FLANDREAU — In the closing moments of Flandreau’s SoDak 16 victory over Hill City, head coach Megan Severtson had her team gathered during a timeout.

The Fliers were going to qualify for the state tournament for the third time in the past five seasons and they were doing so with a 23-0 record. But with the game in hand, Severtson offered her team a reminder before they went back out on the court.

“I told the girls when this game gets over, you’re going to celebrate like we haven’t made it to the state tournament in a long time,” Severtson said. “I just didn’t want them to not appreciate the fact that they’re getting to go again.”

It’s an opportunity that isn’t lost on the third-seeded Fliers as they prepare to open the Class A tournament against Tea Area at the Dacotah Bank Center in Brookings on Thursday night at 7:45 p.m.

The Fliers went to the state tournament twice, winning the consolation championship in 1989 and finishing in sixth place in 1997, but didn’t qualify for the state tournament again until doing so in 2020 with a team that featured current seniors Claire Sheppard, Lily Klein and Lizzie Pavlis.

Just as the Fliers were getting ready, the COVID-19 pandemic reached its heights and canceled the state tournament and the Fliers missed the tournament during the next two seasons.

Flandreau returned to the state tournament with an upset over fifth-seeded St. Thomas More in last year’s SoDak 16 and finished in sixth place after losing to eventual state champion Hamlin, defeating Lakota Tech and falling by three points to third-seeded Sioux Falls Christian.

With every player returning from a year ago, the Fliers are on the verge of a perfect season, but they’ve also taken a game-by-game approach that has created another opportunity.

“What’s really cool about it is that we’ve been able to celebrate last year’s success while also setting new goals for this season,” Severtson said. “As a group, we don’t talk a lot about getting to the state tournament or necessarily even our record. We just kind of try to approach it game-by-game and take care of business.”

The approach has helped several players stand out this season. South Dakota State commit Claire Sheppard has averaged 13.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, but Klein leads Flandreau with 14.8 points per game and Pavlis has also averaged in double figures with 13.2 points per game.

With Sadie Iott (8.4 ppg) also providing punch offensively and Hannah Krull and Morgan Sheppard providing length on the defensive end, the Fliers are a complete team that celebrates each other just as much as what happens on the court.

“What’s really special about our team is they’re incredibly genuine in celebrating each other’s successes,” Severtson said. “When a girl gets a three-point play on the court, you’ll see everyone react like we’re excited for each other. We want the team to do well and the girls have really bought into that. When we play together and have fun doing it, we’re fun to watch and tough to beat.”

That mentally will help guide the Fliers as they go through this weekend’s tournament. While Flandreau is undefeated, they’ll have a tough draw in the opening round going against Tea Area and fellow SDSU commit Katie Vasecka, who Severtson believes is the best player in the state.

The rest of the tournament also has its challenges, including top seeds Sisseton (21-1) and Sioux Falls Christian (20-2) and Severtson believes that any team could make a run.

“There’s not only talented teams, but there’s incredibly talented individuals on each team,” Severtson said. “That’s really fun for the state of South Dakota. Even the casual fan, if they come to Brookings and go to the games, I think they’ll really enjoy what they’re going to see.”

Opportunities like the one they’ll see this weekend don’t come around often and, after a large contingent of fans made the 2.5-hour drive to Chamberlain for the SoDak 16, the opportunity to play in Brookings makes it even more special. But while they’re appreciating the moment, the Fliers plan on doing what got them here, taking things one game at a time.

“I’m hoping that we come in with confidence,” Severtson said. “I feel like just executing is going to be our biggest thing. Not letting the emotion of the state tournament or the crows play any kind of factor. Instead, we have to keep thinking next play and continuing to do what we’ve done all season long.”