We are at the beginning of a very exciting Basketball season for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Jr. High Girls and Elementary (5th & 6th Grade) Hoops is under way. This past weekend (Sat.Nov 4) the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Braves 5th & 6th grade boys hosted the first tournament of the season. Participating schools were Tiospaye Topa, Faith, Standing Rock, McLaughlin and C-EB competing in 2 divisions, 5th Grade Boys, and 6th Grade Boys. The Faith Longhorns and the C-EB Braves would meet up in the championship in both brackets, and the Longhorns would take home both the 5th Grade Championship and the 6th Grade Championship. Congratulations to the Faith Longhorns and all the athletes who competed in the Double Elimination Tournament. Thank you to the group of refs from Cheyenne-Eagle Butte and all the tournament volunteers for their time and efforts.
Sunday Morning at 10 a.m. MT local volunteers from Eagle Butte hosted their 2nd week of basketball fundamental skills camp for ages 10 and under. “In the cities the youth get to play YMCA basketball, and they start at age 5. We are trying to give that same opportunity to our youth here on Cheyenne River.” said hoops volunteer Stevie Moran. Moran is very active in the basketball community and hosts several basketball events throughout the year for all ages. The first week had 13-15 youth participating and the second week had an even bigger turnout with bright smiling faces who are learning the vocabulary as well as the etiquette of how to play the game. These weekly camps will definitely have a positive impact on the local basketball programs in the coming years.
Cheyenne River High School Basketball is a crop of talent this year with the Dupree Tiger Boys leading the way in the KIPI Sports preseason update. At number 2 we have the Timber Lake Boys Basketball team with a couple returning starters from last years (10-10) season. Our Number 3 spot we have the C-EB Braves Boys Basketball team. The Braves have that experienced sophomore class led by Dayson Kennedy and Levi Elk Nation, along with Neomiah Veaux and Austin Johnson the Braves are looking to make a deep post-season run under Head Coach Galen Eberhard and Assistants Beau Kingfisher and Harlee Neigel.
The KIPI Preseason Hoops update has the Takini Sky Hawks Boys Basketball ranked #4 as the Sky Hawks are looking to increase their Win column from last year’s season. Takini is expected to have Senior Transfer Ted Eagle Jr. who is a scoring machine on the offensive end, also last year’s leading scorer Redik Curley who has been in the gym all summer long working on his game. It should be a great season for the Sky Hawks boys basketball program.
Our #5 team was the best overall basketball team on Cheyenne River a season ago, with a (13-9) record and one of the State’s Best Players in Kristapher Meeter. Meeter has now transferred to a up and coming Marty Braves program for his Jr. year and were excited to see what Kris will do this year. The Thunder Hawks will be a young team this year, but they’re loaded with talented point guard and shooters like Jacolby Rousseau and Laken Traversie.
