The Sting was given the 10-seed for the Section 3A Tournament and were tasked with taking on No. 7 Lakeview in the play-in round to move forward. YME also entered the postseason on an eight-game skid.

Fighting to earn its spot back into the North subsection quarterfinals for the first time since the 2022-2023 season, YME took down the Lakers 55-52 to advance.

“Every coach says you want to be playing your best basketball at the end of the year, and this crew really meant it,” YME head coach Logan DeBlieck said of how the team closed out the year. “They played hard down to the last minute, and as a coach, that’s all you can ever really ask for.”

The Sting were firing on all cylinders in the first half and built a 17-point lead by the break. Lakeview eventually fought back late in the second half to cut the lead down to a point, 53-52 with 5.4 seconds remaining, but YME prevailed for the upset following a pair of Fagen free throws.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Yellow Medicine East's Kolten Blankenhagen goes up for a layup in the Section 3A play-in round against Lakeview on Feb. 26 in Cottonwood.

YME was eliminated in the play-in round the previous two seasons.

Senior guard Cooper McCosh credited the crowd after the thrilling win, citing that it felt like a stadium-environment while also crediting the team’s rebounding effort and team coordination throughout the night.

YME outrebounded Lakeview 32-24 in the win.

“We’re feeling pretty good, but the job’s not done yet,” YME senior Kia Greycloud said following the win and heading into the quarterfinals. “We all want to win, and we’re lucky enough that we got this dub. We came out in the right state of mind, and the teammates came prepared.”

The Stings’ season then came to an end with a 75-50 loss to second-seeded Dawson-Boyd in the subsection quarterfinals, where Greycloud finished with a game-high 27 points on 55% shooting, while also knocking down six 3-pointers.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Yellow Medicine East senior Gavin Torvik looks to pass the ball out against Dawson-Boyd in the Section 3A North subsection quarterfinals on Feb. 28 in Montevideo.

YME finished the year 4-22 overall.

Aside from Lakeview in the postseason, the Sting were able to pick up their other wins over Red Rock Central 70-38 on Dec. 22, Lac qui Parle Valley 66-52 on Jan. 9 and over Minneota on Jan. 30, 62-46.

Greycloud was the Stings’ most prolific scorer throughout the season, along with making a large impact on the offensive end throughout his varsity career.

Additionally, the Sting also saw significant contributions on both ends from McCosh, Gunnar Fagen and Gavin Torvik.

YME will look to continue making steps forward come next season, and graduate seniors in Greycloud, Wyatt Ansell, McCosh, Torvik and Aaden Kuehn this year.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Yellow Medicine East's Gunnar Fagen moves around his defender and goes toward the basket in the Section 3A play-in round against Lakeview on Feb. 26 in Cottonwood.

“They [the seniors] meant a lot to us,” DeBlieck said. “Every single one of them, from the guys that don’t get a lot of minutes, to the guys that get 30 minutes a game, they just mean a lot. They’re our leaders, and they’re fun guys to be around.”