Last season, Class B Girls basketball came down to two teams, Sully Buttes and Sanborn Central/Woonsocket.
It was the tale of two elite competitors, Chloe Lamb (Sully Buttes) and Myah Selland (Sanborn Central/Woonsocket).
Chloe Lamb put up 19-points during the Class B championship game to help the Chargers defeat the Blackhawks 63-48. Myah Selland had 23-points in the game for the Blackhawks.
For both Lamb and Selland, it was the final game of their high school careers. Prior to the high school title clash, both players had already committed to playing division one college basketball in South Dakota – but for different schools.
Lamb was headed to the University of South Dakota to join Head Coach Dawn Plitzuweit, while Selland was set to join the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State.
Fast forward one year, and the two of them have met up twice already at the collegiate level.
Yes, SDSU and USD met three times during the 2017-18 season, but during the January rivalry game in Brookings, Selland was still recovering from an injury and didn't play.
On February 21st, the two players met on the court for the first time since March 11, 2017. This match up took place in Vermillion, where Selland scored seven points, and Lamb had four.
Anyone who watches college basketball in South Dakota knows just how strong of programs both SDSU and USD are when it comes to women’s basketball.
The Coyotes won the regular season Summit League championship this year, and earned the No. 1 seed going into the Summit League Tournament. SDSU, who was defeated in both meetings by the Coyotes during the regular season, was the No. 2 seed.
The dream match up would be to see both SDSU and USD face off one more time, and the only way it would happen is for both the Coyotos and the Jackrabbits to make it to the Summit League Tournament championship game.
This past Monday, both programs won their semi-final games, which made another showdown imminent.
On Tuesday, they faced off for the third and final time of the season – meaning both Selland and Lamb got the chance to compete for a championship against each other for the second straight year.
South Dakota State jumped out to an early 11-0 lead and never looked back as they defeated the University of South Dakota 65-50. Lamb finished the game with six points, one assist, and one rebound, while Selland attributed 10 points, eight rebounds, and one assist for the Jackrabbits.
Both put on strong showings in their freshman campaigns. Lamb had 213 points, 67 rebounds, and 62 assists. Selland’s season stats were similar with 237 points, 130 rebounds, and 53 assists.
For South Dakota basketball fans, this is a dream scenario. And to see them competing against each other nearly one year after their Class B State Championship showdown – it’s almost poetic.
Regardless of which player was victorious on Tuesday in the Summit League Tournament championship game, I think it’s safe to say this will be a match up that will be fun to watch throughout the next three years.
