HURON The impressive athleticism of the Bennett County Lady Warriors was on full display Saturday in the South Dakota Class B State Basketball Tournament championship game, as the Lady Warriors stormed out early and never let off the gas in a 71-61 victory over the Sanborn Central/Woonsocket Blackhawks at Huron Arena.
The Lady Warriors got the opening tip, but Liz Boschee got a steal and went in hard for a layup and was fouled. She hit the free throw to make it 3-0 Blackhawks with less than 30 seconds off the game clock.
Thomiah Poor Bear hit a turn around jumper for Bennett County. Kaylie Robinson was fouled quickly for the Blackhawks, and she hit one of two free throws to make it 4-2. A Sophia May free throw made it 4-3 at the first media timeout.
Poor Bear went to the line for Bennett County and hit two to give the Lady Warriors their first lead at 5-4, then Peyson ONeill nailed a three for Bennett County.
Reagan ONeill got a putback bucket and Boschee responded with a move underneath to make it 10-6.
Poor Bear made a move underneath to put BC up 12-6 and then Peyson ONeill got a steal and took it to the hoop and was fouled. She hit both charity shots to make it 14-6 Lady Warriors with 90 seconds left.
Addison Bartholow was fouled on the drive and hit both free throws to chip the lead down to 14-8, but Poor Bear hit a short jumper to make it 16-8.
Reagan ONeill pulled up for a quick jumper, and Alexa Goertz nailed a shot from the top of the key to end the first quarter with the Lady Warriors holding an 18-11 lead.
The Lady Warriors got a steal to open the second quarter and found Poor Bear for a basket. Robinson was fouled on a drive and hit one of two free throws.
Kaylee Byrne got a putback for Bennett County and Boschee hit a runner in the lane. Madi Waln responded with a floater in the lane for Bennett County to make it 24-14 with 6:30 left in the first half.
Reagan ONeill hit a pair of free throws and Poor Bear was fouled on the drive and hit one of two free throws. Reagan ONeill got a pair of buckets on the back of steals to push the lead out to 31-14 with five minutes left.
Alexa Goertz got a bucket underneath to break a Blackhawk scoring drought and Goertz put in a left-handed layup after a steal to close within 31-18, the score at the second media break.
Reagan ONeill hit a pair of free throws coming out of the media timeout. Alexa Goertz nailed a wing three and got a steal and found Robinson who was fouled on the way to the hoop. After Robinson hit one of two, the Blackhawks were within 33-22 with 3:02 remaining.
Robinson found Cami Edwards underneath and Reagan ONeill responded with another short jumper with a minute remaining in the first half.
Robinson hit a pair of free throws, but Waln immediately nailed a three to keep the margin 38-26 at halftime.
Peyson ONeill hit a corner three to open the second half. Boschee got an offensive rebound and was fouled, hitting both free throws to make it 41-28.
Peyson was bumped as she attempted a layup following a steal and made one of two free throws. Poor Bear drove across the lane for a basket to make it 44-28.
Bartholow rattled in a wing three, but Waln responded with a long jumper.
Alexa Goertz made a move underneath for two to make it 46-33 at the third quarter media pause.
Reagan ONeill made a turnaround baseline move and went off glass for two. Boschee then cut through the middle of the defense to make it 48-35.
Reagan got a putback bucket and jumped in joy after making the shot.
Robinson hit a spin move in the lane for SCW. Reagan then took the drive down the right side of the lane for two to make it 52-37 with less than two minutes left in the third.
After Reagan made one of two free throws, Bartholow hit a corner three to make it 53-40.
Jadyn Standing Soldier drove down the left side of the lane for two to make it 55-40 heading into the final period of the tourney.
Lainey Goertz would hit one of two free throws to open the fourth for Sanborn Central/Woonsocket. Boschee would get a bucket to make it 55-43.
Reagan ONeill drove right through the Blackhawk defense for a basket.
Robinson was fouled on a drive and made the bucket, taking the game to the final media timeout. She would miss the free throw to leave it 57-45.
Poor Bear found Peyson ONeill for a sharp pass and catch bucket. Peyson then hit a putback basket and was fouled. After hitting the free throw, the lead was at 62-45 with four minutes remaining.
Boschee got an inbounds pass for two and was fouled. However, on the ensuing play, Boschee fouled out as Harley Harris hit one of two free throws.
Alexa Goertz nailed a wing three to make it 63-50 with 3:26 left.
Reagan got a bucket on the press break, and Lainey Goertz hit a long two to counter. Robinson hit one of two, but on the release afterward, Peyson hit a layup.
Robinson nailed a three from the top of the key to bring it within 10 at 67-57 as two minutes left clicked off the clock. Reagan ONeill missed a pair of free throws.
Bartholow nailed a three but Poor Bear answered with a turnaround shot. Peyson then got a breakaway layup to push the lead back over 10.
Lainey Goertz hit a pair of free throws, but that was the last gasp for SCW as the Lady Warriors secured a 71-61 victory.
The Lady Warriors move to 24-2 behind 25 points and 14 rebounds for Reagan ONeill. Peyson ONeill had 18 points and Poor Bear added 15 and seven assists.
The Blackhawks finish the year 22-4 despite 15 points from Boschee and Alexa Goertz. Robinson added 13 and Bartholow had 11 points.
Sanborn Cent/Woon 11 26 40 61
Bennett County 18 38 55 71
Sanborn Central/Woonsocket (22-4): Liz Boschee 6 3-4 15, Kaylie Robinson 3 6-11 13, Alexa Goertz 6 0-0 15, Cami Edwards 1 0-0 2, Lainey Goertz 1 3-4 5, Addison Bartholow 3 2-2 11. Totals: 20 14-21 61.
Bennett County (24-2): Reagan ONeill 10 5-8 25, Peyson ONeill 6 4-5 18, Harley Harris 0 1-2 1, Madi Waln 3 0-0 7, Thomiah Poor Bear 6 3-6 15, Jadyn Standing Soldier 1 0-0 2, Kaylee Byrne 1 0-0 2, Sophia May 0 1-2 1. Totals: 27 14-23 71.
FG: SCW – 20/57 35%; BC – 27/54 50%. 3-pt FG: SCW – 7/24 (AGoertz 3, Bartholow 3, Robinson); BC – 3/11 (PONeill 2, Waln). Rebounds: SCW 22 (Robinson 6), BC 35 (RONeill 14). Assists: SCW 10 (LGoertz, Bartholow 3), BC 11 (Poor Bear 7). Steals: SCW 8 (Boschee 5), BC 12 (PONeill 5). Fouls: SCW 15 (Boschee out), BC 17.
Centerville bounces back with win against St. Marys for third
HURON – The Centerville Tornadoes bounced back from their first loss of the season with a big first quarter on the way to a 65-50 victory over the St. Marys Lady Cardinals for third place at the South Dakota Class B State Girls Basketball Tournament Saturday at Huron Arena.
Centerville won the tip and worked the ball around to Keira Austin for a three from the top of the key. St. Marys responded immediately on a drive by Jenna Miller. Emma Marshall for Centerville and Brianna Griffin of the Lady Cardinals would then trade baskets, and Centerville was up 5-4 after two possessions for each team.
A fast-paced opening to the game saw the Tornadoes leading 10-7 at the first media timeout. Brea Austin nailed a three and Lydia Austin drove into the lane for a pair of baskets right out of the media timeout to make it 15-7.
A three from Izzie Austin made it 18-9 Centerville and drew a Cardinal timeout with 1:16 left in the first. A turnaround by Marshall gave Centerville a 20-9 lead at the end of one.
A Euro-step by Marshall in the lane was the first bucket of the second quarter. Althea Gust then nailed a straight-away three to push it out to 25-9 with six minutes left in the first half. A three by Addison Libis for St. Marys made it 25-12 at the second quarter media break.
Both teams struggled to connect for a couple of game minutes until Madala Hanson drove baseline and dumped the ball to Maddyn LeBrun for two.
Hanson hit a pair of free throws to bring the score to 25-16, but then Keira Austin nailed a wing three to snap a Centerville scoring drought and make it 28-16 with 2:14 left in the half.
A backdoor bucket to Stephenie Geraets and a pass to Gereats for a layup as the buzzer sounded cut the halftime deficit for St. Marys to 28-20.
The Lady Cardinals got the ball to open the second half, and Griffin drove in for a bucket. Gust responded with a three for Centerville, and the two teams were off in the second half.
A pair of buckets by Marshall and a three from Izzie Eide put the Tornadoes back up by 13, 38-25, at the third quarter media timeout.
Keira Austin nailed a corner three coming out of the media break. A hard drive by Griffin and a three from Libis quickly brought it within 41-30 with three minutes left in the third. The pace picked up over the final few minutes, remaining around the 10-point margin for Centerville. The Tornadoes held a 43-34 advantage heading to the final frame.
Hanson took a steal down and was fouled, hitting a pair of charity tosses to open the fourth quarter. The Tornadoes were able to get contributions from multiple players to push the lead out before Gust opened a wound on her forehead that led to blood on the jersey. She would return with three and a half minutes remaining and her Centerville club up 55-43.
With thirty seconds left and a 15-point lead, Centerville pulled seniors Marshall, Keira Austin, and Gust for a round of applause from the Tornado faithful. The Tornadoes would wrap up a 65-50 win.
Centerville finishes the season 25-1. Four Tornadoes reached double figures, led by Gust and Marshall with 15 points each. Marshall also pulled in a game-high 13 rebounds.
Brea Austin chipped in 11 points and Keira Austin added 10.
St. Marys falls to 18-8. Brianna Griffin and Hanson led the way with 12 points apiece and Libis added 11. LeBrun hauled in 10 rebounds.
St. Marys 9 20 34 50
Centerville 20 28 43 65
St. Marys (18-8): Brianna Griffin 6 0-1 12, Addison Libis 4 0-0 11, Jenna Miller 2 0-3 4, Madala Hanson 3 5-8 12, Maddyn LeBrun 2 1-2 5, Stephenie Geraets 3 0-0 6. Totals: 20 6-14 50.
Centerville (25-1): Keira Austin 3 2-2 10, Althea Gust 6 0-0 15, Izzie Eide 3 0-0 8, Emma Marshall 6 3-8 15, Brea Austin 3 2-2 11, Lydia Austin 1 1-2 3, Peyton Hansen 0 2-2 2, Madison Carstensen 0 1-2 1. Totals: 22 11-18 65.
FG: SM – 20/61 33%; C – 22/45 49%. 3-pt FG: SM – 4/21 (Libis 3, Hanson); C – 10/18 (Gust 3, BAustin 3, KAustin 2, IEide 2). Rebounds: SM 32 (LeBrun 10), C 32 (Marshall 13). Assists: SM 6 (BGriffin 2), C 13 (Marshall 5). Steals: SM 11 (Hanson 6), C 7 (BAustin 3). Turnovers: SM 12, C 17. Fouls: SM 20 (BGriffin out), C 16.
Parkston holds on against Lyman to claim consolation championship
HURON The Parkston Trojans and Lyman Raiders played a defensive-focused, low-scoring game for fifth place in the State B tourney, with the Trojans hanging on in the end for a 38-35 victory Saturday at Huron Arena.
Keeara Oakley made a strong move underneath for the first points of the game for Parkston. A rebound release from Mak Scott to Bree Smart generated a layup for Lymans first points at the five-minute mark of the first quarter to knot the score, 2-2. That was the score at the first media break in a low-scoring affair.
Oakley would get another bucket underneath and Lauren Ziebart made a strong move to the hoop to give Parkston a 6-2 lead with 2:30 left in the first.
Jordyn Scott broke a long scoring drought for Lyman with a post move underneath to bring it within 6-4. That would be the score at the end of one quarter.
The teams continued to play shut-down defense, leading to a 9-6 Parkston lead at the media timeout in the second period. Berkley Ziebart got a steal and a layup on the first possession out of the media break. Her push on the pace allowed for a couple of buckets for Parkston to lead to a 17-8 lead with a minute remaining.
A pair of buckets by Jordyn Scott and Smart in the final 20 seconds of the half closed it to a 17-14 Parkston lead as the teams headed to the locker rooms.
Jordyn Scott and Lauren Ziebart exchanged buckets to open the second half. A drive down the left side of the lane got Mak Scott a layup and tied the game 21-21 with three minutes gone in the third quarter.
A bucket by Smart gave Lyman a 24-23 lead as the clock ticked under three minutes remaining the third quarter. With the time going off the third, Oakley sank a putback for the Trojans to send them into the final quarter with a 29-28 victory.
Parkston hit their first three of the game as Lauren Ziebart nailed the long ball for a 32-31 lead, but immediately the Raiders found Brooke Palmer underneath for a layup to take back the lead with six minutes left in the game.
The two teams used their experience to run patient offensive sets for the best shot possible, which meant less up-and-down action, but more efficient shooting. Oakley was fouled on a strong move underneath and sank both free throws to give Parkston a 34-33 lead with two and a half minutes remaining.
A patient Trojan set with three offensive rebounds ate up the clock, giving the ball back to Lyman, but with just 1:12 left on the clock. Lyman got two shots from their All-State player, Mak Scott, but came up empty. Lyman was forced to foul. Morgan Maxwell made one of two free throws for the Trojans, but on her miss, Mya Thuringer got an offensive rebound and was fouled, hitting both to give Parkston a 37-33 lead with 12 seconds left.
A last-moment shot fell short for Lyman, giving Parkston a 38-35 victory.
Parkston finished the year at 21-5 behind 10 points apiece for Lauren Ziebart and Oakley. Oakley hauled in 10 rebounds as well.
The Raiders fall to 20-5. Smart was the lone Lyman player in double figures with 10 points. Mak Scott and Smart each had nine rebounds.
Parkston 6 17 29 38
Lyman 4 14 28 35
Parkston (21-5): Lauren Ziebart 4 1-1 10, Berkley Ziebart 2 4-4 8, Keeara Oakley 4 2-4 10, Morgan Maxwell 0 2-4 2, Mya Thuringer 2 4-8 8. Totals: 12 13-21 38.
Lyman (20-5): Bree Smart 5 0-2 10, Jordyn Scott 4 1-2 9, Mak Scott 2 4-6 8, Brooke Palmer 2 1-4 6, Brooke Montgomery 1 0-0 2. Totals: 14 6-14 35.
FG: P – 12/42 29%; L – 14/37 38%. 3-pt FG: P – 1/14 (LZiebart); L – 1/7 (Palmer). Rebounds: P 26 (Oakley 10), L 26 (Smart, MScott 9). Assists: P 4 (BZiebart, Thuringer 2), L 2. Steals: P 5 (Oakley 2), L 5 (JScott 2). Turnovers: P 11, L 16. Fouls: P 9, L 17.
Ranchers pull away in second half for seventh
HURON The Harding County Ranchers used a 15-8 third quarter to take a firm lead and ran that lead out to double-digits in the fourth quarter before closing out a 48-39 victory over the Deubrook Area Dolphins for seventh place in the Class B girls tournament at Huron Arena Saturday.
Kaylyn Padden took the pass on a transition drive by the Ranchers and went in from the left side for the first score of the game. Kylee Johnson then got one of two free throws for Deubrook on the ensuing possession, and she then drove into the lane for a bucket for the Dophins first lead of the game. The teams traded buckets and the Dolphins held a 7-6 lead at the first media timeout.
The back-and-forth nature of the first quarter continued throughout, with Harding County holding a one-point edge as the buzzer sounded, 16-15.
Defense focus was the name of the game to open the second quarter, meaning just one basket fell through before the second quarter media break, with the Ranchers holding an 18-15 lead.
From that point, the two teams stayed right at that three-point margin until a putback basket by Brayden Padden gave Harding County a 25-20 margin at half.
Kaylen Padden opened second half scoring with a three for the Ranchers, but Matte Bauman responded right back with a long ball for the Dolphins. After a bucket inside by Harding County, Johnson streaked toward the lane and got a hoop and harm to bring the Dolphins within 30-25.
A pair of sharp passes led to easy baskets underneath for Harding County, pushing the lead out and a wing three by Raelee Hunsucker put the Ranchers up 37-26 and drew a Deubrook timeout. Kamryn Padden hit a three from the top of the key to push that lead out to 40-26.
A pair of Deubrook free throws made it 40-28 heading into the final frame.
Missed shots by the Dolphins were exchanged with long possessions that led to short buckets for the Ranchers, and both teams emptied their benches with roughly three minutes remaining in the game. Harding County finished out a 48-39 victory.
The Ranchers finish the tourney with a 22-2 record behind 13 points from Bailey Verhulst and 11 points from Brayden Padden.
The Dolphins got 11 points and 10 rebounds from Johnson. Matte Bauman hit for 10 points for Deubrook Area, who finishes the season at 18-8.
Deubrook Area 15 20 28 39
Harding County 16 25 40 48
Deubrook Area (18-8): Neely Gustad 1 0-0 2, Matte Bauman 3 1-2 10, Kylee Johnson 4 3-5 11, Mataya Gouws 2 2-4 6, Zoey Molengraaf 1 0-0 2, Carly Engelstad 0 0-2 0, Clare Jorenby 1 0-0 3, Peyton Trooien 1 0-0 2, Kiana Schmit 1 0-0 3. Totals: 14 6-13 39.
Harding County (22-2): Kelsi Costello 1 0-0 2, Macey Wendt 1 0-0 3, Bailey Verhulst 6 0-0 13, Kaylen Padden 3 0-0 7, Brayden Padden 5 1-2 11, Kamry Padden 2 0-0 6, Raelee Hunsucker 2 0-0 6. Totals: 20 1-2 48.
FG: DA – 14/40 35%; HC – 20/54 37%. 3-pt FG: DA – 5/17 (Bauman 3, Jorenby, Schmit); HC – 7/21 (KmPadden 2, Hunsucker 2, Wendt, Verhulst, KlPadden). Rebounds: DA 32 (Johnson 10), HC 27 (KlPadden, KmPadden 7). Assists: DA 7 (Bauman 3), HC 10 (Costello 3). Steals: DA 4 (Gouws 2), HC 10 (Three with 2). Turnovers: DA 20, HC 13. Fouls: DA 5, HC 16.
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