South Dakota girls high school basketball rankings
From the farm-fueled towns of the heartland to the bustling concrete canyons on the coast, high school girls basketball is a cultural touchstone.
Basketball engages nearly 400,000 girls to join high school teams per year, according to 2021-22 data from the National Federation of State High School Associations. With almost 18,000 high schools maintaining girls teams, basketball is the most widely offered girls high school sport, beating out track and field and volleyball. Such data paints a clear picture of the sport's cultural impact.
And girls basketball dates back over a century. Iowa, for instance, traces its girls state championship history to 1920. That timeline doesn't lag far behind boys' basketball: Illinois' boys state championship began just 13 years before Iowa's girls event. However, girls across the country weren't given equal representation and support in the sport until the passage of the gender equality act known as Title IX in 1972. Since the arrival of that legislation, girls participation in basketball—and sports as a whole—exploded. Now, girls play basketball in high school gyms across all 50 states.
To dig into competition data behind the ever-growing sport of high school girls basketball, Stacker compiled statewide rankings in South Dakota using MaxPreps. MaxPreps' rankings factor in win-loss record, win quality, and strength of schedule. Keep reading to find out which schools top the girls basketball charts in South Dakota.
Class A
1. Hamlin (Hayti): 25-0 (5-0 in A Region 2), 30.7 rating, 25 straight wins
2. Wagner: 24-2 (6-0 in A Region 5), 27.8 rating
3. Sioux Falls Christian (Sioux Falls): 24-3 (6-0 in A Region 3), 26.3 rating, 2 straight wins
4. Vermillion: 20-2 (7-0 in A Region 4), 24.8 rating
5. Sisseton: 22-3 (7-0 in A Region 1), 21.7 rating
6. More (Rapid City): 18-5 (7-0 in A Region 8), 19.8 rating
7. Flandreau: 20-6 (4-1 in A Region 2), 19.5 rating
8. Red Cloud (Pine Ridge): 21-4 (6-0 in A Region 7), 18.6 rating, 2 straight losses
9. Rapid City Christian (Rapid City): 20-6 (5-1 in A Region 8), 18.0 rating
10. Florence/Henry (Florence): 17-2 (3-1 in A Region 2), 17.6 rating, 2 straight wins
11. Lennox: 16-7 (5-2 in A Region 4), 16.0 rating
12. Hanson (Alexandria): 16-6 (4-1 in A Region 5), 15.6 rating
13. Lakota Tech (Pine Ridge): 19-7 (4-1 in A Region 7), 15.2 rating, 3 straight losses
14. Parkston: 15-8 (3-4 in A Region 5), 14.8 rating
15. Mt. Vernon/Plankinton (Mt. Vernon): 14-8 (6-2 in A Region 5), 14.5 rating
Class AA
1. Washington (Sioux Falls): 21-3 (16-3 in AA), 24.5 rating, 10 straight wins
2. O'Gorman (Sioux Falls): 19-5 (15-3 in AA), 21.6 rating, 2 straight wins
3. Jefferson (Sioux Falls): 20-5 (15-3 in AA), 21.6 rating
4. Riggs (Pierre): 20-4 (16-2 in AA), 21.4 rating
5. Harrisburg: 17-7 (13-5 in AA), 17.4 rating, 2 straight losses
6. Brandon Valley (Brandon): 15-6 (14-3 in AA), 16.9 rating
7. Stevens (Rapid City): 15-9 (12-7 in AA), 13.1 rating
8. Watertown: 12-12 (10-8 in AA), 8.7 rating, 3 straight losses
9. Spearfish: 10-10 (4-6 in AA), 8.1 rating
10. Mitchell: 10-14 (7-10 in AA), 7.2 rating
Class B
1. Viborg/Hurley (Viborg): 23-3 (6-0 in B Region 4), 23.2 rating, 8 straight wins
2. Wolsey-Wessington (Wolsey): 23-3 (3-0 in B Region 2), 18.8 rating
3. Ethan: 22-4 (4-0 in B Region 3), 17.8 rating, 2 straight losses
4. Castlewood: 18-8 (3-1 in B Region 2), 16.3 rating, 2 straight wins
5. Howard: 20-6 (5-2 in B Region 3), 16.0 rating
6. Wall: 20-6 (5-0 in B Region 7), 15.2 rating
7. Arlington: 17-5 (6-0 in B Region 2), 14.4 rating
8. Jones County (Murdo): 18-6 (6-1 in B Region 7), 14.2 rating
9. Centerville: 17-5 (7-1 in B Region 4), 13.3 rating
10. Sully Buttes (Onida): 20-6 (7-0 in B Region 6), 10.9 rating, 3 straight losses
