BOX ELDER, SD – The Sturgis Scooper girls basketball team earned their first victory of the 2023-2024 season against the Douglas Patriots, while the Scooper boys squad couldn’t contain the Patriots, who exploded in the fourth quarter to defeat Sturgis.
The Scooper girls led Douglas the entire game, jumping out to an 8-7 lead after one quarter and 22-17 at the half behind seven points from senior forward Hannah Killinger. Sturgis extended their lead to six points after three quarters, 30-24 as sophomore guard Tori Williams nailed a three pointer and Killinger chipped in three free throws. The Scoopers outscored Douglas 12-9 in the final quarter to get the 42-33 win.
Killinger led Sturgis (1-2) with 12 points and eight rebounds. Averleigh Long scored nine points and Williams added eight points and nine boards. The Scoopers shot 27% from the field and 38% from the free throw line, making 10 of 26 charity tosses. Sturgis had 11 turnovers and 31 rebounds.
Sophomore center Chloe Shreve led the Patriots with 21 points and nine rebounds. Douglas (1-6) shot 27% from the field and 52% from the charity stripe, with 17 turnovers and 27 rebounds.
The boys game was a back and forth, evenly matched affair through three quarters. Douglas took a 25-24 lead into the locker room at the half as Caden Walters hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Patriots a one-point lead going into intermission. The Scoopers outscored Douglas 14-11 in the third quarter to take a 38-36 lead into the fourth.
The final stanza was the Ryan Heinert – Jason Fisher show, as the opposing players traded buckets throughout the fourth quarter. Heinert dropped in 16 points for the Scoopers in the quarter, but Fisher tallied 18 and the Patriots as a team outscored Sturgis 29-18 in the fourth to earn the 65-56 win.
Fisher finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots for Douglas. The Patriots shot 50% from the field, 71% from the free throw line, collected 33 rebounds and had 20 turnovers. Douglas enjoyed their first win of the season, improving to 1-5.
Heinert poured in 31 points for Sturgis, shooting 13 of 23 from the field for the game. The Scoopers shot 38% from the field, 100% from the charity stripe, committed 15 turnovers and had 19 rebounds. The Scoopers drop to 0-3 on the season.
The Scooper girls and boys basketball teams are in action next on Tuesday, Jan. 2 as they host the Custer Wildcats at West Gym. Girls varsity tipoff is scheduled for 4pm.
