PHOTO OF THE DAY: 50 YEARS LATER …
Saturday night at the Corn Palace, the Freeman High School boys will face Dell Rapids St. Mary as the second-to-last game of the all-day DWU/Culver’s Classic. Tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will follow another highly anticipated battle between Class B No. 1 Viborg-Hurley (16-1) and Class A No. 3 Rapid City Christian (13-3). That game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. The final game of the night will be a matchup between Howard and Parkston; both teams are 12-4.
As for the game between Freeman and Dell Rapids St. Mary, it should be a good one. The Cardinals are 15-1 and ranked No. 3 in Class B, their only loss coming against No. 2 Castlewood. The Flyers, meanwhile, are 13-3 and the only team to defeat No. 1 Viborg-Hurley this season. And they are coming off two impressive wins — a 21-point win against Region 5A No. 1-seed Hanson on Tuesday and a 27-point victory against a solid team from Corsica-Stickney Thursday night.
And the battle between the Flyers and the Cardinals is a reminder of another historic clash that took place in the Sioux Falls Arena 50 years ago, when No. 1 Freeman and No. 2 Dell Rapids St. Mary — both undefeated — squared off for the Class B state championship. The Flyers trailed for much of the game, but a fourth quarter rally led by senior standout Bob Pidde brought them back, and Freeman emerged with a 61-55 victory. It remains the only state basketball champions in Freeman Public’s history.
The game — with commentary — can be watched on YouTube. Click here to watch.
