Andrew Holtan | The Brookings Register
BROOKINGS – The Colman-Egan girls’ basketball team finished in eighth place at the Class B State Tournament at First Bank & Trust Arena over the weekend.
The No. 5 seeded Hawks lost to No. 4 seeded Ethan in the quarterfinals on Thursday and then fell to top-seeded Lyman in the consolation semifinals on Friday. On Saturday, Colman-Egan was defeated by No. 7 seeded Centerville in the seventh-place game.
The Hawks finished the season with a record of 22-4. Despite the results of the games, CE head coach Josh Flatten said he’s proud of his team being a top-eight team in Class B.
“It’s a big step for us. The girls that you’ve seen out on the floor tonight have turned the basketball program around, which is unheard of. We’ve had some good teams before, but these girls made it really special. This was always our goal. When we got here, some things didn’t go our way. We didn’t get a win at the State Tournament, but we showed everybody we belonged here,” Flatten said.
Colman-Egan went 19-3 last season, but lost in the Region 3B Semifinals. In 2024 the Hawks finished with a 15-8 record and the year before that they went 12-10.
It’s been a steady climb for the Hawks and Flatten said the players are what led the program to the State Tournament in 2026.
“We just had a complete culture overhaul with our team. These girls, it’s a player-led team now. They make a lot of the decisions. They set our goals, and us coaches steer them in the direction we need to steer them in, and that just creates buy-in. These girls are bought in. They’re doing it for themselves. They’re doing it for their teammates. They’re doing it for their community. They’re doing it for us. Our motto all year has been together,” Flatten said.
The Hawks have just one senior on this year’s roster, but she’s been their best player in Brynlee Landis. Landis was an All-State Tournament Team selection this past weekend after averaging 13.6 points and seven rebounds in the three games.
Flatten said Landis means the world to Colman-Egan for what she’s done over the past five years.
“She’s been through a lot. Since she was an eighth grader, she has been giving everything she has to help get a team here. And this year, she had a lot of young girls that she’s brought up right through the grade school ranks, and they believe in her as much as she believes in them. We just had a little talk in the locker room. Everybody contributes to our team, but we got here on Brynn’s back, and she’s just a special human being. The basketball stuff isn’t even really that impressive, to be honest with you. She’s a great kid,” Flatten said.
Landis will be hard to replace, but the Hawks will have some talent returning in junior Quinn Meyer and freshman Jolie Flatten. Josh Flatten said this trip to the State Tournament will give these players some confidence going into next year.
“It shows our girls that we belong here, that we can run with anybody. We gave all three teams everything. A run right to the end. Better coach probably would have gotten some wins. I’m a new guy. But to be honest with you, they’re a really confident group of kids, so I didn’t have to do much convincing to tell them we belong here. They expected to win when we got here, and they’re hungry to get back,” Flatten said.
Thursday
Quarterfinals
No. 4 Ethan 51, No. 5 Colman-Egan 42
Ethan built a lead in the third quarter and was able to hold off the Hawks in the fourth quarter.
The Hawks had a 9-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and then each team scored 10 points in the second to make it 19-18 at halftime. The Rustlers then outscored the Hawks 16-8 in the third and led 34-27 going into the fourth. Ethan would then hit some big shots down the stretch and had a 17-5 advantage in the final quarter to earn the win.
Colman-Egan shot 39.1% from the field and was 5-of-23 from beyond the arc. Flatten had 22 points to lead the Hawks. Meyer had 10 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Colman-Egan’s leading scorer Brynlee Landis was held to six points on 2-of-8 shooting.
Ethan shot 58.8% from the field and was 9-of-25 from three. The Rustlers had three players score in double figures. Klock had 17 points and nine rebounds. Mueller had 11 points and Taziah Hawkins had 12 points.
Friday
Consolation Semifinals
No. 1 Lyman 53, No. 5 Colman-Egan 48
Lyman was able to outscore Colman-Egan by seven in the final quarter and sent the Hawks to the seventh-place game.
Colman-Egan led 19-13 at the end of the first quarter but then the Raiders outscored the Hawks 14-8 in the second and it was 27-27 at halftime. The Hawks would then take a 41-39 lead into the fourth quarter but Lyman outscored them 14-7 in the final frame to get the win.
The Hawks shot 28.1% from the field and was 7-of-28 from three. Landis had 19 points and nine rebounds to lead Colman-Egan. Flatten had 18 points and Mya Reiff had seven points.
The Raiders shot 42% from the field and was 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. Lyman was led by Mak Scott who had 21 points and 15 rebounds. Jordyn Scott had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Brooke Montgomery had 10 points and Bree Smart had eight points.
Saturday
Seventh-Place Game
No. 7 Centerville 53, No. 5 Colman-Egan 46
The Tornadoes outscored the Hawks in the middle quarters and that led to them winning the seventh-place game.
Colman-Egan led 19-16 at the end of the first quarter. The Tornadoes outscored the Hawks 12-6 in the second and took a 28-25 lead into halftime. Centerville then had a 15-10 advantage in the third to go up 43-35 going into the fourth. The Hawks would battle back to cut the lead to two with 24 seconds left but the Tornadoes made their free throws and sealed the victory.
The Hawks shot 34.7% from the field and were 7-of-23 from three. Landis had 16 points and eight rebounds to lead CE. Meyer had 11 points and six rebounds. Flatten had 10 points.
Centerville shot 36.5% from the field and was 5-of-18 from deep. Izzie Eide led the Tornadoes with 26 points and nine rebounds. Brea Austin had 13 points.
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