Travis Kriens/KORN News Radio Sports Director
MITCHELL, S.D. — A dominant fourth quarter powered the Mitchell Kernels girls basketball team to its sixth straight win Thursday night, while the Mitchell boys came up just short in an overtime loss to Tea Area.
The Kernels girls erased an eight-point deficit early in the fourth quarter and pulled away for a 59-50 victory over the Titans, outscoring Tea Area 27-16 in the fourth quarter.
Tea held control for much of the second half and led by eight with just over seven minutes remaining, but Mitchell flipped the momentum with defensive pressure and timely scoring. Sophomore Londyn Hajek led the surge, finishing with a game-high 19 points, including a pair of three-pointers and 10 points in the fourth.
Mitchell had strong production throughout the lineup. CeCe Morgan posted a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, while Addie Siemsen filled the stat sheet with 15 points, eight rebounds and seven steals. Nia Talley added 11 points as the Kernels improved to 7-3 on the season.
Mitchell will look to keep its winning streak alive Tuesday when it faces Huron at 6 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls as part of the Pentagon Throwback Classic.
Later in the evening, the Mitchell boys battled Tea Area into overtime before falling 57-48.
The Kernels forced the extra period when Colton Smith scored on a layup at the buzzer to tie the game at 46-46. Smith finished with 16 points, 21 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. The effort also moved him into fourth place on Mitchell’s all-time career scoring list, passing Bart Fredrick and Scott Morgan.
Tea Area, however, controlled the overtime session, outscoring Mitchell 11-2 to secure the win. The Titans were led by Mitch Grant and Grifin Wiebenga, who each scored 16 points, while Gavin Shawd added 15 points.
Mitchell dominated the glass with a 40-23 rebounding advantage but was hurt by 22 turnovers. Owen Raml scored 11 points with three rebounds, while Lincoln Bottum hit three 3-pointers for nine points.
The Kernels boys will also face Huron on Tuesday at the Sanford Pentagon, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Coverage starts at 5 pm with the KORNer Booth Pregame Show on KORN News Radio FM 101.3/AM 1490 and KORNRadio.com