The Class A Girls Basketball State Tournament at the Watertown Civic Arena
Saturday, March 14, 2026
No. 5 Lennox 65, No. 2 Mahpíya Lúta 51 – State Championship
Lennox used a dominant third quarter to pull away and defeat Mahpiya Luta 65-51 in the Class A Girls State Championship on Saturday.
The loss marked the second straight season Mahpiya Luta finished as state runner-up.
Mahpiya Luta controlled much of the first half. After trailing 10-7 at the end of the first quarter, the Crusaders erupted for 20 points in the second to take a 27-21 halftime lead.
Mya Mills led Mahpiya Luta with 16 points, knocking down five three-pointers, while Ashlan Carlow-Blount added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists. Tahca Zephier chipped in eight points, and Peyton Knife contributed seven points and five rebounds.
Lennox turned the game in the third quarter.
The Orioles outscored Mahpiya Luta 28-14 in the period, using a balanced offensive attack and forcing turnovers to erase the deficit and build a 49-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Andie Peters sparked the surge with 15 points, hitting five three-pointers, while Tori Gerdes dominated inside with 22 points and 10 rebounds, going a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line.
Bergan Musser added 10 points, and Teagen Sturm contributed eight points and seven assists for Lennox.
Mahpiya Luta was able to cut the deficit to 54-45 midway through the fourth quarter after a basket from Knife, but Lennox responded with key free throws and inside scoring from Gerdes to keep the Crusaders at bay.
The Orioles closed the game strong at the free-throw line, finishing 15-of-19, while Mahpiya Luta shot 32.7% from the field.
Lennox also controlled the glass with a 39-27 rebounding advantage and scored 23 points off turnovers to seal the championship victory.
—————————————————————————————————————————–
No. 6 Sioux Falls Christian 51, No. 1 Hamlin 50 – Third Place
Sioux Falls Christian erased an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit and scored the final five points of the game to slip past Hamlin 51-50 on Saturday.
The Chargers built a 32-22 halftime lead, controlling the first half with strong interior scoring and rebounding. Lezlei Setzer led the early push for Sioux Falls Christian, finishing with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Emory Lems added 14 points and three rebounds.
Hamlin responded with a dominant third quarter behind Addison Neuendorf, who scored 24 points and hit 3-of-7 from three-point range. The Chargers struggled offensively in the period, managing just seven points while Hamlin surged ahead 43-39 entering the fourth quarter.
Hamlin extended the lead to 50-42 midway through the final quarter after a three-pointer by Neuendorf, putting the Chargers in a late hole.
Sioux Falls Christian slowly chipped away. Oaklee Hadler hit a three-pointer to spark the comeback, and Aubrie VanBeek added another three to cut the deficit to five.
Two free throws from Sydney Schaap pulled the Chargers within 50-47, and Setzer scored inside with 1:43 remaining to trim the lead to 50-49.
After a defensive stop, Sioux Falls Christian drew a foul with five seconds left. Lems calmly knocked down two free throws to give the Chargers their first lead of the second half at 51-50.
Hamlin had one final opportunity, but Sioux Falls Christian’s defense held in the closing seconds to secure the dramatic one-point win.
Hamlin also received seven points and five rebounds from Sarita Stevenson, while Jade Thue added six points off the bench.
Sioux Falls Christian held a 35-26 rebounding advantage and scored 26 points in the paint, helping the Chargers survive despite shooting 38 percent from the field.
—————————————————————————————————————————–
No. 4 Sioux Valley 63, No. 7 West Central 61 – Fifth Place
Sioux Valley held off a late push from West Central to secure a 63-61 victory Saturday in a tightly contested matchup.
Sioux Valley built a first-half lead behind its three-point shooting, taking a 36-29 advantage into halftime after hitting several key shots from beyond the arc.
Talya Vincent led Sioux Valley with 17 points, knocking down five three-pointers, while Amari Ward also scored 17 points and added four steals. Liberty Trygstad contributed 11 points and seven assists, and Kailey Cradduck added eight points and a team-high eight rebounds.
West Central fought back in the second half behind Ellie Knight and Kacey Jaton. Knight finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Jaton also scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
The Trojans trimmed the deficit throughout the third quarter, cutting the lead to 45-44 heading into the final period after a basket by Knight.
Sioux Valley extended the margin early in the fourth. A three-pointer by Trygstad and another from Avery Schmuck helped push the lead to 53-44 midway through the quarter.
West Central answered with a late rally. A three-pointer from Jaton with 4:13 remaining cut the deficit to 56-53, and Knight later scored inside to bring the Trojans within 57-55.
Knight added a free throw with 1:41 remaining to make it 57-56, but Sioux Valley converted several late free throws to maintain the lead.
Cradduck hit two free throws with 28 seconds left to push the score to 61-56, and Vincent added two more from the line moments later.
West Central had one last chance, as Kaylie Schultz hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, but Sioux Valley held on for the two-point win.
Sioux Valley finished 12-of-29 from three-point range, a key factor in the victory, while West Central held a 34-28 rebounding edge and scored 30 points in the paint.
—————————————————————————————————————————–
No. 8 Lakota Tech 67, No. 3 Wagner 64 – Seventh Place
Lakota Tech erased a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter and finished with a late surge to defeat Wagner 67-64 on Saturday.
Wagner controlled much of the game and led 52-40 after three quarters, but Lakota Tech erupted for 27 points in the final period to complete the comeback.
Amelia Shangreaux led Lakota Tech with 28 points, while Lizzie Robinson added 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven steals to power the late rally. Isabella Shangreaux chipped in 10 points and five rebounds.
Wagner built momentum in the second quarter. After trailing 13-11 at the end of the first period, the Red Raiders outscored Lakota Tech 21-10 in the second quarter to take a 32-23 halftime lead.
Ashlyn Koupal carried Wagner offensively, finishing with 32 points and 20 rebounds while going 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Mateya Bruguier added 14 points, and Braxton Nedved contributed 10 points and six assists.
Wagner extended the lead in the third quarter, pushing the margin to as many as 14 points after a late three-pointer by Koupal made it 52-40 entering the final quarter.
Lakota Tech slowly chipped away early in the fourth. Robinson and Shangreaux combined for several baskets in the paint, and a layup by Lydia Hermanyhorses cut the deficit to 56-54 midway through the period.
Robinson tied the game at 56-56 with 4:23 remaining, and later made two free throws with 3:44 left to knot the score again at 58-58.
Wagner briefly regained the lead when Nedved scored inside to make it 60-58, but Shangreaux answered with a three-pointer with 2:41 remaining to give Lakota Tech its first lead of the half.
Koupal put Wagner back in front 64-61 with under two minutes to play, but Robinson responded with a layup and then another basket with 44 seconds left to give Lakota Tech a 65-64 lead.
Robinson sealed the victory at the free throw line with 10 seconds remaining, finishing the comeback victory for Lakota Tech.