The Development of the State High School Basketball Tournament in South Dakota

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT IN SOUTH DAKOTA

 1912-15: The first basketball tournament considered a state tournament was an invitational affair conducted by Huron College at Huron in March of 1912.  This event was continued on the same invitational basis for the next three years, 1913-15.

1916-17: In 1916 Huron College invited the South Dakota High School Athletic Association to take charge of the tournament.  The Association agreed to do so.  In 1916 and 1917 the tournament remained open.  Twenty-seven teams competed in 1916 and twenty-nine in 1917.

1918-1926: In 1918 the Association went to qualifying tournaments for the state tournament.  Districts were established with the winner of each district eligible to advance to the state tournament.  The number of teams participating in the state tournament during this period was the following:  1918, 7; 1919 – 21, 8; 1922, 10; 1923-1926, 16

1927-1935: In 1927 the state tournament field was reduced to eight with each qualifier winning a district and a region tournament.  This was the first time that a series of two qualifying tournaments were used.

In 1927, 1928, and 1929, a single state tournament, with a field of eight was held.  During this period there were proposals made to divide the schools into two classes.

In 1930 a Class “A” and a Class “B” state basketball tournament were held.  The district-region setup was retained with the region winners going into the “A” tournament and the region runners-up going into a “B” tournament.  Each tournament included eight teams.  The system was used for only one year.

From 1931 through 1935 the Association reverted to a single tournament with an eight team field.  The teams qualified through the district-region system which had been in use since 1927.

1936-1939: Two classes were created for the 1936 state basketball tournaments.  Schools with an enrollment of three hundred students and over were placed in Class “A”.  Schools with enrollment of less than three hundred students were placed in Class “B”.

The Class “A” schools were divided into three sections, Eastern, Central, and Western.  The first five ranking teams of the Eastern South Dakota Conference (Sioux Falls, Aberdeen, Huron, Watertown, Mitchell, Yankton, and Brookings) enter the state “A” tournament without further competition.  The remaining teams of each section went into sectional tournaments, with the winner in each section to qualify for the state “A” tournament.  This completed the field of eight.  “B” teams with outstanding records were given the opportunity to challenge into the sectional “A” tournaments in place of competing in the “B” tournament.   Highmore was the only successful challenger under this system.  They entered the “A” tournament in 1936.

The “B” schools played through districts and regions to qualify for an eight, team field at the state “B” tournament.    This remained the format for the Class “B” tournament until the beginning of the 2017-2018 season. The only difference in the tournament was the number of “B” schools competing from year to year.  Many “B” schools have closed.  The number of large “B” schools has varied due to the changes in the number of schools moved into the “A” classification from time to time.

For the 1939 season all “A” schools were to enter the state tournament by their regular season record.  The four highest ranked teams in the Eastern Dakota Conference were to qualify.  The two highest ranked teams in the Black Hills Conference were to qualify.  In the Eastern section either Madison or the Flandreau Indian School would qualify.  In the Central section either Pierre or Winner would qualify.

In a dispute over the size of the tournament squads the Eastern Dakota Conference withdrew from the tournament during the 1939 season.  They held a conference tournament at season’s end.  Madison chose to join the Eastern Dakota Conference after the withdrawal from the state tournament and conference tournament was set up.  This left only the Flandreau Indian School remaining in the Eastern section.  Pierre defeated Winner.  Rapid City and Lead were two highest ranked teams in the Black Hills Conference.  This resulted in a four, team state “A” tournament.  The Flandreau Indian School won the 1939 Class “A” championship.

1940-1941: The Class “A” tournament was a four, team affair in both 1940 and 1941.  The state was divided into four geographic sections with the four largest schools in each section classified as “A” schools.  Four team sectional tournaments were held to determine the four qualifiers for the state “A” tournament.

1942-1951: During the period from 1942 through 1951 a double elimination plan was used in the Class “A” sectional tournaments to determine the eight entrants in the state tournament.  The state continued to be divided into four sections with the four largest schools in each section comprising the Class “A” schools.  During this entire period the Class “A” consisted of sixteen schools.   Two teams from each section qualified for the state tournament.  A team had to lose two games in the sectional tournament to be eliminated.

1952-1960: Beginning in 1952 the thirty-two schools with the largest enrollment were designated as Class “A” schools.  Four schools competed in each of the eight sectional tournaments.  In the single elimination tournament one team from each section qualified for the state “A” tournament.

1961: There continued to be discontent because it was believed that, often times, the best teams failed to reach the Class “A” tournament.   A new plan was adopted for 1961.  The “A” field continued to be the thirty-two schools with the largest enrollments.  Adjustments were made every two years.  Eight sectional tournaments were played with two teams advancing from each section to a sub-state tournament.  In the sectional tournament a team was eliminated when it lost twice.  Each sub-state tournament had four entries with two teams from each sub-state advancing to the state “A” tournament.  These sub-state tournaments were double elimination.  The eight teams which gained the state tournament played a single elimination tournament for the championship.

1962-1984: The 1961 plan for the “A” tournament was discarded after one year.  Beginning in 1962 qualification for places in the state “A” tournament was completed by single elimination from each of the eight “A” sections.   This method continues until the present time.  The class “A” field continued to be the thirty-two high schools with the largest enrollment through the 1986 season.   Adjustments to changes in enrollment were made every two years.

1985: Beginning with the 1985 season high schools were divided into three classifications.  Class “AA” consisted of the sixteen schools with the largest average daily membership (ADM) in grades 9-12.  The “A” classification consisted of the next sixty-four, largest high schools.  The remaining high schools were placed in the “B” classification.

Beginning with the 2003-04 school year the SDHSAA membership, through an amendment to the Constitution and Bylaws, changed the classification formula to the ADM of students in grades 9-11 versus students in grades 9-12 when determining classification. Beginning with the 2005-2006 school year, the classification system was revised again.  Class “AA” was to consist of schools with an average daily membership (ADM) of 450.000 and above, Class “A” to consist of schools with an ADM of 449.999 to 90.000 and Class “B” to consist of schools with an ADM of 89.999 and below.

The “AA” field consisted of four districts made up of four teams.  The first, place team in each district tournament qualified for the state tournament.  The runner-up and third place team in each district qualified for an additional regional championship.  The runner-up of one region played the third, place team of another region.  Sites for the region championship contests are determined by each region on a yearly basis.  The two west regions started a rotation where the region championship game in one gender was played east of the river and the championship game of the opposite gender was played west of the river, regardless of which team was the higher seeded team.   The two east regions have always had the top seeded team host the region championship game in both genders.  These winners played for the region championship and a place in the state “AA” tournament.  The “AA” tournament is an eight, team affair rotated between Sioux Falls and Rapid City on a yearly basis.  The initial region champions received the top four seeds in the state tournament based upon their overall season seed points.  The remaining region champions were bracketed into the state tournament based on their seed points but did not play someone in the first round of the state tournament they had already played in the district tournament.  Beginning with the 2005 state tournament, the “AA” state tournament was seeded 1 through 8 after all teams have qualified for the state tournament.

The class “A” tournament originally consisted of sixteen districts of four teams each. With more schools forming cooperatives, the number of teams in a district may vary with districts having either 3-4 or 5 teams per district.  Two districts combine to form a total of eight regions with the two district champions playing for a regional championship with the region champion advancing to the State “A” tournament.  The State “A” tournament rotates between Sioux Falls and Rapid City on an annual basis.  Some schools are forming cooperatives in one gender and not the other which may cause the district makeup to vary from one gender to the other.   The “A” tournament is a single elimination affair with the region champions seeded into the state tournament after all teams have qualified for the state tournament.

1989-90: The first ever-combined State Girls’ Basketball Tournament was held at one city.  The Sioux Falls Arena, the Elmen Center at Augustana College and the Stewart Center at Sioux Falls College were the three sites.

2002-2003: First year for volleyball to be scheduled as a fall activity and girls’ basketball to be scheduled as a winter activity.

2008-2009: “AA” boys’ and girls’ basketball begin utilizing the thirty-five second shot clock.

2009-2010: Boys’ and girls’ state basketball tournament statistics are revised to reflect the statistics for both genders.

2014-2015: Class “A” schools adopt thirty-five second shot clock.

2015-2016: First SDHSAA Combined AA Girls and Boys Basketball Tournament at the Denny Sanford Premier Center.  Aberdeen Central won the “AA” girls’ title and Sioux Falls Lincoln won the “AA” boys’ title.

2016-2017: “Round of Sixteen” format implemented in Class “A” boys’ and girls’ basketball.

2017-2018: “Round of Sixteen” format implemented in Class “AA” and Class “B” boys’ and girls’ basketball. Class “B” adopt thirty-five second shot clock.

The class “B” tournament continued as a single elimination, eight team, tournament until the end of the 2016-2017 season. The format for the Class “B” tournament had continued unchanged from its inception in 1936 until the beginning of the 2017-2018 season when the “Round of Sixteen format was implemented.