt (Gregory), Brody Sandahl (Wall), Alex Steckman (Hill City), Dailar Segrist (Rapid City Stevens) ), Aidin Janis (Hot Springs), Turner Thompson (St. Thomas More), Keaton Darrow (Edgemont), Shun Jie White Woman (Rapid City Stevens)
Contact Mackenzie Dahlberg at mdahlberg@rapidcityjournal.com.