STURGIS, S.D. / MITCHELL, S.D, — The Sturgis girls made the long trip to the Mitchell Corn Palace on Friday night and dropped a Class AA matchup to the Lady Kernels, 60-47 and the Kernel boys beat the Scoopers at West Gymnasium, 61-34.
The Mitchell Kernel boys came to West Gym licking their wounds following a 46-44 upset loss to the Pierre Governors on Tuesday. Mitchell shot one of 13 from three-point range in that loss to Pierre, only their second loss of the season.
The Kernels looked like they had something to prove in the first quarter, exploding for 22 points on nine of 19 shooting. Junior forward Caden Hinker had two dunks and six points to lead Mitchell in the first as they took a 22-3 lead over the Scoopers into the second.
“Mitchell is well coached and they have some senior leadership and some division two-type players,” said Sturgis head coach Derris Buus. “You can’t make mistakes against a team like Mitchell. We didn’t rebound well and we have to get tougher against size like that.”
Mitchell’s senior center Zane Alm poured in 11 points in the first half on a mix of jump hooks, easy layups and short jumpers. The 6-foot-10 post player was impossible to stop, but Sturgis sophomore Jake Vliem gave it his best shot and paid for it with three fouls by halftime. The Scoopers and Mitchell both scored 13 in the second quarter and the Kernels led 35-16 at the break.
“The think Jake (Vliem) needs to learn is that he really can’t play with his hands, he grabs and pushes too much,” Buus commented. “But all of our guys really battled tonight. Once they learn how to play defense without using their hands they’ll be fine.”
Hinker came out of the locker room after the half and couldn’t be contained, scoring 12 points in the third to extend the Mitchell lead to 52-24 headed into the fourth. Scooper freshman Tyan Buus was finally back in uniform after suffering a knee injury against Spearfish on Jan. 19. Buus ran the offense and popped in two three’s in the second half, but it wasn’t enough as the Kernels defeated the Scoopers, 61-34.
“Actually we didn’t expect (Buus) to play at all tonight,” said head coach Derris Buus. “My wife works at Black Hills Ortho and the doctors there said just come in and get it looked at. There was no structural damage, no muscle pull, some fluid buildup but in his mind he was just able to play. It’s good to have him back.”
Buus led the Scoopers (1-14) with eight points, with junior Konner Berndt adding five. Sturgis shot 30% from the field and 60% from the charity stripe, making three of five free throws. Hinker scored 20 points for Mitchell (11-2), adding eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Alm chipped in 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
The Sturgis girls traveled to Mitchell to take on the Kernels at the Corn Palace on Friday night and kept it close until the third quarter, until Mitchell blew the game open to defeat the Scoopers 60-43. No game details were available at press time.
Both Scooper squads are in action on Saturday as the Lady Scoopers take on the Huron Tigers in Huron, and the Scooper boys host Huron at West Gym. Both tip-offs are scheduled for 1:30pm.
