The Class AA Girls Basketball State Tournament at the Summit Arena in Rapid City. All Times are Central
Friday, March 13, 2026
No. 2 O’Gorman 66, No. 3 Sioux Falls Washington 62
O’Gorman built a key third-quarter cushion and then held off a late push from Sioux Falls Washington to secure a 66-62 victory Friday in the Class AA girls basketball state tournament.
The Knights were led by Ruby Moore, who scored 23 points, while Sydney Terveen added 15 points and Ellie Meyer finished with 11 points.
Sioux Falls Washington stayed close behind a strong inside performance from Dana Harpe, who recorded 15 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Layla Berte and Rylan Kennett each added 10 points for the Warriors.
O’Gorman jumped out quickly, opening the game on an 8-0 run behind early three-pointers from Sadie Mehrman and London Backes. Washington responded with a late push in the first quarter, closing the gap to 20-18 after a basket from Kennett at the buzzer.
The Warriors continued to chip away in the second quarter. Washington pulled within a point several times and trimmed the deficit to 34-33 at halftime after a late basket from Harpe.
O’Gorman created separation in the third quarter. Terveen scored eight points during a decisive stretch as the Knights outscored Washington 18-12 in the period to take a 52-45 lead into the final quarter.
Washington mounted a late rally in the fourth. A three-point play from Josie Biteler cut the deficit to 54-52, and the Warriors later pulled within two again after free throws by Harpe with 2:20 remaining.
But the Knights answered each time. Meyer hit a key three-pointer midway through the fourth quarter, and Moore scored a late basket with 28 seconds left to push the lead back to four.
Washington trimmed the margin to 64-62 on a basket from Ella McKean with six seconds remaining, but Backes sealed the game with two free throws with three seconds left.
O’Gorman finished the game shooting 42% from the field and forced 19 Washington turnovers, turning those into 20 points.
No. 1 Brandon Valley 73, No. 5 Aberdeen Central 44 – Semis
Top-ranked Brandon Valley continued its dominant season Friday, defeating Aberdeen Central 73-44 in the Class AA Girls State Basketball Tournament semifinals.
The Lynx improved to 23-0 behind a powerful inside performance from Alyvia Padgett, who scored a game-high 32 points on 11-of-17 shooting and added nine free throws.
Brandon Valley set the tone early, opening the game on an 8-0 run highlighted by three-pointers from Gracie Salter and Padgett. The Lynx led 19-9 after the first quarter and extended the margin to 39-22 at halftime.
Salter provided a major spark from the perimeter, finishing with 22 points while shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from three-point range. Brandon Valley shot 52% from the field and 42% from beyond the arc while dominating the paint 38-14.
Padgett continued to control the game in the second half, scoring repeatedly inside as the Lynx pushed the lead past 20 points. A late third-quarter basket by Ava Kellenberger stretched the advantage to 56-37 entering the fourth quarter, and Brandon Valley pulled away from there.
The Lynx also forced 19 Aberdeen Central turnovers, converting them into 24 points.
Aberdeen Central (16-6) was led by Lauryn Burckhard with 15 points and Ava Yeske with 14, all four of Yeske’s field goals coming from three-point range. Taryn Hermansen added 11 points and eight rebounds.
Despite shooting 42% from three-point range, the Golden Eagles struggled inside against Brandon Valley’s defense and were held to 35% shooting overall.
Brandon Valley also controlled the boards 30-21 and finished the game strong, outscoring Aberdeen Central 17-7 in the fourth quarter.
No. 4 Rapid City Stevens 70, No. 8 Tea Area 52 – Consolation Semis
Balanced scoring and a dominant third quarter powered Rapid City Stevens to a 70-52 win over Tea Area on Friday in the consolation bracket of the Class AA Girls State Basketball Tournament.
The Raiders (17-5) placed five players in double figures or near it and shot an efficient 50% from the field while controlling the glass to advance to the fifth-place game.
Rapid City Stevens led 13-11 after the first quarter before creating separation in the second. A late basket by Finley Love gave the Raiders a 34-24 halftime advantage.
The game broke open in the third quarter when Stevens erupted for 23 points. Jessa Griswold knocked down a pair of three-pointers during the stretch, while Hayden Thorton added key scoring off the bench as the Raiders pushed the lead to 57-40 entering the fourth.
Stevens never let Tea Area get closer than 14 points in the final quarter.
Thorton led the Raiders with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting in just 18 minutes. Mackenzie Schreiber added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Marley Seumanutafa recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Griswold finished with 11 points, hitting three three-pointers, and Haley Falcon contributed eight points off the bench.
Stevens dominated the rebounding battle 43-30 and scored 34 points in the paint.
Tea Area (12-10) was led by Jayna VanLaecken with 15 points, including three three-pointers. Emma Lingren added 11 points and eight rebounds, while Anna Binde scored nine points.
The Titans struggled offensively throughout the game, shooting just 30.4% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range.
Rapid City Stevens also received strong contributions from its bench, outscoring Tea Area’s reserves 26-11.
With the win, the Raiders advance to the fifth-place game Saturday, while Tea Area moves to the seventh-place matchup.
No. 7 Mitchell 57, No. 6 Sioux Falls Jefferson 51 – Consolation Semis
Mitchell girls basketball team saved its best stretch for the closing minutes Friday.
The No. 7 Kernels closed the game on a 14-3 run over the final 3:30 to defeat No. 6 Sioux Falls Jefferson 57-51 in the consolation bracket of the Class AA state tournament.
Mitchell (14-9) trailed by six points late in the fourth quarter before rallying behind clutch shooting and free throws down the stretch. The Kernels will now face No. 4 Rapid City Stevens in the fifth-place game Saturday at 1:45 p.m.
Nia Talley led Mitchell with a career-high 17 points and eight rebounds, helping spark the late comeback. Londyn Hajek added 13 points, including a key go-ahead three-pointer in the final two minutes, while Addie Siemsen and CeCe Morgan each finished with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Sioux Falls Jefferson (14-9) was paced by Brinley Altenburg, who poured in a game-high 31 points on 13-of-29 shooting and 4-of-17 from three.
Mitchell controlled much of the first half and led 25-21 at the break. The Kernels built their largest advantage of the game early in the second quarter, stretching the lead to 21-10 behind baskets from Siemsen and Morgan.
Jefferson responded in the third quarter as Altenburg caught fire, scoring multiple baskets during a run that helped the Cavaliers take their first lead of the game. A late bucket by Abby Horner gave Jefferson a 38-36 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
The Cavaliers extended their lead to seven early in the final period after Altenburg hit a three-pointer to make it 43-36.
Mitchell slowly chipped away. Talley scored on back-to-back possessions, and Morgan added a basket inside to cut the deficit to three.
After Siemsen tied the game at 48 with a three-pointer, Hajek gave the Kernels the lead for good with another three with 1:36 remaining.
Mitchell sealed the victory at the free-throw line, going 15-of-19 overall.
The Kernels shot 45% from the field and made 15 of 19 free throws, while Jefferson finished at 41% shooting.
Mitchell also held a 30-23 rebounding advantage and forced 16 turnovers that led to 19 points.
Despite Altenburg’s big performance, the Cavaliers struggled to find consistent scoring elsewhere, with no other Jefferson player scoring in double figures.
With the win, Mitchell will look to close the tournament strong Saturday against Stevens in the fifth-place matchup.