SIOUX FALLS – The final two unbeaten teams in South Dakota high school basketball will meet for the Class A State Girls’ Basketball Tournament title tonight at 5 at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
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SIOUX FALLS – The final two unbeaten teams in South Dakota high school basketball will meet for the Class A State Girls’ Basketball Tournament title tonight at 5 at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
Top-seeded West Central (24-0) edged Lennox 44-41 and No. 2 Winner beat McCook Central/Montrose 66-44 in the semifinals Friday evening.
The Trojans won their first two state tourney games by a combined seven points after sneaking past 16th-seeded Crow Creek 44-41 in the SoDak 16.
The Warriors, who had one regular-season game canceled, also survived with a four-point quarterfinal win Thursday.
The Orioles (20-4) and Fighting Cougars (19-5) play for third place at 1:30 p.m.
• West Central 44, Lennox 41
The Trojans led for the entire second half, holding on down the stretch to reach the final.
Lennox was up 9-8 after a quarter. West Central moved ahead 22-19 at halftime and led 38-33 at the end of three.
The Orioles twice pulled within a point following Madysen Valstuin buckets in the fourth, the latter coming at 42-41 with 1:57 to play.
Lennox twice had the ball after that but turned it over, before Rachel Eickman’s free throws with 37 seconds left put West Central ahead 44-41. The Orioles missed a pair of 3-point attempts to tie down the stretch.
Megan Madsen had 12 points and six rebounds for the Trojans.
Kali Nelson added nine points, Eickman eight and Cassidy Siemonsma six.
Vlastuin posted a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds for Lennox. Riley Peters added 13 markers.
• Winner 66, McCook Central/Montrose 44
The Warriors led 14-13 after a quarter, 29-23 at halftime and 51-37 through three. They attempted more than twice as many shots as the Fighting Cougars.
Winner finished at 35.6 percent (26-of-73) from the field but committed just two turnovers and had 18 offensive rebounds.
MCM shot 50 percent (18-of-36) but turned it over 24 times – 14 of which came on steals.
The Warriors’ Bella Swedlund scored 19 points and Morgan Hammerbeck added 16 – both went 7-of-21 from the field. Kalla Bertram contributed 15 points and seven boards off the bench.
The Fighting Cougars got 11 points apiece from Jacy Pulse and Morgan Erikson. Pulse dished out seven assists but committed eight turnovers. Abigail Van Ruler scored nine points and blocked six shots.
• St. Thomas More 58, Mt. Vernon/Plankinton 38
Haleigh Timmer posted a big double-double as the Cavaliers bounced back from a rough quarterfinal outing.
She scored 28 points on 13-of-21 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Skylar Sullivan added 11 points.
STM was up 21-8 after a quarter, 35-19 at halftime and 50-30 through three.
The Titans’ Katlyn Briggs had 16 points and Emilee Fox 10.
• Todd County 62, Aberdeen Roncalli 52
Kelsie Herman (29) and Raven Cournoyer (20) combined for 49 points to lead the Lady Falcons.
Todd County shot 45.1 percent (23-of-51) and forced 25 turnovers – 15 of which came on steals.
Roncalli led 16-14 after a quarter and the score was 29-29 at halftime. The Lady Falcons were up 45-38 heading to the fourth.
The Lady Cavaliers’ Mariah Winegar posted a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds. Megan Streier had 16 points and Jami Ewart 11.
