STURGIS, SD – The Sturgis Scooper girls wrapped up their 2023-2024 basketball season with a 50-30 loss to the Yankton Gazelles on Saturday afternoon at West Gym, while the Scooper boys held off a surging Yankton Bucks squad with a 65-58 victory.
The Scooper girls fell behind 26-11 at the half as Yankton freshman point guard Eden Wolfgram splashed in two three pointers and eight points to lead the Gazelles through the first two quarters. Sturgis could only manage six points in the third quarter and Yankton led 37-17 headed in to the fourth. Both teams brought in reserves and the Gazelles kept their 20-point lead and defeated the Scoopers, 50-30.
Sturgis finished the season with a 4-16 record and were led by Addy Kossler with eight points. Tori Williams added four points and eight rebounds. The Scoopers shot 23% from the field and 50% from the free throw line. Sturgis committed 18 turnovers and grabbed 30 rebounds.
Yankton improved to 5-15 behind Claire Tereshinski’s 15 points. Wolfgram chipped in 11 points and four rebounds. The Gazelles shot 39% from the field and 75% from the charity stripe. Yankton had five turnovers and 19 rebounds.
The boys contest was tight, as Sturgis and Yankton traded leads throughout the first half. The Scoopers led 32-29 at intermission.
The Bucks chipped away at the Sturgis lead, outscoring the Scoopers 20-19 in the third quarter. Ryan Heinert took over in the fourth quarter, scoring eight of the Scoopers 14 points to lead Sturgis to a 65-58 win. The victory was important for the Scoopers as they were hoping to hold on the #15 position in seed points for the SoDak 16 playoffs.
Sturgis (8-12) shot 53% from the field and 68% from the stripe. Heinert finished with 27 points and six rebounds for the Scoopers. Carter Williams added 12 points and three boards. Sturgis committed 16 turnovers and snared 19 rebounds.
Yankton dropped to 3-17 on the season and were paced by Tucker Gilmore with 21 points. The Bucks shot 45% from the field and were 88% from the free throw line. Yankton had 13 turnovers and secured 20 rebounds. The Bucks are sitting at #16 in the SoDak 16 rankings, just fractions ahead of the Douglas Patriots. The final SoDak 16 seed points will be released by the South Dakota High School Activities Association on Monday.
