On March 9, the Lennox High School girls’ basketball team earned the right to represent LHS at the State A Tournament after defeating Miller in decisive fashion. The excitement and anticipation was soon put on hold as the South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA) made the decision to suspend all upcoming State Basketball Tournaments in the State of South Dakota due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The postponement was tough news for many reasons. We had just reached one of our goals, to make the state tournament. We were feeling confident because we were playing extremely well,” said LHS head coach Adam Quail. “Then to learn a few days later that the state tournament is postponed was a tough pill to swallow. The team has worked extremely hard all year and were in good position to make a run at the state championship. I really hope we get the opportunity.”
But will they get that opportunity; the State A Tournament was originally scheduled for March 19-21 in Rapid City but that was put on hold.
SDHSAA Executive Director, Dr. Daniel Swartos, stated, “In response to Governor Noem’s direction of school closure through May 1, all SDHSAA spring sports practices and competitions are canceled through Sunday, May 3. The SDHSAA Board of Directors will meet in coming days to decide on the 2020 Spring Sports season, as well as the suspended/postponed events of State Basketball, Visual Arts, Region Music, and All-State Band. That agenda will be posted to the SDHSAA website when it is finalized and advanced notice of the meeting will be given per South Dakota Codified Law. The meeting will be held via teleconference and will be live streamed for the public. We thank everyone for their patience during this unprecedented period.”
Quail understands the situation and told his team, “This is out of our control and some things are bigger than basketball. The health and safety of everyone is of greater importance.”