Coach Diede Recaps Varsity Basketball Season

“This past season was a lot of fun! The growth and development our group had was incredible,” said Logan Diede, head coach of the Bulldogs varsity basketball team. Diede continued his comments on the 2024-25 season: 

We play a very difficult schedule, and the front side of our schedule is usually loaded with some difficult games, so these boys were challenged against some of the state’s best teams right out of the gates. There was never any quit in this group, they worked as hard or harder than any team I’ve had before and were an extremely coachable group of young men. We have high expectations within our program and inside the team circle and knew we could make some noise this year, but I would imagine many on the outside of that circle never envisioned us finishing the season with a winning record and another SoDak16 appearance. We were able to do that because of the character of this team and their willingness to play as hard as they possibly can, being coachable, and being great teammates. 

Milbank had their hopes for a spot in the 2025 state tournament dashed by Hamlin in the SoDak16. “We knew Hamlin would be a difficult challenge, as they have been for everyone in the state,” Diede remarked. ​”Only one team in South Dakota has been able to beat Hamlin the past two seasons, and that is Sioux Falls Christian.”

Milbank took the loss 64-30, but the Bulldogs’ performance was better than the score reflects. Milbank did not post a lot of points, but Emmett Hanson recorded 12 points, an assist, and three rebounds. Sam Rick made five points and two steals. Jack Howard added four points. Charlie Peery scored three points. Ryan Keeton, Esteban Abrego, and Layten Osowski each contributed two ticks. 

Osowski added an assist and Keeton got a rebound. Jeter Scoular led the team with three rebounds. He also had an assist. Graham Lightfield, Bryan Meyer, and Lincoln Holscher had two rebounds apiece. Brayden Bowsher and Harley Zemlicka each got one board. Every player on the roster, including Ehtan Owen and Jaxson Wiese, spent time on the court in their last game of the season. 

Diede said, “I was proud of how our boys came ready to play and kept giving everything they had throughout the entire game. There’s a lot of character on our roster.”

Diede thanked the seniors for their dedication to the program and their leadership. He said he is also excited about the future as they expect to see a lot of returning players next season.

“There are so many great teams in Class A basketball, and we know that if we want to get to the next level beyond where we’ve been, we need to continue to improve. It will need to be a big offseason for our boys developing their skills and shooting in the gym and their bodies in the weight room in order to strive toward competing at that level,” he said. “We have a hungry group of returners and we’re very excited to get to work these next eight  months.” Of course, he added, “Go Bulldogs!”

South Dakota’s State A Tournament action started Thursday, March 20. Results so far:

• (1) Sioux Falls Christian  66 versus  (8) Groton Area  41
• (5) Lennox 51 versus  (4) West Central 43
• (2) Hamlin 82 versus  (7) Hill City 43
• (3) Rapid City Christian 76 versus  6) Clark/Willow Lake 53

Semifinal action continues tonight:

•  (1) Sioux Falls Christian vs. (5) Lennox – 6 p.m.
•  2 Hamlin vs No. 3 Rapid City Christian- 7:45 p.m.
  The championship game will take place on Saturday, March 22 at 7:45 p.m.
  Hamlin won the title in 2024 by defeating SFChristian in OT..