by Benjamin Chase
of the Plainsman
SIOUX FALLS –– The Mitchell Kernels jumped out early and never looked back to earn their seventh straight victory, 56-37, over the Huron Tigers at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
The game could not have started worse for the Tigers. Mitchell sophomore guard Londyn Hajek scored on a backdoor cut on the first possession of the game, and the Kernels would score their first four possessions to jump out to a 9-0 lead.
Hylton Heinz got Huron on the board with a drive through the Mitchell defense. After roughly two minutes of scoreless time for both teams, Heinz drove down the left side to get Huron within 9-4.
Eighth-grader CeCe Morgan made a quick post move for two, and Chloe Carr got one of two free throws for the Tigers.
The Kernels were then able to get a five-point possession, as Mia Larson nailed a three and Addie Siemsen was fouled after the play. After Siemsen sank both free throws, the Kernels took a 16-5 lead to the second quarter.
Londyn Schroeder came off the bench and opened the quarter with a free throw and then nailed a three. After a runner by Siemsen, Mitchell had a 22-7 lead.
Heinz hit a pull-up jumper, Hajek answered with a three, and Heinz then got one of two free throws.
Siemsen and Heinz exchanged buckets, then 6-foot-2 Morgan stepped back for three to make it 30-10.
Huron would close the first half with a bucket by Jayla Schley and a layup by Heinz after a steal to cut the lead to 30-14 at half.
Aly Davis got a transition basket to open the second half, but Siemsen answered with a three. Heinz got a floater in the lane, but Siemsen got another three to make it 36-18 Mitchell.
Morgan and Abagail Harrington exchanged baskets, then Mia Larson nailed a straightaway three to give Mitchell a 41-20 lead.
Heinz got into the defense the next two possessions and then found Addyson Knight on a cut through the lane as Huron had a quick 6-0 run to get within 41-26.
Morgan got a basket in transition, Carr sank one of two free throws, and Larson closed out the third frame with a three to give Mitchell a 46-27 edge going into the final period.
The Tigers were not able to make a dent in the Mitchell lead in the final quarter, and the Kernels came away with a 56-37 victory.
Mitchell moves to 8-3 with three girls in double-figure scoring, led by Siemsen with 15. Morgan added 13 points, and Larson had 12 on four three-point baskets.
Huron falls to 5-6. Heinz led the Tigers with a game-high 23 points.
Huron coach Kody Kopfmann was surprised at his team’s low-energy effort in a rivalry game.
“I thought that we started extremely slow. They got fast break layups out of that,” Kopfmann lamented. “We didn’t execute defensively and keep them off the offensive boards.”
He concluded, “They came out and took it from us tonight.”
Huron edged Mitchell in the junior varsity game, 30-29.
Mitchell 16 30 46 56
Huron 5 14 27 37
Mitchell (8-3): Londyn Hajek 4 0-0 9, Mia Larson 4 0-0 12, Londyn Schroeder 1 1-2 4, Nia Talley 1 0-0 2, Addie Siemsen 5 2-2 15, Rylee Jennings 0 0-2 0, CeCe Morgan 6 0-0 14. Totals: 21 3-6 56.
Huron (5-6): Addyson Knight 1 0-0 2, Aly Davis 3 0-2 6, Hylton Heinz 9 3-4 23, Abagail Harrington 1 0-0 2, Chloe Carr 0 2-4 2, Jayla Schley 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 5-10 37.
Leave a Reply