Potter County avenges loss against Aberdeen Christian in South Dakota Class B tournament

Potter County was able to get revenge after losing to Aberdeen Christian in the regular season, downing the Knights 63-48 in the first round of the Class B State state boys basketball tournament on Thursday afternoon.

Earlier this season, the two teams met in Aberdeen and it was the Knights who pulled off a 61-56 win. In that game, the Knights led for the majority of the game.

Thursday at the Barnett Center, it was a different story. 

Here are a few takeaways from the game.

Potter County makes clutch plays down the stretch

It was a game that Potter County led throughout. The Battlers took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter. 

For the first four minutes of the frame, the teams traded baskets as Potter County's lead went from 10 to eight. That's when Aberdeen Christian started to make a run. 

With just more than three minutes to play, Potter County's lead had dwindled to five, and it seemed like the momentum was swinging in favor of the Knights.

More Class B:No. 1 De Smet opens Class B State with rout of Waubay/Summit

After Jackson Isakson connected on a three-pointer, he committed a foul on the other end of the court. 

That's when things got interesting. 

Potter County sent senior guard Grant Luikens to the free throw line. Before the game, Luikens was shooting at a 73% clip from the stripe. But he missed both shots, opening the door for Aberdeen Christian.

But as soon as the door opened, Potter County's Seth Sharp came up with a huge rebound. The Knights were forced to foul, sending Sharp to the line, where he knocked down both shots, extending the lead to seven. The game wouldn't get any closer, and Potter County pushed its lead to as much as 15. 

Late buckets give Potter County momentum

At the end of both the first and second quarters, Potter County senior guard Drake Bassett connected on shots as time expired.

In the first quarter, Bassett broke toward the basket where he connected on a shot and was fouled by Aberdeen Christian's Andrew Brennan. Bassett missed his free throw. However, the momentum had turned and a five-point lead expanded to seven.

As time expired in the second quarter, it was Bassett again, connecting on a layup. It was a five-point game as Christian's Malek Wieker missed a three-point attempt. Then Bassett's break to the basket pushed the lead to seven again.

That was big, for both teams. 

“Our momentum helped us. Going into halftime with momentum, going into the second quarter with momentum. It’s an energy booster and it helped a lot,” Luikens said. 

After dropping a regular-season contest to the Knights, Luikens said that throughout the season, the team was focused on revenge. The Battlers got it Thursday. 

“We just came out. A little revenge game … I said it a couple of times during the year that we want them again and beat them when it matters,” Luikens said. 

Luikens led the Battlers with a game-high 24 points, Drake Bassett had 20. Cooper Logan had 12 points. 

Aberdeen Christian was led by Ethan Russell and Jackson Isakson, both scoring 14 points. Malek Wieker added 12. 

Potter County eyes De Smet in semifinals

Going into the game with top-seeded De Smet, Potter County head coach Bryce Hall said that the Battlers won't be making any changes and will instill their press defense once again, like they have all season. 

"I’m not gonna change anything. We’re gonna keep doing what we do and either smack us in the mouth, or we’ll hang around with the reigning champs. That’s just the way it is.”

That game is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday.

Aberdeen Christian moves to the consolation bracket and will take on Waubay/Summit at noon on Friday in Aberdeen. After the loss, Rohrbach said his team is focused on bouncing back. 

“Biggest thing is (to) bounce back from, obviously, a crushing loss if you will. But yeah, make sure that we get the guys ready to go and then they’re a really good team," Rohrbach said.