HILL CITY, SD – The Sturgis Scooper girls had a six point lead with just two minutes left and lost a heartbreaker in the final seconds to the Hill City Rangers, 41-39 in the first game of a doubleheader at Coach Gins Court.
Sturgis was down 23-20 at the half and outscored Hill City 9-5 in the third to take a 31-28 into the fourth quarter. The Scoopers led 39-33 until the Rangers used full-court pressure to force Scooper turnovers, turning them into points. Ranger guard Anna Dean took a Scooper turnover down the court with four seconds left, converting a layup as time expired to get the win for Hill City. The Rangers used an 8-0 run in the final two minutes to secure the victory.
Cali Ewing scored 15 for Sturgis (1-9). Landry Haugen added eight points and four rebounds. The Scoopers shot 32% from the field and 6-of-11 from the charity stripe for 54% Sturgis had 27 turnovers and 22 rebounds.
Maggie Taylor tallied 15 points and nine boards for Hill City (4-7), with Lillie Ross chipping in 14. The Rangers shot 30% from the field and 13-of-22 from the free throw line for 59%. Hill City had 28 turnovers and 24 rebounds.
Sawyer Dennis
The Scooper boys lost a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter but held on to defeat the Rangers, 52-45.
Jake Vliem used his size advantage in the post to score 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the first half as Sturgis jumped out to a 22-16 lead at the intermission.
The Scoopers built a 41-26 lead early in the final quarter but got sloppy, allowing the Rangers to fight their way back with a 19-6 run. Hill City trailed 47-45 with under a minute left, but Dysen Peterson drilled four-of-four free throws late to give Sturgis the win.
Ryan Heinert poured in 16 points and snagged eight boards for the Scoopers, who improved to 4-5 on the season. Vliem finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Sturgis was 22-of-45 from the field for 48% and 8-of-9 from the free throw line for 88%. The Scoopers committed 22 turnovers and had 29 rebounds.
Hill City (6-4) was led by Alex Stoeckmann with 22 points, including five three-pointers. The Rangers were 15-of-44 from the field for 34% and 11-of-13 from the charity stripe for 84%. Hill City had 17 turnovers and 16 rebounds.
Jake Vliem
UP NEXT: The Scooper girls travel to St. Thomas More on Thursday and the boys host St. Thomas More on Tuesday at West Gym.
