Defensive effort helps Huron get past Scoopers

HURON — The Huron Tigers used a pair of offensive runs - one in each half - and stifling defense in the second half to shut down the Sturgis Brown Scoopers 49-39 Saturday afternoon at Huron Arena.
Saturday’s win, coupled with Huron’s win over Spearfish on Friday night, completed the weekend sweep for the Tigers and pushed their season record to 7-9, while Sturgis falls to 11-4 with the loss.
The Tigers showed their defensive teeth from the start, forcing the Scoopers into a shot-clock violation on the visitors’ first possession. Sturgis did get on the board first, one minute into the game as Ryan Garland hit a short jumper. Huron tied it up seconds later as Tanner Evers hit the first two of his game-high 15 points on a putback of his own miss. Two more traded baskets made it 4-4, when Huron went on its first run of the day. Kobe Busch hit three-point field goals on three consecutive possessions for the Tigers and fired a sweet pass to a cutting Sean Flanery, who completed the traditional three-point play to make it 16-7. A three-pointer from Connor Crane carved the lead to six at the break.
But the Tiger offense that was revved up in the first quarter began to sputter in the second, as Huron scored just eight points in the period - six from Evers and a putback from Busch.
Sturgis, on the other hand, found the range from behind the arc, connecting on four three-pointers in the quarter - two from Dawson Geuke on back-to-back possessions and also got a nifty bucket inside from Jay Krull off an assist from Geuke, to stake themselves to a 26-24 lead at the break.
As he left the floor at the end of the half, Tiger coach Tim Buddenhagen gave those in earshot a glimpse of his second-half strategy: “They better not get any more threes,” the Huron mentor said.
While the Tiger “D” didn’t completely shut down the Scoopers outside game - Geuke hit a pair of bombs in the fourth quarter - the Huron defense did hold Sturgis to only two points in the third quarter and a total of 13 in the second half.
“Defensively, I was happy with the way we played overall,” Buddenhagen said after the game. “I thought in the second half particularly, we were causing them to work really hard and take up most of their shot clock to get any sort of look.”
The Scoopers actually scored the first two points of the second half, as Geuke found Krull inside again, but there were no more tallies added to the Sturgis side of the board for the remainder of the quarter.
Tanner Evers got Huron’s first bucket, inside the five-minute mark in the quarter, then younger brother Teegan Evers stepped in front of a Sturgis pass and took it coast-to-coast for an easy layin.
The play ignited the Tigers, as they forced a second shot-clock violation on the next Scooper possession, then began a 7-0 run over the final two minutes of the quarter.

Tanner Evers hit a free throw, and then Huron turned defensive pressure into offensive points on three straight possessions.
“When we got out to guard their shooters, now those missed shots are long rebounds,” Buddenhagen said, “and we can get out and run.”
Three times down the court, with an open floor in front of him and cutting teammates, Busch found those teammates with passes that led to layups.
Alex Hill got open twice and then Dawson Diede cut down the lane for a layup that Busch put right on his fingertips at the buzzer, pushing Huron to a 35-28 lead after three quarters.
Geuke cut the lead to four with a three-pointer, but Busch found a streaking McGirr on the left side of the floor for a layin. The teams traded baskets and free throws the remainder of the game, as Sturgis struggled to cut into the lead and Huron was more than happy to run its offense, use some clock and get good looks at the basket.
In addition to Tanner Evers’ 15 points, Busch scored 13 and handed out six dimes in the game. Teegan Evers had 10 rebounds, while both McGirr and Busch claimed nine caroms.
Geuke was the lone Scooper in double figures with 13 points, hitting four of seven from behind the arc, while Nick Anderson led Sturgis with five rebounds.
Huron controlled the boards on both ends of the floor, outrebounding the Scoopers 44-21. The Tigers had 12 offensive rebounds, nearly matching the 17 defensive rebounds hauled down by Sturgis.
“We played well,” Buddenhagen said after the game. “We had too many turnovers - and unforced turnovers - than we should have, but again we got really good contributions from everyone off the bench tonight. Alex, (Hill), Dawson (Diede), Sean (Flanery) all came in and gave us good minutes and scored when they got the opportunity. Every possession is important for us, so to get production of the bench is important.”
In preliminary action, the Tiger JV team earned a 65-43 win over Sturgis, behind a 27-point, nine-rebound performance from Nathan Boehrns. Blake Cruse added eight boards for the JVs.
The Tiger Sophomore team also won, downing Sturgis 63-45. Jaren Schley scored 17 points and Boehrns had five rebounds.
Huron is back in action on Tuesday, when it travels to Pierre to battle the Governors. Huron took a 47-46 win over Pierre back in December.

Sturgis     10 26 28 39
Huron     16 24 35 49
Sturgis (11-4): Dawson Geuke 4 1-5 13; Ryan Garland 2 2-3 7; Nick Anderson 3 2-4 8; Connor Crane 2 1-2 7; Jay Krull 2 0-0 4. Totals: 13 6-14 39.
Huron (7-9): Jett McGirr 2 0-0 4; Tanner Evers 7 1-2 15; Teegan Evers 2 0-0 4; Kobe Busch 5 0-0 13; Isaac Carr 2 0-0 4; Sean Flanery 1 1-1 3; Dawson Diede 1 0-0 2; Alex Hill 2 0-0 4. Totals: 22 2-3 49.
FG: S - 13-43 30%; H - 22-51 43%. 3pt FG: S - 7-21 (Gueke 4, Crane 2, Garland); H - 3-10 (Busch 3). Rebounds: S - 21 (Anderson 5); H - 44 (Teegan Evers 10, McGirr 9, Busch 9). Turnovers: S - 7; H - 12. Assists: S - 7 (Cedrick Stabber 3); H - 8 (Busch 6). Fouls: S - 10; H - 16.

PHOTOS BY MIKE CARROLL/PLAINSMAN
Huron’s Teegan Evers puts up a shot against Connor Crane of Sturgis during their game Saturday at Huron Arena. Huron’s Jett McGirr drives against Dawson Gauke of Sturgis during the second half of their game Saturday at Huron Arena.