by Benjamin Chase
of the Plainsman
SPEARFISH –– The Huron Tigers held the Spearfish Spartans scoreless in the third quarter to take the lead and then held on as the Spartans attempted a late comeback to claim a 46-38 victory Friday in Spearfish.
Before the game even started, Mason Southern sank a pair of free throws due to a technical foul from a pregame dunk by the Tigers. Huron would get a pull-up jumper from Blake Ellwein to tie the game at two.
Cooper Gibbs would hit a kick-out wing three, and Southern got a steal and layup to push the lead out to 7-2 for Spearfish.
Blake drove baseline and had a dunk, then was set up for a dunk again on the next possession, but he was fouled and hit both free throws, bringing Huron within 7-6.
Kade Vavruska squared up for a three. Davis Chase got a lob from James Shoultz Jr. and converted, along with a free throw, to get within 10-9.
As time ticked off in the first quarter, Kamren Davis hit a three to close out the first quarter with the Spartans up, 13-9.
Anderson Porisch got the ball after a Shoultz steal and scored, but Gibbs sank a jumper in the lane in response.
Chase made a post move into the lane for two, and Blake tied the game at 15 with a pair of free throws.
Karsen Seyer came off the bench and nailed a step-back three. Carter Porisch was fouled and hit a pair of free throws, but Spearfish got an offensive board and found Gibbs for a three to make it 21-17.
Blake would get a steal and a dunk, but the Spartans got another three from Seyer to take it to half with a 24-19 lead.
Huron’s defense dominated the third quarter. Chase hit one of two free throws and then got a basket on a baseline drive. Blake Ellwein made a post move to tie the score at 24.
Blake then found Shoultz on a backdoor cut on back-to-back possessions. Ellwein hit one of two free throws to make it 29-24.
Mason Jurgens swished a corner three, and Blake Ellwein closed out the third quarter with three free throws to send the game to the final period with a 35-24 Huron lead.
After not scoring at all in the third quarter, Spearfish got the first two baskets of the fourth as Vavruska and Southern both scored on drives.
Chase got a basket after a steal, but he could not convert the and-one. Blake Ellwein then sank two free throws to make it a 39-28 Huron lead.
Davis hit a corner three and scored on a drive on back-to-back possessions to cut the lead to six, 39-33.
After a long time without a field goal, Ellwein drove through the Spartan defense for a layup. Southern drove through the lane for a basket with his left hand to make it 41-35 with 52 seconds remaining.
After Ellwein hit one of two free throws, the Spartans chewed up 15 seconds of clock before Southern hit a three to make it 42-38 with just shy of 19 seconds remaining in the game.
Anderson Porisch hit a pair of free throws and then Shoultz got a big steal as the Spartans attempted to come back, and he finished with a layup to give Huron a 46-38 victory.
Huron picks up its tenth win of the season, moving to 10-4. Ellwein had 21 points. Chase finished with 10.
Spearfish dropped their second straight game after opening the season 10-0. Southern was the lone Spartan in double figures, scoring 11. Davis and Gibbs each had eight points.
The teams split lower-level action, with Huron winning the JV game, 56-47. Spearfish won the sophomore game, 50-43
Huron coach Tim Buddenhagen was very pleased with how his team responded at halftime.
“Good defense leads to our offense. I can’t say enough about our kids,” he expressed. “It’s a great win for us.”
Huron 9 19 35 46
Spearfish 13 24 24 38
Huron (10-4): James Shoultz Jr 3 0-0 6, Mason Jurgens 1 0-0 3, Blake Ellwein 5 11-14 21, Anderson Porisch 1 2-4 4, Davis Chase 4 2-6 10, Carter Porisch 0 2-2 2. Totals: 14 17-26 46.
Spearfish (10-2): Kamren Davis 3 0-0 8, Mason Southern 4 2-3 11, Karsen Seyer 2 0-0 6, Kade Vavruska 2 0-0 5, Cooper Gibbs 3 0-0 8. Totals: 14 2-3 38.
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