STURGIS, S.D. — Rapid City Central made it rain from three-point range on Saturday afternoon at West Gymnasium, downing the Sturgis Scoopers 73-40 in a Class AA matchup.
It was Senior Recognition Day, with the Scooper faithful honoring senior players Payton Hedderman, Elizabeth Ortiz, Makayla Keffeler, Trinity Legner, Megan Petrocco and student manager Paige Bradley.
The Cobblers and Scoopers faced each other for the second time this season, with Central taking the first meeting 48-38 in Rapid City. This Cobbler squad had a different look, with two recent transfers from the Red Cloud Lady Crusaders joining Rapid City last week, midway through the season. Juniors Allison Richards and Sadie Glade hadn’t had the chance to play any basketball for the Lady Crusaders this season due to COVID-19 restrictions on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Cobbler senior Jordon Heckert came out in the first quarter on fire, making five of seven shots including two three pointers, and Central led Sturgis 16-11 at the end of the stanza.
Central’s hot shooting continued in the second quarter, with Glade dropping in three three’s and teammate McKadyn Chasing Hawk contributing two three’s of her own. The Cobblers outscored Sturgis 24-6 in the second quarter and led 40-17 at the half.
“We were only down by five headed into the second quarter, but they just kept hitting, hitting and hitting shots,” said Scooper head coach Jordan Proefrock. “We just couldn’t get the monkey off our backs, and when another team shoots that well, it’s hard to find anything that works defensively.”
Proefrock made several adjustments at halftime to slow down the Cobbler offense. No adjustment seemed to work as Central made six of 11 shots in the third quarter, including three more three pointers, and led 57-22 headed into the fourth.
“When a team makes that many three’s, it’s hard to come back,” said Proefrock. “On our side, we weren’t happy with our defensive effort….but we’ve done a lot of good things all season and we need to learn from this, pick ourselves apart and get better.”
Scooper senior Payton Hedderman came off the bench in the fourth and lit a spark under the Sturgis offense. Hedderman made four of five shots in the quarter, helping the Scoopers outscore the Cobblers 18-16 in the fourth, but Central’s big lead allowed them to cruise to a 73-40 win.
Heckert led all scorers with 18 points for Central (5-4), with recent Red Cloud transfers Richards and Glade tossing in 17 and 11 points, respectively. The Cobblers were 27 of 54 on field goals for 50% and six of seven from the charity stripe for 85%. The Cobblers had 15 turnovers and 30 rebounds, including eight offensive boards. Rapid City Central had 13 three pointers in the game and snapped Sturgis’ three game winning streak.
The Scoopers (4-5), were led by Hedderman with 10 points, including two three pointers. Reese Ludwick added eight points. The Scoopers were 14 of 52 from the field for 26% and six of 14 from the free throw line for 42%. Sturgis ended up with 21 turnovers and 27 rebounds, including 13 offensive. Hedderman earned the Kwik Mart-Sturgis Subs Player of the Week award for her efforts.
“The coolest thing about (Hedderman) is that for the last four years, she’s played a role,” Proefrock said. “That kid has been gritty for four years and she’s been a great teammate. Today was a good day for her, and I’m so happy for her.”
The Scooper girls host the Spearfish Spartans at West Gym and the Sturgis boys will travel to Spearfish on Tuesday. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 7pm.
