RAPID CITY, S.D. — The Sturgis Scooper girls and boys basketball teams traveled to Naasz Gym in Rapid City to take on the Rapid City Central Cobblers on Tuesday night and returned home with two losses.
The Cobbler girls got all they could handle with Scoopers, holding on for a 48-38 win. The Rapid City Central boys ran out to an early lead in the first quarter and cruised to a 70-31 victory.
The Central girls led 14-6 after one quarter, led by senior standout Jordon Heckert with 10 points. The Cobblers took a 22-15 lead into the locker room at the half.
The Scoopers outscored Central 10-7 in the third quarter and were within two points late in the quarter behind a three-pointer by junior post player Reese Ludwick. The Cobblers went on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 36-25 early in the fourth before Sturgis went on a run of their own to cut the Central lead to six midway through the quarter. But that’s as close as the Scoopers could get as the Cobblers pulled away, using a full-court press to force some Sturgis turnovers and securing the 48-38 win.
Heckert scored 11 of her 24 points in the second half. Heckert was deadly from the free throw line, dropping in 12 of 14 charity tosses and snaring 11 rebounds to lead Central to their third win of this young season. Josie Hill chipped in seven points and nine boards. Tatum Lightenberg led the Scoopers (1-4), making two three-pointers and scoring 12 points. Kaylee Whatley added nine points and eight rebounds.
The Rapid City Central boys entered the game against the winless Sturgis squad with wins over Douglas and Huron and a loss to Mitchell. The Cobblers jumped out to a 6-0 lead early in the first quarter and led 18-7 after one and extended their lead to 31-18 at the half. Senior forward Kohl Meisman scored 13 points in the first half for Central, including two dunks.
The Cobblers started the second half with eight straight points and led 39-18 before Scooper forward Dysen Peterson converted a three-point play to stop the Cobbler run. Central led 44-25 after three quarters and outscored the Scoopers 26-6 in the fourth to secure the 70-31 win.
Micah Swallow led Central (3-1), with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Meisman added 19 points and five boards. Peterson was the leading scorer for the Scoopers (0-4), dropping in 10 points. Owen Cass chipped in seven points and seven rebounds.
The Scooper girls and boys are on the holiday break until they travel to Lead-Deadwood on Jan. 2.
