Titans finish seventh in historic first Class AA State appearance

For only the second time in school history, and for the first time in Class AA, the Tea Area High School girls’ basketball team punched their ticket to State last week with a SoDak 16 win over Harrisburg. The victory sent the Titans to the State AA Tournament held in Rapid City on Thursday, Mar. 12 through Saturday, Mar. 14. This marked the program’s first appearance to the State AA, with their previous State trip coming in 2024, when Tea Area finished as the Class A runner-up. 

This year, the Titans began their 2026 State AA run with a match-up against undefeated top-ranked Brandon Valley on Thursday, Mar. 12. Brandon Valley opened things up early, leading 30-6 after the opening quarter. The Titans settled into their offense and outscored Brandon 17-14 in the second quarter, holding tight in the third, with the quarter score at 19-21. However, the first-quarter deficit proved too much to overcome, as the Lynx secured a 78-53 win. 

“I’m really proud of our girls and the way they battled all weekend.  We opened against undefeated Brandon Valley and had a tough first quarter, but our group never folded,” said Titan head coach Taylor Fechner. “From that point on, we were only outscored by one the rest of the game, which says a lot about their toughness and resilience.”

Against Brandon Valley, three Titans were in double figures. Anna Binde finished with 13 points, hitting three three-pointers in the game. She also had two assists. Emma Lingren scored 11 points, going a perfect eight of eight from the foul line. She also had one rebound, two assists, and two steals. Jayna VanLaecken finished with ten points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Jaycie Babb went three of four from the field to finish with seven points. She had three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Ellie Clayberg finished with six points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Piper Benning had three points and two rebounds. Paige Sabers scored two points, and Daphne Decker provided one point, one rebound, and one assist. 

With the loss, the Titans dropped down to the Consolation bracket, where they faced off against a strong Rapid City Stevens team on Friday, Mar. 13. Rapid City shot over 50 percent in the game and used a 21-13 second quarter and 23-16 third quarter advantage to get the 70-52 win over Tea Area. 

“In the second game against Rapid City Stevens, one of the top teams all year, I thought we played well overall,” said Fechner. “We just couldn’t get shots to fall at key moments, and that ended up being the difference.”

The Titans shot 30 percent in the game. Tea Area was led by VanLaecken, who hit three three-pointers in the game to finish with 15 points. She also had three rebounds, one assist, and one steal. 

Lingren scored 11 points in the game and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. She also had one assist and led the team in steals with four. 

Binde, who fouled out in the game, scored nine points, grabbed four rebounds, and had two steals. Clayberg finished with eight points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Babb scored six points, grabbed two rebounds, had two assists, and one steal. Grace Bialas finished with three points, one rebound, and one steal. Paige Sabers grabbed three rebounds for the Titans and had one steal. Natalie Gass had one rebound. 

In their final match-up at State, Tea Area faced off against Sioux Falls Jefferson on Saturday, Mar. 14, in a battle for seventh and eighth place. The Titans scored 12 three pointers in the game and went 15 of 18 at the foul line to get the 69-55 victory, securing a seventh-place finish in their first State AA appearance. 

“Our final game against Sioux Falls Jefferson felt like us.  We got back to playing our brand of basketball, and it showed,” said Fechner. “The girls earned a big win and finished the weekend the right way.”

Tea Area trailed 21-22 after the opening quarter but outscored Jefferson, 21-6, in the third. 

For the Titans, Binde finished with 19 points, going three of four from three-point range. She also was perfect at the foul line, hitting all four attempts. She grabbed three rebounds, had one assist, and two steals. Lingren was also in double figures, scoring 16 points in the game. She pulled down eight rebounds, had three assists, and three steals. Clabyerg went five of eight from three-point range to finish the game with 15 points. She had two rebounds and two assists. 

VanLaecken finished with seven points, a team-high 11 rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Babb scored six points, grabbed nine rebounds, and led the team in assists with six. Bialas finished with five points, and Pepper added one. Decker recorded a step in the game. 

The Titans had a successful trip out west, with their very own being named to the All-Tournament team. Lingren earned All-Tournament team honors. Lingren had nine steals throughout the tournament, helping to lead the Titans’ stout defense. 

“One of the biggest positives across all three games was winning the turnover battle every time. That’s a reflection of our effort, discipline, and how connected we were defensively,” added Fechner. “This group has a lot to be proud of.  Our seniors have been the backbone of this program for the past two years.  Their leadership, consistency, and competitiveness will be hard to replace, but they’ve set a standard and built a foundation that will carry forward.”

With a lot of young talent on the horizon, Fechner is excited about the future of Titan basketball. 

“I’m excited about what is ahead.  The returning players understand what it takes to get back to the state tournament, and that experience matters,” said Fechner.  “Emma Lingren earned All-Tournament Team honors and had a great weekend.  She, along with Jayna, Grace, Piper, and Paige, all stepped up and showed what the future of this program looks like.”

Fechner was also sure to acknowledge the talent that will be missed, giving a huge thank you to Anna Binde, Jaycie Babb, Ellie Clayberg, and Natalie Gass for everything they’ve given over the past four years.  

“They’ve left this program better than they found it, and that’s what it’s all about,” Fechner said.