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Mar. 14—RAPID CITY — The Mitchell High School girls basketball team was ready for another clash with Pierre in the state tournament on Friday.
Strong performances from the Kernels' leading scoring duo proved to be the difference of the game.
Behind a combined 31 points from Addie Siemsen and Londyn Hajek — the No. 1 and No. 2 Kernel scorers heading into the state tournament — sixth-seeded Mitchell came away with a 48-38 victory over the seventh-seeded Governors in the Class AA state consolation round at the Summit Arena, advancing to the fifth-place game for the third-consecutive season.
Before the game, the players made a point of talking about the Kernels' comeback attempt that fell short in the teams' first meeting on Feb. 21, a 48-47 Pierre victory, a game head coach Dave Brooks said fueled their effort on the floor in the tournament.
"We had a tough loss in Pierre, so we really didn't need to bring that up," Brooks said, "But the kids talked about it anyway. We kind of got the ship righted and the kids worked hard the whole game."
Unlike the first matchup on Feb. 21, both teams were scoreless for nearly the first three minutes of the game before Lennix DuPris found the basket for the first points, only for CeCe Morgan to immediately answer back with Mitchell's first points.
The Kernels battled for rebounds throughout the opening half, owning an 11-5 advantage on the offensive glass but were unable to take advantage of second-chance opportunities. However, Hajek started the second quarter with six consecutive points, infusing energy into the rest of the team.
"That's when we're at our best," said Hajek, who finished 7-of-11 from the field en route to 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds. "Getting those hustle plays hypes everyone else up.
Pierre, which largely stayed close in the first half due to a 50% shooting percentage from the 3-point line, went 1-of-13 from behind the arc in the second half after Mitchell (15-8) put Carsyn Weich against top shooter Emery Larson on defense. Weich's layups in the paint extended the Kernels' lead to eight points midway through the third quarter.
Siemsen's 3-pointer in the fourth quarter extended the lead to 12 points with two minutes left in the game, finishing with 17 points on 4-of-6 shooting behind the arc, as Mitchell shot 40.9% as a team in the win. Weich finished with seven points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Morgan put up six points off the bench. It was a worthwhile bounce back for the Kernels, who dropped Thursday night's quarterfinal contest to Sioux Falls Washington 55-38.
Pierre (13-10) had 12 points from Larson on four 3-pointers and 11 points from Gracelyn Taylor. DuPris finished with eight points, four rebounds and four assists, and Addison Soma had five points and a team-best six rebounds. The Governors play Sioux Falls Jefferson for seventh place at 1 p.m. Central on Saturday, March 15.
Mitchell faces off against Spearfish in the consolation championship game at 2:45 p.m. Central on Saturday at the Summit Arena. Spearfish came back to top the Kernels 54-49 after being down by 18 points on Feb. 8. After two consecutive sixth-place finishes, the Kernels look to keep up the intensity through all 32 minutes.
"We need to keep our intensity up and not back down like we did the first time," Siemsen said, "and not let their defensive pressure affect our game and just play our own game."
"The big thing is if we're able to get to that level where you don't feel fatigued," Brooks added, "You get into the game and you're just playing basketball. We'll see how mentally tough we are."
Mitchell 48, Pierre 38
Mitchell (15-8): Londyn Hajek 7-11 0-1 14 Lauren Van Overschelde 0-3 0-0 0 Carsyn Weich 3-5 0-0 7 Addie Siemsen 5-9 3-3 17 Kenzie Peterson 0-4 0-0 0 Londyn Schroeder 1-2 0-0 3 Matteah Graves 0-4 1-2 1 CeCe Morgan 2-6 2-4 6. Totals: 18-44 6-10 48.
Pierre (13-10): Lennix DuPris 2-10 4-4 8 Emery Larson 4-11 0-0 12 Gracelyn Taylor 4-7 0-0 11 Grace Richter 0-6 2-8 2 Addison Soma 1-3 3-4 5 Jasmine Jost 0-0 0-0 0 Molly Olson 0-6 0-0 0. Totals: 11-43 9-16 38.
MHS 8 23 33 48
PTF 11 20 29 38
3-pointers: MHS 6-16 (Hajek 0-3, Van Overschelde 0-1, Weich 1-2, Siemsen 4-6, Peterson 0-1, Schroeder 1-2, Graves 0-1), P 7-25 (DuPris 0-6, Larson 4-10, Taylor 3-5, Olson 0-4). Rebounds: MHS 38 (Hajek 9, Weich 8), P 25 (Richter 6, Soma 6). Assists: MHS 10 (Weich 6), P 8 (DuPris 4). Steals: MHS 7 (Hajek 2, Siemsen 2), P 10 (Taylor 3).
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Strong performances from the Kernels' leading scoring duo proved to be the difference of the game.
Behind a combined 31 points from Addie Siemsen and Londyn Hajek — the No. 1 and No. 2 Kernel scorers heading into the state tournament — sixth-seeded Mitchell came away with a 48-38 victory over the seventh-seeded Governors in the Class AA state consolation round at the Summit Arena, advancing to the fifth-place game for the third-consecutive season.
Before the game, the players made a point of talking about the Kernels' comeback attempt that fell short in the teams' first meeting on Feb. 21, a 48-47 Pierre victory, a game head coach Dave Brooks said fueled their effort on the floor in the tournament.
"We had a tough loss in Pierre, so we really didn't need to bring that up," Brooks said, "But the kids talked about it anyway. We kind of got the ship righted and the kids worked hard the whole game."
Unlike the first matchup on Feb. 21, both teams were scoreless for nearly the first three minutes of the game before Lennix DuPris found the basket for the first points, only for CeCe Morgan to immediately answer back with Mitchell's first points.
The Kernels battled for rebounds throughout the opening half, owning an 11-5 advantage on the offensive glass but were unable to take advantage of second-chance opportunities. However, Hajek started the second quarter with six consecutive points, infusing energy into the rest of the team.
"That's when we're at our best," said Hajek, who finished 7-of-11 from the field en route to 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds. "Getting those hustle plays hypes everyone else up.
Pierre, which largely stayed close in the first half due to a 50% shooting percentage from the 3-point line, went 1-of-13 from behind the arc in the second half after Mitchell (15-8) put Carsyn Weich against top shooter Emery Larson on defense. Weich's layups in the paint extended the Kernels' lead to eight points midway through the third quarter.
Siemsen's 3-pointer in the fourth quarter extended the lead to 12 points with two minutes left in the game, finishing with 17 points on 4-of-6 shooting behind the arc, as Mitchell shot 40.9% as a team in the win. Weich finished with seven points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Morgan put up six points off the bench. It was a worthwhile bounce back for the Kernels, who dropped Thursday night's quarterfinal contest to Sioux Falls Washington 55-38.
Pierre (13-10) had 12 points from Larson on four 3-pointers and 11 points from Gracelyn Taylor. DuPris finished with eight points, four rebounds and four assists, and Addison Soma had five points and a team-best six rebounds. The Governors play Sioux Falls Jefferson for seventh place at 1 p.m. Central on Saturday, March 15.
Mitchell faces off against Spearfish in the consolation championship game at 2:45 p.m. Central on Saturday at the Summit Arena. Spearfish came back to top the Kernels 54-49 after being down by 18 points on Feb. 8. After two consecutive sixth-place finishes, the Kernels look to keep up the intensity through all 32 minutes.
"We need to keep our intensity up and not back down like we did the first time," Siemsen said, "and not let their defensive pressure affect our game and just play our own game."
"The big thing is if we're able to get to that level where you don't feel fatigued," Brooks added, "You get into the game and you're just playing basketball. We'll see how mentally tough we are."
Mitchell 48, Pierre 38
Mitchell (15-8): Londyn Hajek 7-11 0-1 14 Lauren Van Overschelde 0-3 0-0 0 Carsyn Weich 3-5 0-0 7 Addie Siemsen 5-9 3-3 17 Kenzie Peterson 0-4 0-0 0 Londyn Schroeder 1-2 0-0 3 Matteah Graves 0-4 1-2 1 CeCe Morgan 2-6 2-4 6. Totals: 18-44 6-10 48.
Pierre (13-10): Lennix DuPris 2-10 4-4 8 Emery Larson 4-11 0-0 12 Gracelyn Taylor 4-7 0-0 11 Grace Richter 0-6 2-8 2 Addison Soma 1-3 3-4 5 Jasmine Jost 0-0 0-0 0 Molly Olson 0-6 0-0 0. Totals: 11-43 9-16 38.
MHS 8 23 33 48
PTF 11 20 29 38
3-pointers: MHS 6-16 (Hajek 0-3, Van Overschelde 0-1, Weich 1-2, Siemsen 4-6, Peterson 0-1, Schroeder 1-2, Graves 0-1), P 7-25 (DuPris 0-6, Larson 4-10, Taylor 3-5, Olson 0-4). Rebounds: MHS 38 (Hajek 9, Weich 8), P 25 (Richter 6, Soma 6). Assists: MHS 10 (Weich 6), P 8 (DuPris 4). Steals: MHS 7 (Hajek 2, Siemsen 2), P 10 (Taylor 3).
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