Pine Ridge, Mahpiya Luta, ready to repeat at LNI

RAPID CITY—Very few sporting events become as much spectacle as competition on a local level. The Superbowl is perhaps the best example on a national level, but the Lakota Nation Invitational has become a social event well beyond its humble beginnings almost a half century ago on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Defending champ Mahpiya Luta (Red Cloud) and Lakota Tech are seeded one and two in the Oceti Sakowin bracket of the Girls competition. Rapid City Christian and defending champ Pine Ridge are one and two in the same Boys bracket. Here is a recap of last year’s Oceti Sakowin championship games.

In the Girls championship game last year, defending champ Mahpiya Luta squared off against highly rated Wall, who would go on to be runner-up at state Class B, in the final season for highly regarded player’s coach, John Hess. Wall knew full well the talent and tendencies of Matt Rama’s Lady Crusaders, and the first quarter showed that, with the play very even, but Mahpiya Luta had Wall figured out after eight minutes and outscored them by 13 points in the second quarter. There still was a second half to play, but it was formality, and the Lady Crusaders repeated as LNI champs, 67-43, despite having a completely different line up than the year before. But they did have the same coach, Matt Rama, and if Rama can bottle and sell whatever formula he uses to empower and inspire these girls, he could be a rich man.

In the Boys championship game, it was Rapid City Christian who was the defending champion and favored to repeat as champion. Unlike St Thomas More twenty years before, Christian had stepped up with heroics to win in the championship, not fold. Casey Means brings a signature passion for the game not seen on the sidelines in decades, and no one knew the confidence and chemistry he had super- charged into his Pine Ridge squad. Julius Frog, Oglala, did his thing for Christian, putting up 18 points. Frog is known for the smooth ease with which he knocks down shots on the floor, but Marvin Richard III would steal the show in the smooth ease department. He positively lit up Christian with pull up jumpers in the second half, finishing with 29 points, and the Thorpes steamrolled to a 80-66 victory. It did not help that Christian lost the 2022 hero Benson Keiffer to injury in the first half.

Lakota Tech has earned the number two spot in the seeding this year. Not surprising given the coaching credentials of Head Coach Laura Big Crow, and Assistant Coach Corey Shangreaux. Big Crow was an awesome power presence in the paint as a player, but as a coach she must coach a squad that is small and quick. Like Mahpiya Luta, this squad is deep, and unlike Wall, they can and will run with the Lady Crusaders. The question is, can Big Crow instill the chemistry in her squad that Rama’s girls flat out exude? That is, if neither team is upset on the way to the final.

NSNT talked with Rapid City Christian Head Coach Kyle Courtney and Pine Ridge Thorpes Head Coach Casey Means. Odds are they will meet in the Boys Oceti Sakowin final.

Courtney reflects on last year’s losses to graduation and addresses this year’s top players: “We lost Wilson Keiffer (6-2 and an aggressive and athletic asset anywhere on the floor). He’s at Northern Colorado playing baseball. We lost two other seniors who came off the bench for us, that were really good role players in Jack Bybee (6-2 forward) and Cayden Von Eye (5-10 guard). Cayden is playing baseball at Minnesota West Community College, and Jack is going to school at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. (Both Bybee and Von Eye provided instant hustle and could knock down shots).

“We got four starters back from last year, and our sixth man, Wes Schlabach (6-1 guard). We got five very veteran seniors, but we got three of them, Benson Kieffer, Simon Kieffer, and Schlabaugh, who are still battling injuries from football season. They have not practiced much, I hope we can get those guys healthy. Benson could be cleared by LNI, but it might be first of the year before we get him. Simon’s got a turf toe thing, he’s getting a cortisone shot for, we are hopeful we will get him back this week, and Wes is battling a groin injury that kept him out of the last playoff game in football. It’s slow to heal.”

“We do have some talented sophomores, Sully Keiffer (5- 11 guard), Henry Koppman (6-5 forward), and Peyton Glenn (6-2 guard) I expect to really be in our rotation. We have a couple juniors, Lars Keiffer (5-10 G/F) and Joaquin Petrik (5-9 guard). Some talented younger guys that I expect to battle for some minutes.”

Courtney has six returning seniors: Judah Hoyt (6-3 Forward), Aiden Roberts (5-10 Guard), Jaden Moreno (6-3 power forward) and the perhaps the second best player in West River, 6-5 Julius Frog. Even if his three injured players do not return, he has the horses to make the final, but perhaps not to beat Pine Ridge.

The Thorpes have three team captains, seniors Dominic Ghost Bear (6-4 F/C) and Anthony Steele (6-2 guard), and one junior, Marvin Richard III (6-4 guard), regarded as the best player in West River.

Means lost Kanye Hollow Horn, Jaylin Rouillard, and Xavier Little to graduation. Great players, but one thing the Thorpes have, is depth.

Means believes that Anthony Steele “sets the tome for us defensively, like Marvin sets the tome offensively. They complement each other’s skill set.” Means adds that “we’re gonna need a third scorer to step up sooner or later.”

One big change Means has implanted this year is the schedule. The Thorpes normally go into LNI cold, but this year they will have four games under their belt against extremely tough AA teams from North Dakota and Wyoming. Means: “I gave up three home games this year to find better competition, and I cut out a couple of B schools. We picked up Sioux Valley and Lennox, and then we got Lennox again and Parkston at Hoop City. Last year we rolled into state not playing teams like that, and I think that was part of our slow start at state. We want to be a top two seed going into the state tournament. We don’t wanna be four, five, or nothing like that. I noticed that the better competition we play it brings out the best in us.”

Means wants to play the top teams to earn the points he will need to be seeded one or two at state.

Means calls his top three players, Richard, Ghost Bear, and Steele, “The three headed dragon, and we will go as far as they take us. We just need to put pieces around them. Alex Bissonette (6-5 F/C), he was a JV player, should have been on varsity, but injuries kinda got to him, but he’s locked in this year. He shoots the three, good on the boards, always in the right place. Kenny Pulliam (6-1 F/C), championship player, garbage player, does all the little things, the screening, the rebounding, the talking. We got Anthony Little (5-10 guard) back, his offensive game’s crazy. He plays tough. Kolbe Steele (5-11 Guard) another kid that is gonna surprise people. He’s really good offensively. Freshman Caleb Black Feather (6-2 Guard) he’s really confident, at the jamboree (v Spearfish) he had a three, played mature, played composed. Michael Callie (5-10 guard) athletic, horse racer, so he’s tough.”

“I wanna commend my coach, Charles (Schrader). I let him handle the development, the shooting, the ball handling. You know, he really developed these kids this summer. I’m really proud of him for that. Riyen Carlow, he played at Tribes for two years. He really brings a lot to our program. He will be coaching the JV. We brought Sean Keith, Jr. back. Sean’s really good for the freshman and sophomores. Riyen brings college experience, Sean brings state experience, I’m really excited about this staff this year.”

(James Giago Davies is an enrolled member of OST. Contact him at skindiesel@msn.com)

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