RAPID CITY, S.D. — The Huron Tigers used a dominant second half and clutch free-throw shooting to pull away from Sioux Falls Roosevelt Rough Riders for a 53-44 victory in the Class AA boys basketball state semifinals Friday night at the Monument Ice Arena.
Huron (19-4) trailed 23-21 at halftime but seized control with a 19-10 third quarter, fueled by defense and timely scoring, to take a 40-33 lead into the final period. The Tigers then iced the game at the free-throw line, finishing 28 of 32 (87%) to secure their spot in Saturday’s championship.
Blake Ellwein led all scorers with 23 points despite shooting just 4 of 21 from the field, doing most of his damage at the line by going 15 of 17. He also added 13 rebounds. Anderson Porisch chipped in 13 points and five rebounds, while Myles Ellwein added eight points, including a key 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter.
Roosevelt (18-5) started strong, taking a 14-12 lead after one quarter and holding a slim halftime edge, but struggled offensively down the stretch. The Rough Riders shot just 29% from the field and went more than five minutes without a field goal in the fourth quarter.
Memphis Bylander paced Roosevelt with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while Deondre Painter added 14 points, including eight free throws. Akol Thyab contributed seven points and four rebounds off the bench.
The turning point came midway through the third quarter when Huron used a 13-2 run, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Carter Porisch and a string of Ellwein free throws, to turn a one-point deficit into a seven-point advantage.
Roosevelt cut the margin to 42-40 on Painter’s 3-pointer with 5:30 remaining, but Huron responded with six straight points and never allowed the Rough Riders to get closer than four the rest of the way.
Huron also capitalized on Roosevelt’s mistakes, scoring 20 points off 15 turnovers, while controlling the glass with a 34-27 rebounding edge.
The Tigers will play for the Class AA state championship Saturday night vs. undefeated Sioux Falls Lincoln, while Roosevelt moves to the third-place game vs. Harrisburg.