SIOUX FALLS - No. 1-seeded Red Cloud led wire-to-wire and beat Sisseton, 77-57, to earn third place in the Class A boys state basketball tournament at the Sioux Falls Arena in Sioux Falls.

The Crusaders (24-2 overall) won behind heavy-pressure defense and precision shooting over the Redmen.

Sisseton junior guard Trey Frederick led all scorers with 23 points, but the Redmen (17-7) could not find enough firepower to match the quick Crusader team.

The Crusaders forced the Redmen into 23 turnovers, including 13 in the first half. The Crusaders scored 24 points off Sisseton turnovers, 15 in the first half.

"I thought we did a good job of containing Frederick since we knew he was the only ball handler," Red Cloud head coach Matt Rama said. "We have never been a tall team, so we used what we got and pressured the ball."

Part of the reason why Red Cloud's full-court pressure could be applied for the majority of the game was eleven players for the Crusaders saw significant minutes, while Sisseton put only six players with six minutes or more.

Red Cloud's point guard Christian McGhee, who has struggled in the tournament, made a 3-pointer in the first minute of the second quarter to make the score 18-5.

The Redmen would never trail by fewer than 12 points from that moment on. McGhee recorded a team-high 19 points.

The Crusaders drastically improved their shooting from last night (30.8 percent compared to just over 22 percent) and was not satisfied with taking 3-pointers, unlike last night's semifinal game against Platte-Geddes.

"I took too many 3s last night, so I tried to kick out to my teammates today," said McGhee, who also had four steals and six rebounds.

"Our defense led to transition buckets, which we take a lot of pride in."

Sisseton played all four quarters hard and was poised throughout despite the constant Crusader pressure.

The Redmen might be a year away from another run at a championship, as they only have one player on the roster that is a senior and list four freshmen, the most of any team.

The seniors leaving Red Cloud are proud of their accomplishments.

"Going to state was great. We lost on Friday, but we regrouped today and it is nice to go out as winners," McGhee said.

Dustin Lotzer nearly recorded a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds for Sisseton.

Red Cloud grabbed 15 defensive rebounds compared to 17 offensive rebounds in its second win of the tournament.