FRIDAY SPORTS, JANUARY 2, 2025
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell Kernels girls basketball will be at Harrisburg on Friday at 7 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels boys basketball faces Harrisburg on Tuesday at 7 pm. It will be the first basketball game at the new Mitchell high school gym.
— Mitchell Kernels girls wrestling competes at a tournament at McCook Central/Montrose on Friday at 2 pm. Mitchell boys and girls wrestling returns to dual competition on Thursday at Harrisburg to take on the Tigers and Yankton in a triangular.
— Mitchell Kernels gymnastics hosts the four Sioux Falls public schools and Watertown for a meet on Saturday at 11:30 am.
— Mitchell Marlins boys hockey returns to the ice on Friday when they host Brandon Valley.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— No. 10 Dakota Wesleyan women’s basketball will be at Midland on Saturday at 2 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball faces Midland on Saturday at 3:45 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State men’s basketball opened Summit League play with a second-half run, beating Omaha 84–69 Thursday night in Brookings. After the game was tied at 36 at halftime, the Jackrabbits opened the second half with a 13–0 run. Sophomore Damon Wilkinson led the way with a career night, 24 points and 19 rebounds. SDSU dominated inside, outscored Omaha by 28 points in the paint, and held the Mavericks to just 28% shooting in the second half. The Jacks, 8-8 on the season, will be at North Dakota on Saturday at 1 pm.
— South Dakota State women’s basketball kicked off Summit League play with a 67-49 win over St. Thomas on New Year’s Day, extending their regular-season conference winning streak to 63 games. Brooklyn Meyer led the Jackrabbits with 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting, while sophomore Katie Vasecka made her return from injury. The Jackrabbits improve to 11-4 overall and will be at Omaha on Saturday at 4 pm.
— No. 8 South Dakota State wrestling faces Arizona State on Friday at 6 pm at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD men’s basketball dropped their Summit League opener on Wednesday night, losing 84-61 at North Dakota State. Isaac Bruns scored his 1,000th career point in the first half, finishing with 17 points and six rebounds. The Coyotes led for much of the first half, but NDSU closed with a 10-0 run before halftime. The Bison pulled away early in the second half with a 16-2 run and maintained a lead of 20 or more points the rest of the game, shooting nearly 68% in the second half. The Coyotes fall to 8-8 on the season and will be at St. Thomas next week on Wednesday at 8 pm.
— USD women’s basketball starts Summit League play on Jan. 3 at Kansas City.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
— Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss passed for 362 yards and two touchdowns, and Lucas Carneiro kicked his third field goal of the game with six seconds left to put Mississippi in front for good in a 39-34 victory over Georgia in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal in the Sugar Bowl. In an unusual twist, Georgia QB Gunner Stockton ran for two TDs and rallied the Bulldogs from a 10-point, fourth quarter deficit before Chambliss drove the Rebels for Carniero’s game winning 47-yard kick in less than a minute.
— Fernando Mendoza threw three touchdown passes as Indiana’s defense dominated Alabama as the top-seeded Hoosiers advanced into the College Football Playoff semifinals with a 38-3 victory at the Rose Bowl. Mendoza passed for 192 yards in his first game since winning his school’s first Heisman Troph.. Indiana scored the game’s first 24 points.
— Oregon’s defense dominated in the Orange Bowl, shutting out No. 4 Texas Tech 23-0 to reach the College Football Playoff semifinals. Freshman Brandon Finney Jr. had two interceptions and a fumble recovery, and Matayo Uiagalelei forced a key fumble that led to a touchdown. Quarterback Dante Moore threw for 234 yards, while Jordon Davison ran in two scores. Texas Tech’s offense was held scoreless, turning the ball over four times.
— The Miami Hurricanes upset defending national champion Ohio State 24-14 in the Cotton Bowl quarterfinal on New Year’s Eve. Keionte Scott’s 72-yard interception return sparked the win, with quarterback Carson Beck throwing a touchdown and completing 19 of 26 passes. Miami’s defense pressured Ohio State, forcing two interceptions and five sacks. Ohio State’s season ends after missing out on back-to-back national titles.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL GAMES – Friday, Jan 2nd
Texas State vs. Rice – Armed Forces Bowl, Noon on ESPN
Navy vs. Cincinnati – Liberty Bowl, 3:30 pm on ESPN
No. 17 Arizona vs. SMU – Holiday Bowl, 7 pm on FOX
Wake Forest vs. Mississippi – Duke’s Mayo Bowl, 7 pm on ESPN
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS – SEMIFINALS
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Miami – Fiesta Bowl, 6:30 pm, Thursday, January 8 on ESPN
No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 5 Oregon – Peach Bowl, 6:30 pm, Friday, January 9 on ESPN
NFL
— Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson says he’ll be playing Sunday night in Pittsburgh for the AFC North title and he’s feeling “a hundred percent.” Jackson returned to full practice after missing last weekend’s game with a back injury. It was his fourth missed game this season, after earlier hamstring issues.
MLB
— The Houston Astros have agreed to a $54 million, three-year contract with Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai. The deal includes a $2 million signing bonus, $16 million salary this year, and $18 million in each of the next two seasons. The 27-year-old had a 10-5 record with a 1.92 ERA last year in Japan where he’s a three-time All-Star.
NBA
— The San Antonio Spurs say an MRI showed center Victor Wembanyama sustained no ligament damage in his injured left knee and their All-Star center will not play Friday in Indiana. The Spurs said Thursday that Wembanyama’s status is day-to-day. Wembanyama hyperextended his left knee with just under 11 minutes remaining in San Antonio’s 134-132 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
— Kawhi Leonard scored 45 points as the Los Angeles Clippers recovered from blowing a 21-point lead to beat the Utah Jazz 118-101, extending their winning streak to a season-best six games. Leonard scored 20 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter.
— Tyrese Maxey had 34 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Dallas Mavericks 123-108.
— Jaylen Brown had 29 points and 10 rebounds as the Boston Celtics pulled away down the stretch to beat the Sacramento Kings 120-106.
— Norman Powell scored 36 points as the Miami Heat extended their winning streak to four games with a 118-112 win over the Detroit Pistons. Cade Cunningham had 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for Detroit.
— Kevin Durant had 22 points and a season-high 11 assists as the Houston Rockets beat the Brooklyn Nets 120-96 for their fourth straight victory.
WNBA
— Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier will have surgery on both ankles and is expected to be sidelined four to six months, including the upcoming Unrivaled season. The 3-on-3 women’s basketball league made the announcement Thursday. Collier had been rehabbing ankle injuries suffered during the WNBA season. She suffered a sprained right ankle during an August game and missed several weeks. She then hurt her left ankle in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals.
NFL – WEEK 18
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers – 3:30 pm on ABC/ESPN, Saturday
Winner is the NFC South champion and will be No. 4 seed in the NFC playoffs.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks – 7 pm on ABC/ESPN, Saturday
Winner is the NFC West champion and will be No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers – Noon on CBS
New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys – Noon on FOX
Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers – 3:25 pm on CBS
Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions – 3:25 pm on FOX
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens – 7:20 pm on NBC
Winner is the AFC North champion and will be No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL – JANUARY 2, FRIDAY
Parkston vs. Winner DH
Ethan vs. Scotland/Menno DH
Hanson vs. Irene/Wakonda DH
Lennox vs. Mt. Vernon/Plankinton (girls)
Sioux Falls Christian vs. West Central (girls)
Andes Central/Dakota Christian vs. Centerville (girls)
McCook Central/Montrose vs. Kimball/White Lake (boys)
CLASS AA
Brandon Valley vs. Marshall (MN) DH
Sturgis vs. Watertown DH
Douglas vs. Tea Area DH
Rapid City Central vs. Rapid City Stevens (girls)
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL – JANUARY 3, SATURDAY
McCook Central/Montrose vs. Viborg-Hurley – Corn Palace at 9 am (girls)
Bridgewater-Emery vs. Centerville – Corn Palace at Noon (girls)
Bridgewater-Emery vs. Lyman – Corn Palace at 1:30 pm (boys)
Howard vs. Gettysburg – Madison Classic at 3 pm (girls)
Platte-Geddes vs. Howard – Madison Classic at 6 pm (boys)
Freeman vs. Pine Ridge – Corn Palace at 9 pm (boys)
Platte-Geddes vs. Tiospaye Topa (girls)
Wagner vs. Avon DH
Wessington Springs vs. Highmore-Harrold DH
Canistota vs. Oldham-Ramona-Rutland DH
CLASS AA
Sturgis vs. Tea Area DH
Douglas vs. Watertown DH
Yankton vs. Aberdeen Central DH
Huron vs. SF Washington DH
Bismarck (N.D.) vs. Pierre DH
Rapid City Central vs. Rapid City Stevens (boys)