PIERRE -- After leading the Pierre Governors to their first title in 31 years, Lane Severyn and Zach Hanson headline this season's Class AA All-State team.
The Pierre duo is joined by Brandon Valley's Chase Marso, Watertown's Tanner Heiser, Sioux Falls Roosevelt's Tyler Howard and Brookings' Tyler Nagy on the first team, as voted by the South Dakota Coaches Association and the South Dakota Sportswriters Association. Heiser, Severyn and Hanson are the only players on the team with previous All-State honors.
Hanson and Severyn capped off their careers with All-State selections after seasons that saw Severyn top the Governors' all-time lists for scoring (1,486 points) and rebounds (658) with Hanson a close second in both categories (1,362 points and 654 rebounds).
"Zach and Lane have been staples of the program for four years at the varsity level and it will definitely be different without them next year," Governors coach Terry Becker said. "They've set a new standard with all they have done. It's been tremendous to see them do this together. They've been a phenomenal duo and I think that was evident in the state tournament. Each of them found their moments to step up throughout the three games and it's just a testament to their hard work and the talent that they possess."
Severyn and Hanson also made their mark in the Class AA record books. With Severyn ranking fifth all time in scoring and Hanson following in eighth, the two were the only teammates in the top-10 together on the who's who of Class AA legends.
Hanson, who will be a member of Creighton next year, averaged 20 points and 8.6 rebounds a contest. The 6-foot-9 big man stepped up at the state tournament with five points in the final 30 seconds in Pierre's semifinal comeback against Sioux Falls Lincoln. He also grabbed 13 rebounds and had five blocks in the championship round. It led to Hanson earning his second consecutive first-team selection to go along with his second-team nod in 2011 to cap a historic career. Hanson also won the last two South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year awards.
Severyn averaged 20.8 points a game to go along with 8.6 rebounds and 3.04 assists a game during his senior campaign. Severyn was also at his best when it mattered most. He exploded for 24 points in Pierre's title-clinching win against Brandon Valley, with nine of those points coming in the fourth quarter. The future Jackrabbit earned his third all-state honor of his illustrious career and his first as a member of the first team.
Hanson and Severyn's championship didn't come easy. Marso led the Lynx to the state title game, while averaging 17.5 points and 4.2 rebounds a game. Marso's first-team selection is a true comeback story. He played in only a handful of games as a junior after a blood clot in his arm threatened his athletic career.
The future quarterback of Augustana battled through the setback and his competitive fire fueled the Lynx to a championship-game appearance. Marso's character also earned him the Spirit of Su award.
"Chase is a coach's dream," Brandon Valley coach Brent Deckert said. "Chase is the ultimate competitor and there isn't a time a time he's set foot on the floor and thought he was going to lose a game, even dating back to when he was in fourth grade."
Brookings guard Tyler Nagy was the lone junior on the first team and he earned his honor through averaging 13.9 points a contest for the Bobcats. Nagy's signature performance came in Pierre, when the junior scored a season-high 28 points in a win against the Governors. Nagy also facilitated the Bobcats' offensive well by accumulating five or more assists in seven games this season.
"Tyler was our floor leader and one of the best offensive threats at the AA level," Brookings coach Travis Engebretson said. "Tyler spent countless hours in the gym working on his game and the work really paid off. He will be one of the top players in AA basketball next year."
Heiser's deadly aim gave him his second consecutive first-team nod. The senior led the Arrows with 20.7 points a game. Heiser, who plans to play basketball at Northern State, also pulled down 4.8 rebounds and had 4.2 assists a contest.
"Tanner was a three-year guy for us and he did a ton of things for us on both sides of the floor," Watertown coach Brian Norberg said. "He wasn't only a great scorer and he was also a great defender. You don't always get kids like Tanner in a program. He was not only our best player, but he was also our hardest worker."
Severyn and Hanson weren't the only teammates with All-State honors. Sioux Falls Roosevelt's near-perfect run in the state was capped with a first-team selection for Tyler Howard and a second-team selection for Jeremiah Clark.
Howard, who joined John Sivesind as the only other Rough Rider to score 1,000 career points, averaged 12.9 points a game this season. Howard will continue his career at the University of Chicago.
|FIRST TEAM|
Zach Hanson, Pierre, 6-9 sr., center (20 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.4 bpg)
Lane Severyn, Pierre, 6-6, sr., forward (20.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 3.6 apg)
Chase Marso, Brandon Valley, 6-3, sr., guard (17.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
Tanner Heiser, Watertown, 6-0, sr., guard (20.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.2 apg)
Tyler Howard, SF Roosevelt, 6-1, sr., guard (12.3 ppg, 2.96 apg)
Tyler Nagy, Brookings, 5-10, jr., guard (13.9 ppg, 2.5 apg, 2.8 rpg)
|SECOND TEAM|
Jeremiah Clark, SF Roosevelt, 5-11, sr., guard (9.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg)
Justin Decker, Huron, 6-6, jr., center (15.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
Steven Schaefer, Rapid City Stevens, 6-2, jr., guard (19.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
Nermin Krzaldic, SF Lincoln, 6-2, sr., guard (11.1 ppg, 4.0 apg)
Kyle Scholten, SF O'Gorman, 6-3, sr., guard (15.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
Adam Jaros, SF Lincoln, 6-0, sr., guard (10.7 ppg).