The 2025-2026 West Central Trojan boys completed an undefeated season and won the 2026 South Dakota State A Championship with three wins at the state tournament in Rapid City on Thursday, March 19th through Saturday, March 21st.
West Central 75, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 41
The #2 seeded Trojans started the opening round game with a 6-0 run and built an 18-8 lead by the end of the first quarter against the Braves. They would extend their lead to 20-8 with 2:00 to play in the first half. The Trojans led 32-14 at halftime. The momentum continued into the third quarter as West Central reached a 30-point lead, 49-19, with 3:19 to go in the third quarter. The Trojans led 58-24 going into the fourth quarter.
West Central shot 52% (31-60) from the field overall, 32% (6-19) on three-point attempts, and 64% (7-11) from the free-throw line. Cheyenne-Eagle Butte was 30% (16-53) shooting, 25% (6-24) from three-point area, and 3-5 from the free-throw line. Connor Mebuis finished with 25 points and four rebounds. Will Kuhl had 11 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Hayden Heier added 10 points and five rebounds.
West Central 56, Clark/Willow Lake 43
The Trojans started the semifinals with 8-0 run against the Cyclones that kept them in front the entire game. They led 10-2 at the end of the first quarter. The lead grew to 14 points, 16-2, with 4:16 to play in the first half. Clark/Willow Lake cut the lead to 21-14 by halftime. The Cyclones pulled with six points, 23-17, early in the third quarter. The Trojans then went on a 13-2 run to lead 36-19. The third quarter ended with West Central leading 36-21. They Cyclones got within single digits a couple of times in the fourth quarter, but each time the Trojans were able to stop the run and extend their lead back into double digits to take the win 56-43.
West Central shot 36% (16-44) overall in the game, 21% (3-14) from three-point area, and 75% (21-28) from the free-throw line. Clark/Willow Lake finished the game shooting 34% (17-50) overall, 18% (3-17) on three-point attempts, and 75% (6-8) from the free-throw line. Mebius had 22 points and five rebounds. Kuhl finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. Boche Knight had six points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
West Central 66, Sioux Falls Christian 56
The Trojans met a familiar, Dak-12 opponent, the Sioux Falls Christian Chargers in the championship game. The two teams traded leads and ties throughout the first quarter. The game was tied 3-3, 5-5, 7-7, and 9-9. The Trojans finished the quarter with a 6-1 run for a 15-10 advantage. West Central hit a seven-point lead, 24-17, with 1:48 to play in the half, but the Chargers ended the second quarter on a 5-0 run cut the lead to 24-22 by halftime.
Sioux Falls Christian would tie the score 24-24 and 26-26 early in the third quarter. West Central responded with a 7-0 run to go in front 33-26. They would end the third quarter the same seven-point advantage, 44-37. The Chargers chipped the lead down to two points, 49-47, with 3:29 to go in the game. The Trojans slowly got the lead back to seven points, 56-49. Knight would get a rebound on a missed Charger shot and race down the court for a made layup while being fouled. He would make the free-throw to put the Trojans ahead by 10, 59-49, with :37 left to go in the game. The Trojans went 7-8 from the free-throw line the rest of the game to secure the championship.
West Central shot 56% (23-41) from the field, 31% (4-13) from three-point area, and 89% (16-18) from the free-throw line. Sioux Falls Christian was 51% (22-43) shooting, 39% (7-18) on three-point shots, and 5-9 from the free-throw line. Mebius had 20 points, three rebounds, and two assists. Kuhl added 15 points and four rebounds. Heier had 13 points. Knight finished with nine points, four rebounds, and four assists.
Kuhl and Mebius were named to the All-Tournament team. The Trojans had a perfect 25-0 overall record.
