Bison take third at AIHEC

The Bison lost in the semifinals to the eventual 2017 champion 121-118 on a last-second, three-point shot in the semifinals in Rapid City, SD.

“I don’t know what it is about the Dakotas,” Camel said in referencing the last time they tried to win their fourth straight AIHEC title and it was broken up in the Dakotas. “They were able to get the ball with two seconds left. They had time to catch it and we tipped it, dribbled the ball twice and made the shot. I thought for sure the game was going into overtime.”

In spite of the disappointing loss, Camel said he was “pleased” with how his team responded to the adversity.

“You get to find out what your team is really made of during adverse situations,” Camel said.

During the semifinal loss, the Bison had a 14-point lead and momentum, Camel said. They lost momentum when there was a six-minute delay after a Sisseton, SD, player was forced to switch out uniforms because it was soaked in blood.

According to Camel, this was a major turning point in shifting the tide of the momentum towards Sissiton.

“We lost momentum, and what happens when you break the momentum is that you lose it and you don’t know when or if you will get the momentum back,” Camel said. “They were able to get a couple of three pointers and gain the momentum. In basketball, it is never just one play and that could have been the whole delay.”

Camel said the other thing that sparked Sissiton’s comeback was missed opportunities.

“We just missed some free throws and we had a couple of turnovers,” Camel said.

Camel said he was pleased with his Bison’s effort to bring home yet another title and capture the third place trophy.

“They could have not even showed up for the third or fourth place games after we went for our eleventh title and fourth in a row,” Camel said. “Our kids did it right and they did everything that they were supposed to do. Even after things didn’t go their way, they hung in there and did what they needed to do. That was good.”

The Bison defeated Fort Berthold a second consecutive time in the tournament to capture third place with a 122-88 victory. The Bison were led by Jalen Croff, who scored 30 points and connected on six 3-point baskets and Julian Jones scored 20 in the third place victory.

After the games, Camel discussed the difficulty of capturing four consecutive AIHEC National titles. Winning four titles has never been done before in AIHEC History.

“It is true when you are the best you are going to get everyone’s best and especially at AIHEC,” Camel said. “Our team was playing to be champs. Our kids worked as hard as they could and they battled all season. We had a wonderful season and hopefully we gained more experience playing against teams from the Frontier Conference.”

At some point SKC, hopes to become a member of the NAIA’s Frontier Conference and because of scheduling several teams in the Frontier conference, including several teams ranked in the NAIA Top-25, Camel hopes his team “becomes stronger” from the experience.

“We will have to become a lot stronger team with these guys graduating and seeing the best that they can be,” Camel said. “Competing against those level of players made for a great season and really puts us one step closer toward joining the Frontier Conference. Our end goal is to get to the Frontier Conference. We just have to keep getting better and see what the next level is all about.”

Camel said he felt joining a conference that includes NAIA Division-I teams would be a “different level” for the Bison.

“It is a different level and that is why we have to take our time and experience working at that level,” Camel said. “This is the first year that we’ve played their varsity. It might take us a couple of years to get used to it and get it figured out. In order to be successful at that level, we have to start playing those teams.”

SKC 64, Fort Berthold 52

During the 64-52 victory over Fort Berthold in pool play, the Bison got significant contributions from Bradley Fryberg and Bert Honena. Fryberg finished with 13 points and Honena also finished with 11.

SKC 65, Candeska 61

In the 65-51 victory over Candeska, Zack Mills and Jalen Croff led the Bison in scoring. Mills finished with 15 and Cross had 12.

SKC 85, Stonechild 73

In the third game, Mills, going for his fourth-consecutive AIHEC MVP, began to accelerate his game in the Bison’s 85-73 victory over Stonechild. Mills led the Bison with 31 points and Fryberg finished with 15.

SKC 102, OLC 97

In the Bison’s quarterfinal game, they defeated OLC 102-97 behind the scoring of Honena and Mills. Honena led the team with 23 and Mills finished with 21.