Sioux Falls high schools gear up for third Presidents Bowl

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The four Sioux Falls public high schools are set to compete in the third annual Presidents Bowl basketball classic at the Sanford Pentagon on Monday and Tuesday.

Each day of the event will feature two girls games and two boys games for a total of eight games among crosstown rivals over the two days.

“They know each other really well, so they like to winning against each other so they can have bragging rights – east side, west side, whatever you want to talk about,” Jefferson head coach Tim Reck said. “It’s always fun to see those guys compete, and then afterwards, they’re laughing and joking about the game and things like that. So that’s always fun as well.”

The action begins each day at 11 a.m. with a new game tipping off every two hours. With the girls games opening the action for each session and the boys following, it creates an opportunity to draw more eye balls to the competition.

“It has, like a really good crowd for us, especially with the girls games,” Washington senior forward Rylan Kennett said. “Like when there’s all the guys games going on two, it brings more people to our game. So it’s kind of nice to be able to play in an atmosphere where we can maybe get more viewers and bring more attention to girls basketball in general.”

One of the biggest draws for the players is the chance to play at the Pentagon, which is recognized as one of the best venues in the country.

“The court’s very cool,” Lincoln junior guard Brody Schafer said. “It’s like a heritage look. It’s like an old style look. It’s very cool. And then it’s just the atmosphere around it – the smoke, the view board, all that stuff is stuff you don’t always get. So it’s just when you get it, you got to embrace it and take in the moment.

“When they leave high school, they talk about the state tournaments, and they’re fun memories, but this is also one that they talk about as well,” Roosevelt head coach Mitch Begeman said. “They got to play on Heritage Court and in the Sanford Pentagon, and they were treated very, very well. So, I think it’s just a special two days that we get to do this. And we’re very, very appreciative of that.”

The schedule for the two days is as follows: Lincoln and Roosevelt meet in the first two games of the Presidents Bowl on Dec. 29 with Washington and Jefferson squaring off later in the day. On Dec. 30, Jefferson and Lincoln battle in the early window, and Roosevelt and Washington close out the event.

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