YANKTON, S.D. – Matthew Mors and the Yankton Bucks were too much for Sturgis as they cruised to a 65-39 win Saturday and earn a berth in the upcoming State AA Boys Basketball Tournament.
Mors was unstoppable, scoring 19 points and pleasing the crowd with six slam dunks that got the Yankton student section roaring.
Mors did just about everything for the Buck — pulling down rebounds, dicing his way through the Scooper defense for a couple of dunks, finishing off an alley-oop for a slam and even canning a three-pointer in the the third quarter when the game was well in their hands.
The University of Wisconsin signee and state point record-holder was all smiles as young Yankton fans got their pictures taken with him during the postgame celebration.
For Sturgis, it ends a tough season that saw them finish 5-15. Ryder Ladner went out on a high note — scoring 19 points to lead the Scoopers.
Yankton wasted no time on jumping out on the Scoopers, leading 17-5 after one. The Bucks then outscored Sturgis 22-10 in the second, and at halftime, led comfortably 39-15.
Coach Derris Buss looked to the future during Saturday’s game, inserting freshman point guard Gavin Ligtenburg early on in the contest.
Ligtenburg dazzled with his ball handling skills, and in a post game interview with KBHB, says he is looking forward to see how Gavin progresses in the program.
Yankton moves on to the state tournament, where they will be a favorite to win their second state championship in three years. The Bucks won in 2018 when Mors was a freshman.
They will be joined by two Rapid City schools, representing West River. Rapid City Central surprised the Sioux Falls Lincoln Patriots 52-48 to send them on to the state tournament. Their cross town rival Rapid City Stevens is headed there as well, with a 74-49 win over Harrisburg.
In the other SoDak 16 games, Sioux Falls Washington defeated Spearfish 69-47, Sioux Falls O’Gorman rolled over Watertown 77-58, Sioux Falls Roosevelt defeated Mitchell 68-50, Huron cruised past Douglas 84-48 and defending champion Brandon Valley heads back to the state tournament with a 52-48 win over Aberdeen Central.
