STURGIS, SD – The Sturgis Scooper boys drained six three-pointers and used physical, stifling defense to win their second game of the season on Tuesday night at West Gym, defeating the Hill City Rangers, 59-42.
It was Senior Night at West Gym, as the Scooper faithful honored players Konner Berndt, Ridge Inhofer, Carson Pankratz, Tanner Ortleib and foreign exchange student Jonas Perez, along with managers EmmaLeigh Cass and Torre Buus prior to the game at midcourt. Â
Sturgis led by as much as eight points late in the second quarter behind consecutive threes by Gavin Lightenberg, but Hill City kept it tight as the Scoopers led 28-22 at the half.
Scooper sophomore Tyan Buus got Sturgis going early with a quick three pointer to open up the third quarter and it was all Sturgis throughout the second half. The Scoopers outscored the Rangers 10-6 in the third and 20-14 in the final stanza to improve to 2-10 on the season with the 59-42 victory. Scooper head coach Derris Buus said it was a much needed win.
“Just for confidence,” Buus said. “Our players shot the ball well tonight. When you get eight guys scoring, and that’s what we need to do, it can really help you confidence-wise. I told the players that we just need to take one game at a time, we don’t need to look down the road, we need to take each game as it is and see what happens.”
Lightenberg had three three-pointers and scored 11 points for Sturgis, with Jake Vliem adding 10. Kobe Main, Erik Jorgenson and Alex Stoeckmann each had nine for Hill City (4-6).
The Scooper girls showcased their seniors prior to their matchup with Hill City on Senior Night. Senior players Lexi Long, Joellen Cano, Reece Ludwick, Kenna Goebel, Tatum Lightenberg and Kaylee Whatley were honored at midcourt with their families by their side. Also honored were managers Tacey Tieman, Reese Jensen, Sidney Peterson and Zoey Goebel.
The Scooper girls started strong and led Hill City 14-6 after the first quarter, but faltered midway through the game. The Rangers outscored Sturgis 32-10 in the second and the third and led 38-24 after three quarters on their way to a 52-43 win.
Whatley and Ludwick were the leading scorers for Sturgis (2-11), with 12 and 11 points respectively. Ludwick added 10 rebounds. Hill City senior Whitney Edwards dropped in 13 points and snared eight boards for the Rangers (7-5).
The Scooper girls travel to St. Thomas More to battle the Lady Cavaliers on Thursday in Rapid City. Tip off is scheduled for 7pm. The Sturgis boys host St. Thomas More at West Gym on Tuesday, Feb. 1.
