By Rodney Haas 

605 Sports 

WATERTOWN — For the third straight year, Hamlin is back in the Class A championship game. 

The Chargers secured a spot in Saturday’s title game with a 57-35 win over Red Cloud on Friday and will play Wagner, which defeated Sisseton 63-45 in the other semifinal game. 

“Our motto has been to outwork everyone,” Hamlin senior Kami Wadwsorth said. “We need to stay prepared and go after it. We entered today with 64 minutes left in the season and now we have 32 minutes left.” 

Wadsworth led the Chargers (24-0) with 23 points while Addison Neuendorf added 13 points. Hamlin lost to Aberdeen Roncalli in 2021 and lost to St. Thomas More last year. 

“People don’t understand how hard it is to get to one state championship (game),” Hamlin coach Tim Koisti said. “Last year was our second and for these girls to have the heart and the determination and drive to get back to a third chance, that’s amazing. Third time's a charm.

The Crusaders (21-3) took a 15-13 lead after the first quarter, but the Chargers outscored Red Cloud 19-4 in the second quarter to take a 32-19 lead at halftime and extended the lead to 43-23 heading into the fourth quarter. Ashlan Blount led Red Cloud with 14 points. 

“(Red Cloud) is so athletic and you can’t practice that and it took a while for us to get used to that,” Koisti said. “I talked to my kids the whole night long and we have to control the pace. We want to play slow, they want to play fast. Whoever wins that battle is going to win.”

Wagner’s Lydia Yost (5) celebrates with teammates Macy Koupal (30) and Emma Yost (23) after the Red Raiders defeated Sisseton 63-45 in a Class A semifinal on Friday in Watertown. (Rodney Haas /605 Sports)
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In Friday's other semifinal, Wagner clinched a spot in the championship for the first time in 25 years while dashing Sisseton’s title hopes after the Redmen upset Sioux Falls Christian in Thursday’s quarterfinals. 

“This is an awesome feeling,” said Wagner’s Emma Yost who ended the night with 14 points. “We have to celebrate tonight but we have to get it done tomorrow.  We did a great job offensively tonight, but it’s going to be a battle tomorrow night.” 

Ashlyn Koupal led the Red Raiders with 27 points while Macy Koupal chipped in 17 points. 

Wagner (24-1) took a 16-4 lead after the first quarter and led 29-15 at halftime and 44-33 at the end of the third quarter. 

Chloe Langager led the Redmen with 12 points while Emmalee Nielsen and Krista Langager added 10 points each. 

“Everybody is coming back next year. We’re excited. I’m not disappointed,” Sisseton coach Sara Lincoln said. “I’m happy they came out in the second half. They fought. These girls always fight. We’re ready to work. We’re not done yet. We have one more game left.”