West River Eagle

The greatest show on Cheyenne River: Kristapher Meeter and the Tiospaye Topa Thunderhawks



What’s your favorite movie? Was it so good you couldn’t wait for the sequel to come out? Well, that’s what it was like if you saw the greatest show on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation this basketball season when Tiospaye Topa would take to the court and perform. The team from that little school on the east side put on a spectacular show each and every time the lights in the gym were turned on to let the fighting Thunderhawks do their thing.

The big draw for this show was sophomore sensation Kristapher Meeter. This young man is truly a star and he never disappointed any audience that he was in front of, because he always brought his best. And in being at his best, each and every time he was on the floor, he made his supporting cast shine just as brightly. Dennis Sand III was Ice Man to his Maverick. Ivis Lee was Doc Holliday to his Wyatt Earp. Kaden Rousseau was Dr. Watson to his Sherlock Holmes. Jakolby Rousseau was Robin to his Batman. And Meeter’s best man had to be Jorge Hawk, who was always there in his corner, like Francis Ford Coppola directing Robert Di Niro in the Godfather movies. And because of this star’s performance and chemistry with his fellow teammates, the Thunderhawks were always a must-see.

But, as all good movies come to an end, so did the season close for the Thunderhawks when they traveled to Faith to take on the Longhorns in the Class B Region 8 Semifinals on Friday, March 3. As in every superhero movie there has to be an equally great foe, and that is exactly what the Longhorns were. They were the fifth top rated Class B team in the state as determined by the South Dakota Prep Media High School Boys Basketball Poll. So, this semifinal showdown was indeed a classic underdog story. 

The Longhorns were indeed a superior force; just like the Persian army in the movie “300” that glorified the Battle of Thermopylae; because they had the awesome overall record of 19-1 and a 45.200 Power Point rating. The Thunderhawks were like the mighty Spartans, who chose to stand and fight against all odds, when they stepped on the floor of the Faith High School gym. So, knowing the outcome of the Battle of Thermopylae beforehand did nothing to lessen the thrill or love of the game that made this contest worth seeing. Yes, it was to actually see this — the battle between these two Titans — that made this semifinal game tremendous.

In the opening of the battle neither team could make the other team budge, because after the first five minutes ticked off, the game was tied up at 12-all. Then, when the Longhorns went on a 2-to-9-point run to get a 7-point lead, Dennis Sand III snapped the net with a long three-ball to get back within four. But before the LaPlant fans could even sit down, Faith’s 6ʹ0ʺ senior guard, No. 10 Jess Harper, drilled a 3-point shot to push the lead back out to seven when the first quarter ended, 24 to 17.

After Meeter splashed in his third 3-point bomb to start off the second quarter, the Thunderhawks hung tough to stay close to the Longhorns. Helping out Meeter were Lee and Hawk, and up until the last couple minutes in the second quarter they were well within striking distance, until Faith’s No. 10, junior Jackson Schauer, again stole the show by dropping in three 3-pointers. The late surge gave the Longhorns a very comfortable lead when the buzzer sounded to end the first half, 49 to 35.

Like the “300” movie, there was so much action and excitement in the first two quarters to give hope that a comeback by the Thunderhawks might still be possible when the second half commenced. 

Meeter already had 21 points under his belt, and it was hoped he wasn’t done cranking in the long ball. Plus, with Sand, Lee and Hawk all having history of getting hot, there was so much anticipation that, maybe this time, the Spartans might just not stand, but conquer the mighty Persians as well.

But, unfortunately, the Longhorns continued to bring out the big guns. No. 0, Rylan Palmer, not only made one 3-point shot, but added another eight points all by himself in this third period. No. 10 Jackson Schauer didn’t cool off one bit either, because he nailed three more 3-point shots. And No. 20 decided to get into the long ball show, too, by registering his first 3-point haymaker. All this firepower was becoming too much, and the Thunderhawks’ knees begin to buckle, because when the third period ended Faith had a 25-point lead – 76 to 51.

In the final quarter, Meeter and Sand started off fine with back-to-back buckets, but the Longhorns never quit coming. Finally, with about a good three minutes gone, Faith got a 30-point lead to evoke the mercy rule and the clock begin to run to hasten the Longhorns’ destiny to go on to the SoDak-16 and to bring down the lights on the Thunderhawks.

But, like an encore, and before the curtain closed for the final time on Tiospaye Topa, Meeter slammed in not one, not two, but three 3-point bombs, all in a row, to let everyone in the gym know that Faith may have won the game, but Meeter got the Oscar for the best shooter of the year. 

So, folks, if you enjoyed the Thunderhawks’ show on the hardwood this year, there will be a sequel. Because, again, Kristapher Meeter is only a sophomore. And if you have still have not seen this young man play, you need to know that Meeter is not only a prolific shooter, but he can play defense and rebound with the best of them. But what makes him super special is, he is a class act. He supports his mates and is always the first to assist a downed opponent when he hits the floor.

Thus, you need to mark your calendar when Tiospaye Topa is again going to start their 2023/2024 boys basketball season, or you’ll miss something that hasn’t happen on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation since the likes of Terry DuPris. Seriously, nobody remembers who played the Persian King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) in “300,” but they all can recall that Gerard Butler played King Leonidas, the mightiest of all Spartans, who led the 300 to make their final stand.

Stats: Boys Thunderhawks: Kristapher Meeter – 37, TJ Lawrene – 3, Kaden Rousseau – 3, Jakolby Rousseau – 2, Dennis Sand III – 5, Ivis Lee – 6, Jorge Hawk – 13. Longhorns: Rylan Palmer – 18, Jess Harper – 20, Matthew Gray – 6, Caden Selby – 13, Jackson Schauer – 31, Waycee Nelson – 6, Krece Hallign – 2.

TT 17 18 16 15 +66

FHS 24 25 27 20 +96

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